If you’re thinking of opening a new restaurant, particularly in the UK, then these technologies will make doing so a much smoother process. From front-of-house to back-of-house, it’s important to consider ways to leverage excellent technology to run a more efficient operation. The following list goes through such software systems and explains how they can help your new restaurant.
To best utilise valuable technologies for opening your restaurant, you will benefit from having:
1. An EPOS system
An EPOS system is a must have for running a successful restaurant. We are fans of Lightspeed, the all-in-one point of sales solution. With pricing starting from £52 per month, you’ll receive a register, up to 2 printers, as well as a range of features like round the clock support and complimentary updates. Lightspeed’s adjustable menu and floorplan, their simplified tableside ordering, in addition to their cloud-based POS, are of huge benefit to hospitality businesses.
2. A way of taking bookings
Next, you’ll need software for taking bookings. Today’s generation prefers not to do so using their phones, opting instead to book online. Because of this, it’s worth taking a look at liveRES (which is part of the Zonal Family). By paying a flat monthly fee (no cover charges or month-end surprises), you’ll gain access to 24/7 reservations and automated table management. LiveRES is customized to your business specifications and allows customers to make table reservations directly on your website, giving you access to valuable customer data.
3. Great music
Music has the power to make customer experiences at your restaurant that much more enjoyable. Whilst this can be managed in each restaurant by a dedicated manager, issues arise when trying to create consistency over multiple locations. This is where Soundtrack Business becomes a real asset to your business. It allows you to control music for all of your locations from one place, as well as schedule your music ahead of time.
4. A way to take payments
Having a way to take card payments is key. iZettle has a specific, feature-rich electronic point-of-sale, designed specifically for hospitality businesses, allowing you to accept card and contactless payments with ease, “without having to deal with contracts, monthly fees or bankers in pinstripe suits.” iZettle’s fully functioning till system has an advantage over more traditional cash registers, which are often more expensive, meaning more savings (and space!) for your restaurant.
5. A way to receive feedback
Tipps is an app that is revolutionising the way venues collect feedback. It’s an impressive application that helps businesses to improve customer service by making it simple and straightforward to collect valuable feedback from customers without inconveniencing them. Customers are incentivised to provide feedback by collecting TippCoins points for every question answered, which they can then spend on rewards in Tipps partner venues.
6. A system for managing staff
The highest cost for your restaurant, at typically 30% -35% of turnover, will be staff. They’ll also be the most difficult to replace, particularly post Brexit. Therefore, it’s crucial to have a management system that can help facilitate employee retention. Bias aside, we believe Bizimply is a no-brainer. Bizimply features online scheduling, allowing you to create and cost employee rotas in minutes (which you can then send directly to your employees via the MyZimply app). The software also assists with employee HR and management, enabling you to store all your employee information across numerous locations in one place. To see how Bizimply can benefit your business, click here to access your free demo.
7. A method to manage inventory
Following labour, food and beverages will be a restaurant’s biggest cost. Your restaurant is going to spend between 25% and 35% of its turnover on these, so it is critical to have a robust inventory management system in place. SimpleOrder is an all-in-one platform designed specifically for restaurants to optimise their operations, with features including online purchasing, real-time food and menu costing, vendor relationship management, and inventory tracking.
8. A check list for day-to-day tasks
Keep a growing business on track with Trail, which provides daily checklists and smart integrations for efficient service operations. Cut costs, save time, and improve communication by scheduling repeat checklists, digitalising paper processes, and logging audits and incidents quickly and easily. Used by companies like Tossed and Itsu, Trail allows you to serve up a daily list of tasks to guide your team members step-by-step, from opening and closing checks, food safety, to cashing up.
9. A food safety management system
Used by facilities management, healthcare and food industries to enforce consistent work practices and automate countless manual checks, Checkit saves time and boosts productivity. It provides a centralised, interactive cloud-based way of managing the multitude of tasks that staff need to do on a daily basis. As your processes and procedures are recorded digitally, you’ll be able to swiftly spot and solve discrepancies.
10. A way to manage your offsite catering business
Running off-site catering from your restaurant could be lucrative, but also risks being complex. It’s worth looking into Spoonfed, software built to simply this process. You can save time with integrated online ordering (where the details of orders flow seamlessly through the system automatically), and boost profits by cutting out costly mistakes and handling more orders with less effort. You can also manage production planning, delivery scheduling, client management, billing and much more.
We wish you the very best of luck with opening your restaurant. If there is software you believe should be included, feel free to let us know.
Don’t forget to take advantage of your free demo and trial account with Bizimply, where you can witness our all-in-one employee management system in action. Manage your scheduling, attendance and day to day reporting across multiple locations on one easy-to-use platform!
