This guest post was submitted by AJ Beltis, a content marketer for Toast, Inc. Toast is an all-in-one restaurant management platform and point-of-sale system. Be sure to check out the Toast Blog for tips on employee management, marketing, industry tips, and more.
We grew up being told not to keep our heads in the clouds. But for a restaurant owner or manager, having your head in the cloud is actually beneficial to your business.
Needless to say, I’m not speaking literally – at least not in the traditional way we think of the cloud. Today, restaurant cloud computing and capabilities are changing the game for the food-service industry. Being able to check sales reports, review labor stats, and make menu changes remotely (or via “the cloud”) have taken pressure off of restaurateurs across the world.
Still resistant to the idea of a cloud-based restaurant management system? Open up your mind as we go over 3 reasons you should have your head in the cloud.
1. Embrace a Healthier Work-Life Balance
One of the more frustrating aspects of owning a restaurant is its never-ending nature. Even when you leave the building for the night, you’ve still got plenty of work to do.
It’s frustrating when you have to stay a couple hours late to go over your sales reports, inventory metrics, and labor reports in your back office. One of the benefits of cloud technology is its accessibility. With a cloud-based restaurant management solution, you’re able to access and analyze this data whenever wherever.
Leaving early for a long weekend? Check your metrics on the bus ride instead of the back office. Trying to enjoy your evening off when a manager calls you about a metrics issue? Hop on your computer at home instead of making the hour-long round trip. Curious about your sales while you’re vacationing for a week? Grab your tablet, give them a quick look through, and get back to the beach.
Being a restaurant owner today means being attentive and analytical. With cloud technology, you can be both without leaving your bed. Being able to access this information 24/7 also gives you more immediate insight into your restaurant, which makes your in-store presence more valuable to your team.
So, stop stressing so much about reporting, and stop cancelling plans to stay late and crunch numbers. Bring on a cloud system and start to take it easy.
2. Save Time and Money with Live, Accurate Metrics
Numbers don’t lie, but if your reports show the wrong numbers, they can be a real head sore.
Restaurants across the globe are embracing the cloud for a variety of reasons. One of these reasons is because with cloud technology usually comes more accurate and accessible data reports. These restaurant data reports range from sales to labor to accounting. Restaurateurs appreciate the ability to access these reports remotely and gain more accurate insight, which makes the following tasks easier and more effective:
- Inventory Ordering and Tracking
- Employee Schedule Management
- Tracking Staff Theft
- Identifying Peak Times for Business
- Menu Engineering and Planning
More accuracy in these areas allow restaurant owners to spend less time getting their numbers clarified and more time making smart decisions for the business. Without a cloud-based management system, you’d likely be making these decisions late at night in your restaurant with less-detailed (or inaccurate) data reports.
3. Relax More Knowing Your Information is More Secure
No one wants to imagine their restaurant being broken into or their business’ information being stolen. Unfortunately, these instances do happen. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to take proper precaution in the event of an attempted break-in or data breach.
Now, some people think their data is less secure in the cloud – but that’s not exactly the case.
If someone were to break into your restaurant and steal your hardware, they wouldn’t be able to access sensitive information without clearance, as data stored in the cloud is stored offsite. This makes it easier to safeguard your information from the wrong eyes.
The Future of the Cloud in Your Restaurant
10 years ago, few people expected the cloud to be where it is today. Whether you know it or not, your business has probably been impacted by the cloud in some way already. With that said, it may be time to embrace the future of the restaurant business.
When the information you thrive off of in your role is made more accessible, accurate, and secure, your job only gets easier and your life gets a little less stressful!
To find out how Bizimply’s cloud-based system can benefit your business, organise your free demo today.
