The Most Crucial Software For Your Restaurant

In order to run a restaurant effectively and efficiently, the staff must have access to crucial business software. Great software has practical capabilities that benefit cooks, chefs, and servers. If your restaurant doesn’t have this type of software, you can buy a proper option by reviewing the suggestions in this convenient guide.

Table of Contents

Restaurant Management App

A restaurant management app is a product that compiles information about daily activities and business objectives. By running this type of app, you can manage

* Orders

* Tables

* Staff schedules

The big benefit is that a typical management app runs on tablets and phone; this mobile feature makes managing objectives on the go easier. All management apps for mobile platforms organize reports and analytic data neatly on a dashboard, so the process of retrieving data quickly is never a hassle.

POS Software

If you want to speed up daily sales, a POS system can help. This system processes transactions fast because it has a touch screen with dedicated icons for orders. Many companies make point of sale software that functions on a POS system, and most programs are specifically built for restaurants.

POS systems don’t make costly transaction errors because they have computer hardware and cash register functions. Some systems also have the ability to track inventory following each transaction. By setting up inventory management, you’ll boost customer satisfaction because you’ll have opportunities to restock your food and continue to serve before inventory levels are low. If you need strategic pointers on POS system that’s made for a restaurant, consider visiting a store that sells POS hardware.

Open Table

Open Table is software that helps restaurants generate sales by securing reservations. In order to use Open Table, you’ll need a website for your restaurant. When you’re ready to use Open Table, you must set up and configure the software on the site.

This particular software tool benefits everyone because it provides access to a network that consists of diners who made reservations on a website. If you setup Open Table on your own site, potential customers who want to make reservations in advance can avoid time-consuming lines and phone calls.

By using Open Table during holiday events or sales, the process of tracking multiple reservations won’t be challenging. You’ll sort through numerous reservations with ease while running Open Table because the software has practical management solutions.

QuickBooks

QuickBooks is an accounting program that’s designed for financial teams. If you run a small or medium restaurant, this software can help you manage daily transactions, bills, and more. QuickBooks can also be accessed remotely with the help of QuickBooks Server Hosting on a Virtual Hosted Desktop on any device. However, most people use QuickBooks specifically for payments.

Besides the basic functions, QuickBooks also has practical management options for managers. For example, by accessing the payroll area, you can structure payment options that will benefit all of your employees. Then, when it’s time to spend cash on the business, you can view charts in order to sort cash for utilities.

Whenever you need to manage inventory, you can use QuickBooks for this task as well. QuickBooks compiles inventory data as charts and graphs, so the process of comparing weekly and monthly stock on the dashboard isn’t a hassle.

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Matthew Starobin says:

January 15, 2019 at 7:37 am

I would caution about using QB for food costing.

(Full disclosure: we create and sell reciProfity, a cloud based food costing app)

Inventory control maybe, although there are issues with costing and valuing prep recipes

But for actual recipe costing, QB is not the right tool. It treats recipes as ‘assemblies’, and they are more complicated than a ‘bill of assembly’ (e.g., a bike, chemical mix, etc.)

The key difference, and what makes foodservice so complicated, is the difference between how items are purchase and how they are used. Three examples:
1. Onions: you buy a 25 lb. bag, but how many usable pounds are there? Operators purchase pounds but use something less. If they don’t account for that loss, they are understating their food costs, and anticipated margins will not be attained.
2. Same with proteins (fish, tenderloin, etc.) but even moreso.
3. Purchase a 25 lb bag of sugar, and use a cup. That needs a conversion; it’s not fixed, and depends on the density and type of item.

QB does not account for these kinds of very specific foodservice issues. My gut feeling is that a great deal of restaurant closings are because owners understate their costs, so their margins (and therefore profits) suffer when the real world intrudes!

Matthew