Blog

Guides for restaurant owners

Practical articles on online ordering, delivery, rules and running service, written by the DineHarbor team.

102 articles

Restaurant Reservations and Floor Plans

Use reservations, a floor plan, tables and a waitlist in one restaurant system, with clear booking rules and a practical routine for reducing no shows.

DineHarbor teamJun 13, 20267 min read

Guest experience

Mystery Shoppers and Self Audits

Check your restaurant as a guest would: a self audit, a mystery visit, a scoring sheet, fair rules for staff, review policy and turning findings into action.

DineHarbor teamJun 10, 20268 min read

Opening a restaurant

How to Start a Bakery: Plan and Rules

Plan a bakery that pays: production schedules, costing bread and pastries, waste at close, early shifts, allergen labels and what to register first.

DineHarbor teamJun 7, 20265 min read

Kitchen and food safety

Restaurant Cleaning Schedule and Checklist

Build a restaurant cleaning schedule that gets done: daily, weekly and monthly tasks, cleaning versus disinfecting, sign off sheets and deep cleans.

DineHarbor teamJun 6, 20267 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant Gross Profit and Prime Cost

Understand gross profit, prime cost and net profit in a restaurant, read a simple profit and loss statement, and find where margins leak every month.

DineHarbor teamJun 2, 20267 min read

Rules and compliance

Allergens and calories on your menu

A plain starting point for restaurant owners in the UK: the 14 allergens, Natasha's Law and calorie labelling, and how to keep the information in one place.

DineHarbor teamMay 26, 20262 min read

Team and hiring

The Restaurant Manager Job and Skills

What a restaurant manager really does, the skills that matter, a week in the job, how to delegate, avoid burnout and grow from supervisor to general manager.

DineHarbor teamMay 24, 20267 min read

Menu and pricing

Halal and Kosher Menus: Offer Them Honestly

Offer halal or kosher dishes with care: what the terms mean, certification, supply, kitchen separation, honest wording and where to get proper advice.

DineHarbor teamMay 23, 20267 min read

Team and hiring

Restaurant Staff Training Plan That Works

Build a restaurant training plan with a first week schedule, role cards, shadowing, menu tastings, food safety and allergen training, and ways to check skills.

DineHarbor teamMay 22, 20267 min read

Running a restaurant

Restaurant Suppliers and Ordering Made Simple

Choose and manage food suppliers, set par levels, compare prices fairly, receive deliveries properly and build backup options so the kitchen never runs short.

DineHarbor teamMay 15, 20267 min read

Money and margins

Restaurant KPIs: The Numbers Worth Tracking

The restaurant KPIs that matter: sales, average spend, food and labour cost, prime cost, waste, ticket time, reviews and repeat guests, and how to use them.

DineHarbor teamMay 10, 20265 min read

Opening a restaurant

Restaurant Kitchen Layout That Works

Design a restaurant kitchen around the flow of food, from delivery to the pass, with zones, spacing, hygiene points and where printers or screens belong.

DineHarbor teamMay 8, 20267 min read