Some restaurants are genuinely hard to get to. For instance, Tiyagyoni – a pop-up restaurant on Mount Everest at 17,500ft requires diners to trek for eight days to reach their table.
Not many restaurants have that kind of challenge to overcome! However, getting guests to select your establishment above all others is something you have overcome every day – and it can be an uphill struggle in its own way.
Luckily, modern restaurant epos is providing a real advantage to the most digital-savvy restaurants, even in today’s crowded hospitality environment.
Delivering an end-to-end view of business that previous generations of restaurateurs could dream about, plus many ways to control costs and cut waste, restaurant management systems give restaurants the ability to thrill their guests.
The best systems can even encourage positive online reviews from your guests…
There are no fewer than 8 great reasons to invest in restaurant epos if you are looking to streamline your operations while boosting revenue and profit. They are:
- Streamlining of operations
- Online booking capability
- Tighter control of costs and waste
- Optimal use of your labour
- Faster table turn
- Superb customer service
- Monitoring of social media reviews
- Guest loyalty programmes
Streamlining of operations
It’s tough today for restaurants. Costs are rising constantly, labour is hard to come by and the consumer pound is getting scarcer. So systems that can streamline operations are worth pursuing.
The leading management systems for restaurants today include a reporting suite that gives managers and owners access to important data via mobile devices, anywhere with an internet connection.
Sales, stock levels, and labour are just some of the reports that can be provided. The system can even give an insight into whether your staff are dealing with potential social media criticism properly.
With this business intelligence at their fingertips, restaurants – even groups in multi-locations – can make sound business decisions based on genuine information.
One user is the prestigious Temple Gate Townhouse hotel. Based in Ireland, the hotel implemented an Epos system and found that reporting was a huge benefit.
Managing Director Paul Madden said: “We’ve now got the data we need to better manage our operation.
“Our key reports, including product line mix and server performance, can be run in an instant. This really lets us focus on important business management issues.”
Online booking capability
Consumers nowadays demand quick access in all areas of their lives – and that includes eating out.
They have become accustomed to accessing services they need via their smartphone. Restaurants are now following the lead set by retail and financial services companies, particularly with the rising popularity of reservation booking apps such as OpenTable.
Modern restaurant epos makes it possible for diners to book a table 24/7 without phoning. It can also be integrated with OpenTable if required.
The facility is extremely convenient for diners and provides extra revenue for the restaurateur extra revenue because reservations can be taken even when the restaurant is closed.
Tighter control of costs and waste
Shockingly, UK pubs, restaurants, quick service outlets and hotels throw away 600,000 tonnes of food every year – that’s according to research by the anti-waste group Wrap.
That’s not the best behaviour for businesses in 2018. It means the business racks up costs, and runs the risk of damaging its reputation. Food waste is something the frugal millennial market particularly hates.
It’s also another area where restaurant technology can be of assistance. Thanks to having detailed up-to-date reports accessible all day and night, a business owner can make procurement decisions based on genuine information rather than guesswork.
For instance, stock control – never easy to achieve – can be a give, thanks to accurate forecasting based on sales figures and trends that the system identifies.
This useful restaurant epos software is now available as a rental option, which keeps costs down and provides an immediate ROI.
Optimal use of your labour
Restaurants and hotels in the UK have been reporting the Brexit effect on staffing for some time, with labour becoming hard to come by, and wages starting to rise.
Making sure your staffing matches your requirements is made easier by a further useful feature of restaurant technology.
By making it clear when the busy and slow business periods are, restaurateurs can ensure they have enough staff on at any time to keep satisfy diners while keeping costs to a minimum.
Giving those staff a system that is simple to learn is also a help.
It keeps training down to a couple of hours and provides them with the tools to make their jobs easy – which is a good result when staff retention is becoming a real issue.
Superb guest service
A new study found that the biggest brand differentiator for businesses in the next few years will be the quality of the experience their customers enjoy.
Today’s customers are short of time, and they demand seamless service, particularly from casual dining restaurants.
Serving staff can take orders from customers on hand-held devices or tablets right at the tableside. The orders are sent straight to the kitchen for immediately, making service quicker – and because there are no bits of paper flying around, the orders are accurate, too.
Staff can then take payment at tableside too. Modern software makes it easy to split the bill even for large groups, or for those who have added extra orders during the meal.
Faster table turn
When staff with access to restaurant epos welcome guests to your restaurant, they can get them seated faster thanks to real-time seating plans shown on their mobile devices.
When you add this to the speed of handheld ordering and payment, the result is faster table turn. The experience also sends diners away happy that their time has not been wasted and their requirements have been perfectly satisfied.
Monitoring of social media reviews
Consumers worldwide rely heavily on looking at online restaurant reviews before they decide where to take their custom.
A restaurant management system should have the social media tools that can help the restaurant owner or manager monitor online reviews – and that can warn your management team if a diner is posting a negative review.
This gives your team a chance to make amends before the customer even leaves his or her table – and that’s a huge positive for your reputation.
Sanj Naha, the Head of Sales Support and Enablement, B2B Marketing and International Groups, at The Fork – a TripAdvisor company – says feedback both good and bad helps you improve your business.
He says: “You can use review feedback to enhance your value proposition.”
“By tracking which review sites your online traffic comes from, you can learn exactly how people are navigating your website. After that, the information can be used to optimise their user journey.
“You can also use the information to target messaging that converts your online traffic into leads, bookings or even calls to action.”
Guest loyalty programmes
Building diner loyalty is extremely important when it comes to guests back time and again to your restaurant.
Guests value personalised service highly valued but getting it just right requires a depth of knowledge about each customer.
Leading restaurant epos systems capture data about each guest, building up a picture of their preferences so restaurant owners can email them offers and rewards that they will appreciate.
Hello, loyalty! And hello, better business. In today’s challenging hospitality climate, who could ask for more?
* Want to discover out more about restaurant epos? Visit AlohaEPOS for more news and tips.
