As restaurant operations scale, the associated challenges and management complexity grow with it. This is why some restaurant owners assume that only large-scale operations need the help of a dedicated restaurant management software; but this isn’t necessarily true.
Rather than thinking about the necessity of restaurant management software as a matter of scale, we can instead approach it as a tool that enables scaling in the first place. For example, small restaurants who rely mostly on manual methods may find it difficult to scale without the help of a dedicated restaurant management software to streamline key aspects of their day-to–day operations.
In this blog, we will talk about the five best features small businesses need to look out for when selecting the best restaurant management software to help them scale.
Cloud-based Versatility
In yesteryears, all restaurant management systems were built and managed on-premise. This meant local servers had to be physically wheeled into restaurants, set up, and maintained by dedicated IT staff. This older model had higher upfront and maintenance costs compared to today’s modern, cloud-based solutions. On-premise systems also suffered from poor scalability, since expansion typically meant additional hardware which demanded more space with each iteration.
A good, cloud-based point of sale system (POS) on the other hand, has lower upfront costs; with regular maintenance and system updates covered in the monthly subscription fees. In choosing the right restaurant management software, you must also consider the following:
- Scalability
Can it accommodate your plans for business growth without the need for significant hardware upgrades? - Accessibility
Is it easily accessible from anywhere with an internet connection? - Data Security
Does it have automatic data backups, and are they compliant with relevant data security laws and standards?
A restaurant management software that ticks all of these boxes is versatile, and can be an invaluable tool in helping you achieve continuous growth for your operation.
Ease of Integration
Even though some POS systems have a versatile suite of restaurant management tools that can handle pretty much any aspect of a food and beverage operation e.g., order management, inventory tracking, and payment processing, the best POS system for your small business is one that can easily be integrated into your existing (and future) third-party software.
As new software and technology become available to restaurants, you want your main restaurant management system to be able to adapt; either they upgrade their features to keep up with the latest developments, or be flexible enough to be able to integrate seamlessly with the latest software and apps.
Menu Management Capabilities
A good restaurant management software for small businesses must be able to streamline both back-of-the house and customer-facing processes. Menu management features such as easy customization, item categorization, and real-time updates are crucial in ensuring a smooth experience.
Having software that takes care of these day-to-day tasks, also means you’re freeing up time for your staff to do more of the necessary manual work such as providing customer service, doing quality control before food and drinks are served, and ensuring the cleanliness and ambience of the restaurant is constantly maintained.
Employee Scheduling and Management
Operational efficiency and profitability are co-dependent, which is why it’s important that restaurants make data-backed decisions when it comes to handling their resources. Good point of sale systems can optimize employee scheduling by taking your daily operational data and turning them into actionable insights. For example, instead of just assuming that lunch hours will be busy, you can review trends to check which days and which specific hours are busiest for your restaurant on average, so you can schedule more staff in when necessary.
Some restaurant management software can even give you insights on the performance of each specific staff member, allowing you to reward top performers, and provide additional training and coaching to underperformers as needed.
Reporting and Analytics
Aside from optimizing staff schedules, your restaurant management software must be capable of providing data and insights into other key aspects of your operation:
- Sales Reporting
Having easy access to data that shows your best-sellers and low-sellers allows you to further optimize your menu items by either cutting out those that fall in the latter category, or coming up with improvements and promotions to boost their sales. - Inventory Analysis
Unchecked wastage can slowly eat away at your restaurant’s profits, and reviewing inventory movement and wastage trends can help you make smarter decisions when it comes to handling your resources. - Operational Efficiency
Reviewing key performance indicators (KPIs) including table turnover rate and average wait times can help you identify bottlenecks in your existing processes so you can come up with plans to address them.
Regardless of the size of your restaurant operation, a versatile cloud-based restaurant management software can prove to be a game-changer. Through a suite of restaurant management tools and the flexibility to easily integrate into other software and apps if necessary, you can ensure that no area of your operation is left behind as you scale.
If you’re ready to take your restaurant operations to the next level, try Sapaad; an all-in-one cloud-based POS system that covers inventory tracking, reporting and analytics, customer relationship management (CRM), as well as order, menu, and table management among others. Sapaad also has robust integration capabilities, seamlessly working with your existing third-party software and services to ensure that you have eyes on all aspects of your operation.