To help offset the significant de-leveraging brought about by the consumer pullback in spending, operators are combing through restaurants looking for ways to trim costs and boost sales. To help in that effort, we asked operations expert Mark Godward, president of Miami-based SRE, a restaurant consultancy, to offer a productivity checklist. How many of these have you considered?

• Evaluate cooking equipment in light of shifting product mixes (for example, more burgers, less steaks). Turning off certain burners, oven cavities or portions of grills may allow cooks to work in smaller, more efficient “triangles.”
• Consider bringing expediters into the cooking area to help with final assembly and possibly extending the volume of orders to avoid adding another cook. Keep in mind ingredients may have to be shifted from one side of the pass to the other.
• Eliminate, if possible, a food-prep position by making food prep the responsibility of station cooks.
• Prep fewer items. For example, if business is slower, cook chicken to order for a salad instead of microwaving a precooked portion.
• Time plating so every guest in a party gets food simultaneously at perfect temperature. This alone can drive sales.
• Determine whether you could close the kitchen a half-hour before unit closing to avoid post-closing labor costs.
• Get employees involved by soliciting suggestions for increasing sales and reducing costs. Always test their ideas first.