The restaurant industry, like any food industry, remains a risky proposition. Besides that, for significant competition, quality, service delivery, presentation, and ambiance are sacrosanct. A restaurant’s success is the sum total of myriad factors, each of which needs to be tweaked to perfection. Among the many challenges faced by restaurants are the hiring and training of personnel (reception, hosts, chefs, cooks, wait staff, maitre d’s, bartenders, and barbacks). This proves to be an insuperable challenge to restaurants ill-equipped to deal with these exigencies.
Marketing is another bugbear for restaurants that fail to effectively engage customers, initiate email databases, and create VIP loyalty programs. Effective management of a restaurant operation, therefore, encompasses multiple interrelated disciplines that must function symbiotically, in a synergistic way for the success of the business.
Overcoming Challenges Faced by Restaurants
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Management is an all-encompassing function which is always hands-on in the restaurant business. The restaurant manager must pay close attention to the daily operations of the business, including, but not limited to profit and loss, sales objectives, the ratio of labor costs vs sales, profitable items/unprofitable items on the menu, daily customer breakdown by mealtime, inventory management, profit margins, et al.
One of the most effective ways to assist management in running a restaurant more efficiently is the implementation of technology-based point-of-sale systems which have wide-ranging applications for the restaurant industry. Optimized POS systems offer the dual benefit of efficiency of operations from the management perspective and the customer perspective. Traditional systems of ordering and paying are clunky and cumbersome. Wait staff is required to shuffle to and fro between tables, manually keying in orders for table numbers, and scurrying back to tables for payment processing.
The benefits of sophisticated tableside guest-facing displays are evident across the spectrum. For example, customers can enjoy the convenience of digital receipts versus paper receipts (cost savings and environmentally friendly), customizable menus, language-specific options catering to customers on their terms, and loyalty programs. You can explore more on this here, for a comprehensive analysis of the features, functions, and cost savings benefits of web-based platforms with guest-facing displays, and technology-driven solutions.
Intuitive Restaurant Management System with Easy Implementation
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Naturally, restaurant management systems such as these come at a premium. But, the cost savings far outweigh the outlay, as is evident from the streamlined functionality of operations post-adoption of new systems. With unlimited features and functionality available, around-the-clock support, mobile point-of-sale options, and a customizable number of terminals available to restaurants, these systems can be easy to learn, and even easier to implement. The Toast system is a good example. Unlike other training systems which are heavily reliant on company representatives conducting lengthy, in-depth training for employees and management, this system is intuitive.
Restaurateurs can easily, effectively, and efficiently streamline activities vis-a-vis team management and payroll services. Accurate payments are posted, all work-related hours are instantly synced to payroll activity and the system is automated to allow for instant management. Up-to-date restaurant management systems have the added benefit of easily adjusting to shifting regulatory requirements, allowing for effective restaurant management from a single user interface. Given that the full-service POS system is designed for Android systems, it is far more cost-effective, with greater versatility. In an industry that is hamstrung by exorbitant costs, the benefit of adopting a Toast system that is Android-based naturally confers additional cost-savings benefits, since Apple products are not required.
By Katya Smith