Café Mastery: Optimizing Costs, Boosting Revenue
By: Figueroa
Figueroa
Cafe Owner
Industry Insights
In Café Mastery, Raúl Figueroa, kitchen manager of Hutch & Waldo, shares his extensive experience and hands-on strategies for tackling key challenges in the café industry. Managing a bustling 300-square-foot café that generates $50,000 in weekly sales, Raúl delves into practical methods for optimizing food and labor costs, building strong supplier networks, and making smart inventory decisions—all vital in today's inflation-driven market. Over five episodes, Raúl offers insights into finding small suppliers, maintaining lean operations, and engaging staff effectively to boost customer satisfaction and retention. From equipment choices that maximize efficiency to labor strategies that keep costs down, Raúl's series delivers actionable advice for small business owners aiming to streamline operations and drive revenue growth.
Episode 1: Food Cost Hacks #1 - Smart Inventory Management
Raúl Figueroa, the kitchen manager at Hutch & Waldo, shares practical strategies for optimizing food costs and maximizing revenue in small café settings. With a compact 300-square-foot space in NYC's Upper East Side, Hutch & Waldo achieves impressive weekly sales of $50,000. Raúl dives into efficient inventory management, explaining how he uses POS systems to accurately forecast demand, prevent over-prepping, and cut down on food waste. He also discusses the importance of managing stockouts by offering alternative menu items to satisfy customers and minimize loss. Raúl emphasizes how adapting the menu based on sales trends and integrating waste-tracking apps have helped turn potential losses into savings.
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