From the cash register to the kitchen, technology is a crucial part of how restaurants operate. Technology and business innovators are continually coming up with new digital solutions to make restaurant operations faster, easier, and more profitable.
The restaurant business is fast-paced. Today, most modern restaurants are high-tech environments where many tasks are accomplished automatically by digital devices to make procedures run smoothly and to lighten the load of busy employees. Many people don’t realize how hectic it is for service professionals — servers, hosts, cooks, chefs, managers, and other restaurant employees are always on their toes. Restaurants ranging from a fast-food taco joint to an upscale fine dining establishment heavily rely on computers to lend a virtual hand.
Let’s look at some of the latest and most effective technology solutions for your restaurant.
Digital Inventory Tracking
By now, you’ve probably scrapped the pen-and-paper method since digital tracking has made its way into the service industry. Many restaurants use electronic inventory systems because it provides them with better visibility of their main assets. Employees can directly submit and view inventory counts for better accuracy and efficiency. Managers can set up customized counting schedules for each product, making it much easier to keep track of every item in inventory.
Rugged Computers
There’s always so much going on in a restaurant. From making take-out orders to serving up hot food in the kitchen, there’s never a dull moment, and the last thing you’d want is to overheat or spill something on the computer system. You can never be too careful. You need a rugged waterproof computer system for your restaurant. Rugged computers are designed to withstand water, extreme temperatures, and harsh conditions such as a hot, steamy kitchen. On a busy brunch shift or dinner hour, you can’t afford to risk a breakdown because the computer system wasn’t durable enough or had liquid spill into it. The entire team depends on it, so invest wisely when purchasing the computer system for your restaurant.
Optimized Schedule Software
Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant knows how challenging scheduling can be. Fortunately, new software programs can help you get the job done quickly and smoothly. Within minutes, managers can generate and distribute weekly or monthly schedules for all employees.
Shift times and positions are optimized according to staffing patterns and forecasted sales levels to avoid under- or over-staffing. If you’re tired of writing up weekly shift schedules that never seem to stick, consider downloading schedule software to make life a little easier for your managers.
Handheld Point-of-Sale (POS) Systems
Handheld POS systems allow for convenient, at-the-table ordering and payment, which improves the speed and accuracy for servers to turntables. Customers spend less time waiting for their food and bill, enhancing their experience and heightening their overall satisfaction. Customers will be in and out faster, which means you’ll have more people to serve and bigger sales totally at the end of the night.
Technology is the backbone of your restaurant. By adding these devices to your menu, you’ll have a lot of happy customers!