Want to start or improve your brunch service? Here’s some great advice

Why Brunch Requires the Same Precision as Any Other Service

David Lewis, who co-owns Wylie & Rum, a “Floribbean” restaurant in Atlanta, with his father Tony Lewis, shares his two cents.

Assign a Dedicated Brunch Lead or ChefGet someone in charge.

“Make sure you have a competent chef—it’s so easy to overcook eggs for eggs benedict or shrimp for shrimp and grits. But these mistakes will cost you.

Focus on Execution and Consistency

“It’s so easy for someone to just not put the bacon on a dish or leave off a side or something like that. You just can’t afford to have even one dish that doesn’t go out perfect. Everyone has to be on point, at the back of the house and the expo and the front of the house, just like at any other service. Brunch can’t be an afterthought.”

Build a Brunch Menu That Keeps Regular Guests HappyMake your core menu available.

“We’ve segmented our brunch menu while keeping our regular menu items available—we had several guests come in during brunch but want what they always get.

“We had a very broad brunch menu and then we found that the customers wanted a lot of our normal menu items. Initially we said, sorry folks, it’s brunch. But we found we were pissing off a lot of people who were coming to us because of who we are and what they knew of us. So we had to segment it off and just make a section of the menu brunch and bring back all our favorites.”

Design Your Brunch Menu Around Cross-UtilizationMenu what you have.

“Cross-utilization is everything. We had a new chef who wanted to add this and that, but then you have to accommodate all that with space, plating and labor. It can be too much.

“The absolute single most important consideration for adding a new menu item is and always has to be cross-utilization for us. You also have to also consider the extra shelf space and plating needed, too. And think about equipment—your steam table, for example, only has a certain amount of space in it. You have to rethink your entire line for brunch service, making sure there’s room for all the eggs but also whatever core menu items you’re continuing to offer.”

Promote Brunch Like a Core Part of Your BrandMarket brunch like it matters.

“You can just start serving brunch and not tell anyone about it and be surprised when nobody comes. I think the only way to do [brunch] successfully is to make a big deal out of it. We advertise brunch as a focus on our mailing list and use other in-store marketing and social media platforms to talk about what we’re serving this week or to remind people about it. It’s all about just being really consistent with that.”

Want to learn how to make the brunch fave chicken & waffles (with a twist)? Click here for a step-by-step tutorial.