How Restaurant Chains Maintain Consistency Across Many Locations

When it comes time to decide on a restaurant to visit, there are a million factors you might consider. Two of the biggest reasons customers choose a chain, in particular, are consistency and familiarity. Knowing you can get the same burger you do at home when you're halfway across the world is a comforting idea for the brain and body alike. 

For that reason, maintaining consistency across franchise locations is super important. Between upscale steakhouse chains and fast food giants, how do restaurants stay consistent? Some methods are more obvious than others, such as ensuring each establishment is following the same set of standard operating procedures. The recipe for every dish should be identical at every location — from the temperature of the cooking vessels to the measurements for the ingredients to the source of each addition. Every step from how to take orders to the marketing materials used to advertise the brand also has to be the same, so staying organized and documenting everything is key.

With proper, ongoing training that teaches employees to implement these procedures and strong leaders in place to help along the way, human error should be minimal and meals should taste virtually the same across franchises. To keep each location in check, restaurants often conduct regular audits to give feedback based on the food, and communication between all layers of the establishment should be constant and encouraged. With all of these pieces in place, things should go according to plan.

Keeping food consistent across franchises is an important factor in bringing customers back and cementing a brand name. Still, it's not as easy as it seems to achieve uniformity. There are a lot of roadblocks to success, one of the biggest being the high turnover rates at restaurants. If experienced employees can't be retained, it will be hard to keep the same quality across locations as new workers take time to learn a chain's rules. Another common issue is inconsistency with ingredients. Try as farmers might, food just doesn't always grow the same throughout the year. This might make for slight changes in the taste of a dish throughout seasons and across different environments, which, in turn, can mess with consistency. 

A lack of organization is another barrier for franchises — and also one sign of a bad restaurant. For example, if training happens through word-of-mouth instead of via standardized guides, employees might all have a different understanding of the menu, which makes for big quality problems. Restaurants are dynamic places, so it's important to stay up-to-date by investing in organizational systems. 

The last barrier to consistency is the distinct tastes and preferences of each region. Different communities can prioritize different food groups, so restaurants might have to adapt menus based on customer feedback. While this isn't necessarily a negative barrier, it's an obstacle nonetheless, and if overdone, it can take away from brand recognition. So clearly, consistency isn't easy, but for franchises, it is essential.