Managing a restaurant is hard. Keeping track of the many moving parts that go into running one can be tough, and without some help things can quickly get out of hand. That’s why it pays to invest in programs that will make your life easier and keep things running smoothly. With these five must-have programs, you’ll be able to take care of everything from reservations to inventory management with just a few clicks.
1) A reservation system – You need this if you want people to come eat at your restaurant! This way, when someone calls or visits your website looking for a table time, they can see what’s available and reserve it for later on that same day or another date in the future.
2) An online platform – A good one makes it easy for you to accept online reservations. It lets people know what time slots are available and allows them to book them with a few simple taps on their smartphone or computer.
3) Point-of-sale software – This software keeps track of customer orders and tracks your inventory levels, so you’ll always know whether you’re running low on something or have enough to serve another customer.
4) A digital food safety management system – It lets you use a smartphone or tablet to track temperature and other food safety information so that you can make sure everything stays at the proper digital fridge temperature chart and your staff have completed the mandatory tasks. HACCP is a critical part of food safety. It stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, which are the general steps you need to take to ensure you won’t get a bad review on Yelp or another online platform. Everything can be handled remotely, so you don’t have to worry about which staff members are actually doing the monitoring.
5) Inventory management software – Keeping track of your inventory is a big job for most restaurants, but with this software, you’ll know exactly how much of each item you’ve got on hand and what you still need to buy. That way, you won’t run into any problems when you’re trying to make a dish for a customer and find that the ingredients you need aren’t in stock.
This list of five must-have programs is just a starting point. Every restaurant has its own unique needs, but if your business deals with some of these common issues, then it can be a good idea to invest in one of these programs to ensure you’re doing everything right. Make sure to research other options before making your final decision, but start with this list and you’ll be well on your way to running a much smoother operation.
Investing in restaurant software is a worthwhile investment that ensures your business runs smoothly. It’s not an expense, but rather an improvement that will definitely increase your success.
