From Front Desk to Entrepreneur: Mr. Yang’s Path to Restaurant Success

The pandemic turned the restaurant industry upside down. Even as COVID-19 restrictions eased, many restaurants struggled to find their footing. So, despite his big ambitions, Mr. Yang understood it wasn’t the right moment to open his own restaurant. Instead, he decided to use this time wisely, chipping away at the stacks of paperwork required to start a restaurant and diving into a learning phase that would lay a strong groundwork for his future ventures. 

He took a job at a relative’s restaurant in New York to immerse himself. From manning the front desk and handling restaurant phone orders, to serving tables, packing takeout meals, and even delivering food, Mr. Yang threw himself into every role. And seized every opportunity to chat with customers, listen to their preferences, and envision a restaurant that would stand out. Along the way, he had some surprising insights: American customers favored ordering over the phone, craved quick and affordable meals, and sought authentic, personalized dining experiences.

Did you know?Zippia Research reports that 52% of customers still prefer to call restaurants directly to place their orders. While food delivery apps may seem to dominate, the reality is that phone ordering is still the preferred channel.

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Adapting to Customer Preferences and Defining the Business Strategy

These hands-on experiences gave Mr. Yang a clear vision for his own restaurant. He chose to open a Chinese-Japanese fusion fast-casual eatery, emphasizing simple, quick-to-make dishes that would cater to a broad customer base. By aligning to what he had learned from first-hand customer discovery, he built a restaurant business centered around takeout, with limited seating for dine-in customers. This approach not only met customer demands but also kept overhead costs in check. Even at this stage, his dedication to learning was paying dividends.

Overcoming the Challenges of Being a New Restaurant Owner

In the early days, Mr. Yang and his wife dedicated countless hours to the restaurant, sacrificing time with each other, their family, and friends. They took on every small task, from opening to closing, determined to get the business off the ground. Half a year in, they were hit with great news—his wife was pregnant! While this was a monumental time in their lives, it also meant she could no longer handle the demanding hours the restaurant required. So, Mr. Yang was left with no choice, but to bring on full-time help. 

Unfortunately, their first front-desk hire struggled with mistakes despite three months of training. And the next hire didn’t fare much better—clashing frequently with the kitchen team and causing further disruptions. Within just six months, they had to replace multiple front-desk staff. Mr. Yang reflected, “There are many people out there looking for jobs, but finding reliable employees is hard. It’s common for new hires to leave right after training, and the constant turnover makes managing the restaurant even more challenging.”

Mr. Yang went on to say, “Hiring, managing, and retaining staff has been my biggest challenge since day one. When employees are unreliable, it’s tough to keep service consistent, and that holds back growth.” This struggle brought to mind the advice he’d heard from seasoned chain restaurant owners: Hiring, managing, and retaining staff is the toughest part of the business. To grow your restaurant business successfully, you need to minimize dependence on staff and outsource the repetitive, time-consuming aspects of restaurant operations. 

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Did you know?
Mr. Yang received valuable advice from experienced restaurant owners. Our research shows that “hiring needs and challenges” are the top reasons restaurant owners choose to outsource restaurant operations. The problem isn’t just finding, managing, and keeping employees—it’s also that employees are getting more expensive. In fact, 98% of restaurant operators say rising labor costs are a major issue, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Outsourcing Restaurant Operations for Greater Efficiency

With persistent labor related headaches top-of-mind, Mr. Yang started to rethink his business strategy. He realized that relying solely on his and his family’s hard work wasn’t a sustainable path forward. To make more money and achieve long-term growth, the restaurant needed to outsource the repetitive, time-consuming aspects of restaurant operations quickly. That November, he learned about Tarro’s phone answering service.

Mr. Yang discovered that Tarro’s restaurant answering service offers a distinctive blend of college-educated, bilingual agents, assisted by AI, to manage restaurant phone orders effectively. This approach ensures orders are processed quickly and accurately, speeding up food prep and delivery. This not only enhances the overall customer experience but also eases the heavy workload on Mr. Yang and his wife—giving them more time to focus on growing the business, with each other, and on their expanding family.

Initially, Mr. Yang opted for a gradual rollout, choosing Tarro’s part-time restaurant answering service. His wife continued answering calls during quieter hours, while Tarro handled the peak times—busy dinner shifts and weekends. After collaborating closely with Tarro’s restaurant answering service team, the solution was fully tailored to his restaurant in no-time. Compared to hiring temporary staff, Mr. Yang found Tarro’s phone answering service far more dependable. Thanks to their support, the restaurant achieved $80,000 in sales within its first year.

Professional, Accurate, and Customer-Focused Restaurant Phone Answering Service

The agents on Tarro’s restaurant answering service team receive extensive training and gain deep familiarity with each restaurant’s menu. For more complicated orders, they confirm details with the customer before submitting, demonstrating a high level of care that leads to an impressive (and industry best) 99.5% order accuracy rate. Plus, during the rush, Tarro’s restaurant phone answering service can manage unlimited phone lines at once. 

This capability proved invaluable on a hectic night in November when Mr. Yang’s restaurant took over 30 phone orders in a single hour. Without Tarro’s restaurant phone answering service, it would have been impossible to handle such a high call volume.

Low-Cost, High-Return SMS Marketing

Having phone order data gave Mr. Yang access to a valuable list of customer contacts. Yet, knowing how to leverage this information for growth isn’t always straightforward. Fortunately, Tarro’s SMS marketing service (free for the first year, valued at $8,500) made it easy—sending personalized promotions directly to customers’ phones during peak dining times, prompting them to place more orders. For example, last Thanksgiving, their special holiday meal package sold over 100 orders, each priced above $100, bringing in more than $10,000 in a single day.
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Expanding Reach with Tarro’s Delivery Service

Seeing firsthand the advantages of Tarro’s restaurant answering service and marketing solutions, Mr. Yang realized that outsourcing restaurant operations was essential for scaling his restaurant business. By cutting back on manual labor, he could streamline operations and make them more consistent.

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So, to make even more money, Mr. Yang introduced Tarro’s delivery service. This meant that, along with managing phone orders and marketing, Tarro would also handle deliveries—including hiring reliable drivers, driver safety, and managing delivery drivers. As a result, Mr. Yang was able to boost orders without needing to bring on any extra staff.

Tarro’s delivery service reaches up to 15 miles, much farther than most local drivers. This helped Mr. Yang’s restaurant serve more customers without being limited by typical delivery zones. Customers who ordered delivery directly from Mr. Yang’s restaurant through Tarro’s restaurant answering service saved about 50% on delivery fees and 25-50% on their total bill compared to using third-party apps. With lower costs for customers and a wider delivery area, Mr. Yang saw a big increase in orders.

Did you know?
Our research shows that as customers pay more in fees, they place fewer orders. While this may seem simple, it illustrates the challenge of partnering with third-party delivery services like DoorDash, notorious for high customer fees.

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In the beginning, Mr. Yang’s restaurant handled 5-10 deliveries a day. Mr. Yang commented, “It’s not a massive number, but it adds up to thousands of dollars in extra revenue without needing any additional staff. Why wouldn’t I take advantage of it?” 

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Best of all, his wife was able to step back from the day-to-day grind and focus on her pregnancy. Impressed by the seamless operations and growing sales, Mr. Yang swiftly transitioned from part-time to full-time restaurant phone answering services with Tarro. Relieved of managing phone orders, marketing, and deliveries, he could now focus on expanding the business.

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Outsourcing Restaurant Operations for Scaling Success: From One to Three Restaurants in Just Two Years

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Earlier this year, Mr. Yang acquired a neighboring restaurant and launched a menu featuring boba tea and fried chicken, which quickly became customer favorites. By July, he had opened a third location, serving American fast food—each with Tarro’s restaurant answering service.

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Looking back on his progress, Mr. Yang said, “I couldn’t have grown this quickly without outsourcing restaurant operations to Tarro. They handled the most time-consuming tasks—like taking phone orders and managing deliveries—which allowed me to replicate the success of my first location at the second and third stores. My entrepreneurial journey is just getting started, and I know Tarro will continue to be a key partner along the way.”

Tarro’s Restaurant Answering & Delivery Service: The Secret Weapon for 3,000 Asian American Restaurants Nationwide

For the past 12 years, Tarro has been the secret weapon behind the success of more than 3,000 restaurants nationwide. From Chinese restaurants to Japanese, Pizza, sandwich, seafood boil, fried chicken, Thai, Vietnamese, and fusion restaurants, Tarro supports a diverse range of cuisine types. By removing labor headaches, cutting labor costs, and boosting sales, Tarro helps restaurant owners connect with a broader customer base and scale operations effortlessly.

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Give us a call at 1-833-354-0686 or fill out the form below to book a meeting.

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