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Technologies that help decrease expenses opinions

post #1 of 3
Thread Starter 
Hello,
I am a culinary student at the CIA and I am working on a project for controlling cost class. I thought I could research all I want, but asking people currently in the industry would be a great point of view to have. I was wondering if any of you would be kind enough to give me your personal opinion on technologies you use to help decrease expenses and what you would consider the top three most important. Thank you very much for your time.
post #2 of 3
-Most expensive is labour.

Any production bakery will rather invest in labour saving devices than in actual human labour. Why? It's just not the actual human labour involved, it's the risks that go with it: The screening process, the training process, the wait time for both processes to kick in, and if they don't, the expenses occured when an ex-employee percieves that s/he is entitled to compensation--or someone jut looking for an easy buck.

-Next comes overhead expenses: Rent, utilities, and insurance. Rent you can't do much about, other than negotiate before signing. You can invest in energy efficient appliances, and design/layout the premises intelligently. Things like energy effecient water boilers, electrical apliances on 220/3ph, remote refrigeration, and utilizing the heat produced from refrigeration.

-Next comes product. You can buy in bulk, saving a bit, but you have to store this, and you sit on your money. Smart operators take advantage of seasonal produce--say, blueberries where they buy in 2-300 lbs in the late summer and freeze, having a years supply, or buying local spuds or onions, and storing them, or growing our own herbs. Smart operators also don't have a menu "carved in stone" they roll and rock with the seasons, avoiding high cost items like, say romaine lettuce in the dead of January, and loading up with seasonal goodies in the summer months.

To sum it all up, it takes an experienced and smart operator to shave nickels and dimes, but anything shaved is money in the bank.
post #3 of 3
There are plenty of ways . One thing I can tell you is ''Don't comprimise quality for the sake of saving money"' I have seen it to many times and it will always come back to kick you in the butt. Save where the customer can't see not where they can..
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