We are all aware of the importance of a strong concessions per cap. Payroll, however, is also of serious concern. The juggling act that I am presented with every week is simple: How do I maintain my per cap, but keep payroll to a decent level?

What are some things everyone else does?

------------------
-----------
2 Time ICWF Champion

At the average concession stand it is important that the customer gets to wait just the right amount of time before a sale. If, on a busy weekend night, your customers aren't having to wait you are overstaffing or have other problems. OTOH, if the customer has to wait too long, you will lose sales.

There is method to the madness. A customer who walks up cold to the stand has no time to review the menu board or selections. If that person is immediately approached by an efficient concession worker, they will make a safe fast decision -small coke, small corn- or -whatever I had last time- and be gone.

A customer who sees the sales exchange of at least one other customer is more primed to buy, especially if they have a tendancy to be a tightwad. They have a chance to see the items, see a sale, and have the time to think "hmmm, would I like a nachos with that?"

On average, a three customer line during peaks was the line that I found consistently had the highest per-cap. No lines signal "Other people aren't buying, the prices are too high or the food stinks." Too long a line sends the message "I'll be standing in line too long and miss part of the show."

How do you achieve the magic number? Concession payroll CANNOT EVER BE A FIXED PAYROLL EXPENSE. EVER! If a circuit demands this of you, quit and find another job. Concession payroll has a minimum that allows the stand to be open, and then a relationship based on the number of expected patrons and a relationship based on patrons per employee hour.

The exact concept takes far more explaining than is practical to attempt in a forum like this, but the system we worked out at TALP was the best system of payroll control vs/ concession sales that I have ever seen. I honestly think it beats every other system by a mile.

Sometimes extra staff will actually get in your way and slow things down.

I have seen at times that removing one person in the concession area is like gaining two. They are not tripping over each other.

It is a balancing act trying to determine the correct number of personnel in the concession area under different circumstances. Proper supervision by the floor manager can also be an important key to maintaining a high Per Capita.

 |  IP: Logged

The whole thing comes down to the point that I have very little attendence each week. As my patron count has dropped, I've had to cut hours. As I've cut hours, my per cap has dropped, but if I increase hours, and there is still no business, then a higher PC has just gone to pay for that extra staffing and I'm back at square one.

Yikes, eh?

------------------
-----------
2 Time ICWF Champion

My employees do a great job of upselling too. As a matter of fact, we often lead our league in different conccession contests.

------------------
-----------
2 Time ICWF Champion