Steel control on costs
It's one thing to run a restaurant when things are going well. It's another to survive when things are slow. We spoke to the general manager of Cartel's about the topic.
Photo: Cartel's
When Cartel's cash register system did not offer enough functionality in terms of food consumption, general manager Johannus Hansen decided to create his own system in Excel, which will be integrated into his own new POS system created by Sibus. He entered the price of all ingredients. This gave him an overview of the costs of each individual meal.
“ Perhaps the most important thing is the balance of the menu ”
– It took hundreds of hours to develop the Excel sheet, but now it is so simple that even the chefs use it. It has made our lives much easier. We have a completely different level of control than I have seen with anyone else. We use it when onboarding new employees, and it helps us with inventory.
– Has it helped you cut costs too?
– It has definitely helped us identify which costs are too high, but also which ingredients we use little of, says Johannus.
Cost cutting in the wrong place
Although it is entirely possible to cut down on purchasing costs by buying cheap ingredients, Hansen believes that this is the wrong way to do it. – It's all about the details. For example, we use a special chocolate in our dessert, which I could easily replace with a type you can buy in Norway, but then part of the taste disappears – and the dish becomes inferior. A problem that we have today can develop into a long-term problem for the restaurant.
We want to build trust with our customers. If we start cutting back on ingredients and portions, it will feel like we are cheating them. – What we have done instead of cutting costs on ingredients or making meals smaller is to adjust the prices of the dishes. It is better to set the bar higher, because customers associate the price with the quality of the meal.
Photo: Cartel's
Diverse menu cuts costs
– Perhaps the most important thing is the balance of the menu. It doesn't work to go through the menu and think: "This is very popular, this is not as popular, so we have to remove it."
Having a rotation of ingredients is important, and there can be a great added value in being able to use up the rest of the ingredients that are left over from the most popular dishes. A dish that is traditionally not that popular can help you get rid of fish or steak that would otherwise have had to go in the trash. It can also be appropriate to have some dishes on the menu because they look good. That they are Instagram-friendly.
To stand out in the crowd
A steady and consistent flow of customers only comes when you have created a name. You need to have a good reputation, and then you need to stand out from the competition.
“ We have always worked hard to differentiate ourselves. We have done so by exceeding our customers' expectations ”
– How do you achieve that?
– We have always worked hard to stand out. We have done this by exceeding customers' expectations, or at least by aiming for that. Something that is also very important to us is that customers get the same experience, whether they visit us tonight or in six months, says the general manager.
The difference between a decent and a fantastic meal
Hansen says that the difference between a good meal and a fantastic meal is the details. – A meal consists of several components. If one of the parts is average, it is not a big problem. If four, five or six of these are average, the perception of quality drops quickly. If the steak is a little overcooked, the corn stew has a poor consistency, the potatoes are undercooked and the vegetables are overmarinated, we are talking about a meal that has high potential, but which becomes mediocre because of the details. The details have to be in place, and this is one of the things that makes you stand out in the crowd.
Ice in the drinks – and in the stomach
The pandemic was a turbulent time for many – especially those places that had to remain closed due to restrictions. Hansen says it was a challenging, but also educational period.
– We were completely closed for three weeks at the start of the pandemic. After that, we haven't been closed a single day. During the period we were closed, we took the opportunity to renovate the kitchen. Kill two birds with one stone, Johannus smiles.
– Even though it wasn't possible to have everyone working at the same time, I had enough courage in my heart not to lay off a single employee. It was expensive then and there, but once things opened up again, we were able to have a full kitchen staff. We were one of the few restaurants that had the capacity to handle a full restaurant when things opened up again.
Facts about Cartel's
First opened its doors in Bergen 18 years ago, improved the concept in 2016
Opened its second restaurant in 2022 in Oslo
Serves food and drinks inspired by Latin American culture, best enjoyed in the company of friends and family