Managing a restaurant on any regular day can range from minor scheduling delays to major management fiascos. Wish to have your cake and eat it too? While successfully managing a restaurant, you will find yourself in need of multiple helping hands and countless reminders.
What if all the help you need arrived in the exact manner you need and at the exact time, sometimes even without you having to set reminders!
An interactive skill set that helps you efficiently manage your restaurant is a power tool that every restaurant needs at hand. So, the introduction of efficient restaurant management systems has given most restaurants the respite they need.
Crucial Restaurant Management techniques to Consider Before Purchasing a complete restaurant management system
Irrespective of how big or small your restaurant, a good restaurant management system can truly benefit you in the long run and improve your restaurant’s productivity significantly.
You will not only make your customers happy but also ensure that your staff is less burdened by repetitive tasks that can simply be managed by the right choice of restaurant software.
While relying on restaurant management software sounds like a great idea, there are some modules to consider before purchasing one for your restaurant.
We list down some of the most important restaurant management modules every growing restaurant needs:
1. Cloud Back-up
Imagine losing all your restaurant records due to circumstances out of your control. Not a pretty scenario, is it? That’s a high possibility if you don’t have a back-up of all your transactions and records.
A cloud-based system allows your office experience to transcend beyond the four walls of your establishment. The ease of being able to manage your restaurant operations from anywhere at any time gives your business a cutting edge in these digitised times. Keeping all resources and operations manageable by a cloud-based system brings in transparency in all your dealings and reduces a high amount of human error.
And, with digital being the new normal, most restaurant management systems are cloud-based, allowing you to enjoy some peace of mind on this front.
2. Inventory Management
Keeping an eye on the inventory is a crucial task for every restaurant to continue functioning to their best ability. However, taking stock of your inventory in the absence of an automated program can bring your tasks down to a snail’s pace. With the need for speedy completion of your stock-taking tasks, an electronic manager may be an answer to your problems.
An automated inventory management system can bring you real-time figures and help you restock at the right time so that your restaurant functions effortlessly.
3. Table Management
Among all the restaurant management features a growing restaurant needs, this is a vital one, although it may not seem as such.
For a growing restaurant, attending to every customer that enters their premises is a priority. Without a table management system in place, bustling restaurants may easily miss catering to certain clients or may delay in serving them.
Rather than having your staff hover to find out which tables are available or likely to be emptied soon enough, the table management feature will keep you updated while reducing the time taken to attend to them and serve them, resulting in some very happy customers!
4. Revenue Management
Knowing when to collect bills is a delicate affair. Presenting bills at the right time, neither early nor too late, is the key to customer satisfaction. A revenue manager that allows clients to pay through their choice of mode of payment, be it debit/credit card, cash, or other electronic media, is an advantage to your establishment. A mode of payment that is not only discreet enough for the individual performing the transaction, but also eases the routine is a much needed asset.
5. Menu Management
Restaurants that do not have an e-menu tend to rely on their printed menus for guests to choose their dish. However, a change in menu due to lack of stock or for seasonal dishes can lower the reputation of the restaurant among the diners.
No diner likes to be told that the dish they would most love to feast on is not available, whatever the reason may be. With a restaurant management system, you avoid these issues.
6. Order Status Recounting
Whether you’re catering to someone dining within your restaurant or delivering to someone outside it, keeping track of the orders coming in requires a keen eye and a dedicated resource. Missing a single order can lower your reputation and ruin all the effort you’ve put in so far.
An order status tracking program that allows customers to place their orders is a power tool that you won’t regret having on board. The tracker will allow you to not only place and track orders but also make necessary customisations to the orders that the customers place.
The order status recounting system works in tandem with a revenue manager system and backs up the records on your server. A system that can run in the absence of the internet, or during a network crash can prove to be a huge boon.
7. Loyalty Tracker
Like all businesses, keeping your customers happy is always a priority. The golden rule of the restaurant industry is: The better the client reviews, the higher the chances of customer referrals. Recognising and celebrating your recurring patrons gives them the satisfaction of having chosen a rewarding restaurant and improves your chances at having a higher number of recurring patrons.
8. Campaign Management
Reaching the right customers is of utmost importance, especially in the current times. inresto’s campaign management feature enables you to build the right target audience and provide them with the best kind of engagement based on their demographics. You can also automate and schedule your campaigns through specific triggers.
What about effectively connecting with the customers? Well, Campaign Management lets you opt for SMS, emails or Push notifications, so that you can build a holistic reach.
One of the best takeaways of this feature is that you can access campaign analytics, which allows you to learn what’s working and what needs improvement. The multiple benefits that this feature provides are highly beneficial for growing businesses.
Key Takeaways
Now that you have a better understanding of the crucial features to consider before purchasing your restaurant management system, you can jot down all the factors you deem necessary for your establishment.
From a cloud back-up to an inventory manager, most of the above-mentioned pointers can be listed as vital restaurant management features every growing restaurant needs. Prioritizing your list of necessary features can help you make the right choice when purchasing a system for your establishment. So, consider your pressing needs before you buy a new restaurant management system.
