Tools of the Trade: 4 Types of Software Every Restaurant Business Should Have | If you are running your restaurant with paper and pencils, you have officially fallen behind the times. Restaurants of all types have become more efficient after implementing different types of software. The software helps with the control of inventory, orders, payroll, social media, and more. A typical restaurant inventory sheet includes a list of items, their unit of measure, amount, unit price, and total cost. Technology has made work easier for almost all fields like we have work scheduling app to monitor and manage the work of even online staff.
It is easy to become overwhelmed with the numerous apps available to restaurant managers and owners. To wade through the plethora of restaurant management software, we’ve narrowed down the necessities to four must-haves.
- Point-of-Sale Software
Gone are the days when restaurants rely on paper to get orders from the table to the kitchen and back to the table. With a point-of-sale (POS) system, everything is done through a computer. The kitchen is informed, a timer is set, and expediters are ready when the order is set to go.
POS software not only helps with orders, but it can also provide solutions for taking credit cards and training employees. There are POS apps that allow servers to take orders on tablets, reducing the need for paper at all. Some POS systems include everything that restaurants need, from time clocks and scheduling apps to inventory management and customer-satisfaction surveys. Some also offer mobile ordering for customers-on-the-go.
- Reservation Management
Reservation management systems make life easier for customers, especially those who like to make online reservations, plan their meals, and arrive at a set time. The real benefit is for restaurants as they can use the data collected through these systems to learn about customers. Restaurants can use the data received from reservation management systems to improve their scheduling, build customer loyalty, and grow their business. They can even help restaurant managers see what menu items are the most popular with their most loyal customers. Online ordering for restaurants takes this one step further by allowing you to accept food orders on your website and target users with personalized promotions that will motivate them to order again and again.
- Communication and Scheduling
Notes taped to time cards and random text messages are not the best forms of shift-to-shift communications. You cannot guarantee that the messages will be read or that the notes will be seen. Instead, communication and scheduling software can help deliver important messages when you are not in the restaurant.
These are often two separate types of software, but they do similar tasks. They help restaurants improve their efficiency on the frontlines, as the servers need to know what is happening before and during their shifts. Communication and scheduling software removes the stress that management and servers experience while they work hard to provide the best possible service.
- Inventory Management
Finally, restaurants that want to control their costs and minimize waste need to have inventory management software. This product can be imbedded in the POS software, or it can be a stand-alone product. Managers get to see where the food is going and when an order should be placed. It can even help with maintaining proper temperatures and following expiration dates.
Some inventory management systems are better for restaurants with several locations and some are designed for small businesses with one location. They often allow users to place digital orders and track shipments from door to door.
