Business Management Software Your Restaurant Shouldn’t Do Without

Business owners can’t do everything on their own; it’s just not feasibly or realistically possible.

That’s why they hire teams of people to manage different facets of their operation and then automate the rest with business management software. For restaurant owners, however, there’s much more that needs to be monitored and managed on a daily basis than the traditional business owner. Keeping operations running smoothly, inventory properly stocked, and costs in line is only just the beginning.

That’s why the typical set of business management software isn’t enough for the restaurateur.

7 Types of Business Management Software Restaurants Must Have

When it comes to running a restaurant successfully, there are a number of contributing factors that come into play — each of which must be carefully monitored and managed. In an ideal world, you’d be able to manage your entire operation or network of restaurants from one single piece of software. In the real world, however, that’s not likely the case since there are many disparate systems that contribute to the overarching picture.

As a restaurateur, that’s not really what you want to hear. Costs are already high and the thought of investing in a dozen or so pieces of software is not likely to sound like a profit-boosting investment. However, when you use high-performing software that’s known to get results and you use it on a regular basis, that is indeed what you’ll find happens.

Here are 7 of the most critical pieces of business management software every restaurant should have:

POS and Management Software

If your restaurant is brand new or you’re currently looking for a new and improved POS system, start with UpServe. Not only do they nail it in terms of providing customers with reliable and mobile POS equipment solutions, but their restaurant management software is top-of-the-line. You’ll get insights into everything, from sales to labor costs and everything in between.

As a bonus, UpServe integrates with top-notch management solutions, which is great if you’re concerned about the costs of adding too much new software. These integrations will ensure that your systems sync up and communicate with one another while also keeping the number of different software you need to a minimum.

Online Ordering Aggregator

Did you know that 12% of consumers order food online once a month while 10% do so once a week? As your guests seek more ways to dine with you (i.e. delivery or takeout), it’s important to have an online system that streamlines your online ordering process. Chowly does just that by integrating your third-party online ordering platforms into your POS. And guess what? It works with UpServe!

Inventory Management Software

Have you ever taken a good look at how much food waste is costing your restaurant? If not, then you absolutely need an inventory management software. This will help you keep tabs on what you’re ordering, what you’re using, and what’s getting thrown away each week (or what you’re continually 86’ing). By better understanding the trends, you can be smarter about ordering food for your restaurant.

While there are a number of inventory management solutions to consider, Toast has a great one that covers not just inventory tracking, but recipe costing and menu engineering.

Food Safety System

While it seems as though the Chipotle food safety nightmare is behind us, there are always cases of food safety issues cropping up in the news (like the contaminated romaine lettuce this year). That’s why food safety software is a non-negotiable part of your restaurant safety system. FreshTemp spares your kitchen staff the hassle and unreliability of paper checklists and the potential for human error and moves it all to the cloud.

Workforce Management Software

Managing restaurant staff doesn’t just mean keeping employee records up-to-date and ensuring they get paid on time. It means managing shifts (often across various locations), constantly recruiting for new employees (whether because of high employee turnover or because you need seasonal help), and regularly checking in with new training. That is not an easy thing to do when you have different team members moving in and out of your restaurant on a daily basis.

Workforce management software like the Better Chains solution will give you comprehensive coverage over it all, including:

• Recruitment
• HR management
• Employee scheduling
• Training

Accounting Software

While you may be inclined to use a popular accounting software like QuickBooks or Zoho to manage your restaurants’ finances, the safer choice would be to use one tailor-made for the restaurant industry. There are just too many cost and revenue variables that don’t factor into the management of other businesses and you shouldn’t risk losing track of them. That’s why accounting software like Restaurant365 is an absolute must for restaurant finance management and reporting.

Guest Engagement and Recovery Software

To round it all out, you’ll want a guest engagement and recovery software like the one from Pedanco. This system monitors for any and all engagements your customers have with your restaurant and inform you in real-time so you can take immediate action. Obviously, watching your bottom line and maintaining a quality service are critical to your restaurant’s success, but none of that will matter if your guests aren’t receptive to your efforts.

Summary

Gone are the days of spreadsheets and cumbersome paper records that only cause more harm than good. There is a lot to do in order to effectively run a restaurant, so why leave any of it to chance? Business management software ensures that you’ve covered all your bases and automated as much of the tedious, hands-off work as possible. This, in turn, keeps you free to to focus on providing high-quality customer service to your guests.