Last weekend I went to dinner at one of the restaurants of the famous Valencian group “Saona”. This time I went to a new place opened by the group and I was astonished when I saw the bill: 18€. I was surprised by the quality-price of the menu (which included starter, main course, dessert and drink) as well as the good service of the staff. How do they do it in such a competitive sector as the restaurant industry? I will tell you the secret: the logistics system used by the company.

A brief introduction to the company

The Saona group is a restaurant model with affordable prices, Mediterranean cuisine and a very beautiful Balearic-inspired décor. They opened their first restaurant in the center of Valencia in 2013, and ten years later they have more than 30 restaurants located in the Valencian Community, Madrid, Barcelona and Andalucia. Under the name Saona, the group created other very similar restaurants with the same model (Saona, Turqueta and TagoMago).

Key success factors

The restaurant sector is a very competitive environment and differentiation is almost essential. In this sense, Saona has managed to stand out not only for its delicious food, but also for its competitive prices.  The company’s strategy has been to optimize costs, centralizing its services in an industrial warehouse in the Paterna technology park, where they have facilities that allow them:

• Efficient cooking processes

From the central kitchen, the chefs prepare the dishes served in all the restaurants (the menu is practically the same in all of them). In addition, they have an R&D department from which they prepare the new dishes that are added to the menu.
Although the food preparation processes are not automated, they have developed an efficient production line while maintaining the ‘homemade’ flavor. In this way, the kitchen staff of the establishments only has to follow the rules of semi-preparation of the dishes. This has a clear advantage: the reduction of the restaurants’ own kitchen staff due to the standardization of the process.
 

• Inventor management

On the one hand, restaurants meticulously control stock levels to avoid problems such as shortages or overstocks, they work to order with the central location in order to avoid having a large stock in the establishment. In the evenings, they calculate the expected demand for dishes to be ordered for the following day. On the other hand, the central location uses inventory management systems, for finished dishes and for the quantity of ingredients needed to prepare them. In addition, they regularly analyze sales data and trends to optimize their inventory and avoid any wastage.

• Efficient warehouse

The central warehouse acts as a consolidation and distribution center. Successful supplier management provides reliable deliveries of high quality food and products. Once the dishes have been prepared, restaurant orders are prepared for shipment at the distribution center. This helps to optimize transport routes and the loading of delivery vans

Overall, logistics plays a crucial role in the continued success of the Saona restaurant. It is an example of how efficient management can be a key factor for a restaurant to succeed in a competitive market, ensuring maximum quality and customer satisfaction.