There's no denying the impact that inflation has on restaurants. Poultry, seafood and even prices of vegetables can shoot up. And as food costs for restaurants go up, restaurant prices are rising along with them. Inflation can wreak havoc across different restaurants, so much so that some restaurants have to close.

However, that’s not to say you can’t fight inflation. During hard times, you can not only stay afloat—you can take control of your restaurant and steer yourself into thriving. Our long-term, tried-and true strategies help you weather the storms that all restaurants face. Here are four actionable ideas on the best way to fight inflation:

‍1. Reduce food cost

There's no easy way to pay less for the same amount of food when inflation is shooting through the roof. That said, there are several tactics you can take to cut food costs for restaurants.

• Look for seasonal deals

Prices on produce often drop when the harvest comes in, and if you can buy in bulk and adjust your menu accordingly, you'll save some cash. Asparagus in spring will likely be cheaper than it is in December, for instance, while melons might be a better deal (and undeniably tastier) in summer. Whenever you see a seasonal price drop, try to take advantage of it, perhaps by subbing out a more expensive item on your menu for a bit.

• Buy local

When you can, buy local   to cut down on transportation costs (a real factor when gas prices are high) and to build relationships with local farmers and purveyors. Cultivating those local relationships can help you get better deals and perhaps even lead a farmer to grow or produce an item just for you, which can be a selling point on your menu, too.

• Buy in bulk
  

Maybe there's a bumper crop of blueberries and you buy a bunch and freeze them to use later, or perhaps you start pickling cheap, in-season veggies. Even when the food item has to be used fresh, if you can get a deal on it and work it onto your menu in multiple ways, you'll cut costs.

• Grow some things yourself
  

You may not have a plot of land for a full-scale garden bed, but perhaps you've got room for a raised herb garden. You'll save money and get bragging rights for some home-grown grub.

2. Reduce food waste

Restaurant kitchens usually prioritize not wasting food, but restaurant inflation should have you exploring all angles on minimizing food waste. The amount of food you waste adds up; one study found that "the restaurant industry generated approximately 33 lbs of food waste per $1,000 of a restaurant’s revenue." So, here’s how you can tackle the problem of waste:

• Conduct a trash audit

Finding out how much food you're throwing away— from the kitchen and uneaten food from diners—helpsyou identify ways to not waste it in the first place. To do an audit, collect all food waste from a day (or week) and analyze it by type and weight. Once you know how much and what type of food you're wasting, you can come up with solutions.

Maybe it's figuring out how to use more of a vegetable on the kitchen side of things, or putting smaller plates on the buffet if guests consistently take more than they can eat and then toss the leftovers. You might also consider starting a composting program or participating in your municipality's existing compost initiatives.

• Practice good inventory management
  

There are a couple of elements here. Make sure you're enforcing a first-in, first-out (FIFO) model when you receive a new order. And maintain a consistent inventory schedule so you know exactly how much of an item you have and how much you need. If you have visions of spreadsheets (or an overly complicated notebook system), think again. Food management systems, or inventory management systems, allow you quick access to the cost of goods sold by tracking and managing sales trends and food costs for restaurants. It's easy for you as a manager, and it also saves money and is more efficient—two key areas to consider in an environment where restaurant inflation is a big worry.

‍3. Fine-tune your menu for cost

With restaurant prices rising, you need to take a hard look at your menu and think of ways to cut food costs with creative menu planning.

• Conduct a menu audit
  

Consider the following for each menu item: howcheap it is to make, how easy it is to make, and how popular (or unpopular) itis. The holy grail of menu items is going to be low-cost, simple and highlypopular. On the flip side, the areas of concern are going to be expensive,difficult to make, and both popular or not (each presents a different problem). Youmay decide to replicate the cheap/easy/popular dishes and tweak or phase outthe ones that cost more in ingredients and prep time.

• Simplify your menu
  

Your menu audit may reveal dishes to remove altogether. A simplified menu generally costs less, both from food cost and prep cost perspective. You'll also be able to focus on getting your simplified menu exactly right, giving guests consistently good food that'll have them coming back for more, and inspire discussion with their friends.

• Focus on cheaper ingredients
  

Look at ingredients that are especially expensive on your menu and seeif you can swap for something less expensive without changing the quality andtaste of the menu item. It might be something you adjust seasonally, or youmight find a cheaper substitution that works in every season.

4. Cut costs beyond food

Sure, food costs can eat into your profit, but there are plenty of spots to potentially save money as you look at the inevitability of restaurant prices rising to combat inflation.

• Takeout containers
  

These can be a big bottom-line expense, especially if you're buyingeco-friendly ones. Consider shrinking their size or reevaluating how youpackage to-go orders to maximize use of containers.

• Utilities
  

Cutting down on waste may help trim your waste management budget, but you can also make simple fixes like using energy efficient light bulbs and opening doors for fresh air instead of running the AC constantly.

• Staff training
  

Whether it's streamlining your kitchen by doing more batch prep and cooking to save time or making sure your servers know to ask about allergies and temperature preferences to avoid having to re-fire a dish,  can help save money.

When restaurant prices rise, it's becoming even more important for restaurants to watch food costs. Once you've got food costs under control, tackle food waste, fine-tune your menu, and identify other small ways to control inflation, you'll be on your way to running a profitable restaurant, even in sky-high inflation

‍

‍Read more: More information on engineering your menu