Introduction
For business owners, the restaurant industry’s rapid transformation and constantly changing client needs can be extremely intimidating. They must speed up processes to meet customers’ expectations while flawlessly managing all operations. This demand can be met by getting a good restaurant management system, which will streamline all your operations. With the advent of restaurant marketing software, it has become quite easy to fulfil your customer demands, enhance the profitability of the business. Imagine that you can make your customers happy by serving them online, making things easier for them. Be it reservation system or point of sale system or automated marketing system, these are all an effective tool to enhance your restaurant business.
The market for restaurant management software, which was estimated to be worth USD 4.08 billion in 2021, is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 15.8% from 2022 to 2030. The expansion of the industry can be ascribed to the rise in restaurants around the world and the widespread use of cloud-based technologies. This growth clearly shows that restaurants have started adopting these strategies of using restaurant software and are getting profitable. So, what are you waiting for? To get more information about this, read out the complete article.
Why to Invest in Restaurant Software?
- Enhance Interactions with Customers
Customer happiness and experience will both be improved by restaurant management software. As it makes it simple for restaurants to update their menus, reduce waiting times, and offer customers a variety of accurate payment methods, including cash, checks, cards, and more. This translates into quicker, better service that results in happy customers.
- Monitoring Sales
Restaurants now handle a sizable percentage of both cash and credit card transactions. By employing the software to track all sales data, this restaurant management system makes the job of the restaurant manager easier. You can monitor the sales of your goods using this information. This implies that it gives you the ability to decide how to run your company more effectively.
- Automated Sales and Activity Reports
The report production can actually be automated with this restaurant management software. In reality, it generates flawless data on how deployed marketing strategies, such as loyalty programmes, discounts, and other deals, affect consumer behaviour. It assists the company in developing potent future strategies to strengthen ties with current customers and attract new ones.
- Boost Productivity
The time-consuming tasks like table distribution and price lookups are handled by the restaurant management software. However, it enables your staff to concentrate on other tasks that improve customer satisfaction and business growth.
For the kitchen workers, writing down orders might lead to mistakes because the handwriting is sometimes difficult to read. Orders are displayed on the screen using this programme. As a result, it is less likely that the person creating the orders will make mistakes.
- Reduce Extra Cost
Since the profit margins for the majority of restaurants are already quite slim, any money that can be saved would improve profits. The elimination of wasteful spending across your company is another benefit of streamlining processes. Inventory may be managed via kitchen management software, which will cut down on overordering and food waste. Online ordering platforms reduce phone orders, which may result in incomplete or incorrect deliveries.
Restaurant Software that you can consider for your restaurant
POS systems
POS systems, which are used by staff, management, and owners, are the beating heart of your company. Many offer a simple user interface so that workers can enter food orders, keep track of special instructions, and generate receipts with ease.
Nevertheless, a restaurant Point of sale system also grants you access to a number of tools and features that assist you in making decisions related to real labour information, forecasting future sales, and managing restaurant inventory.
Although a restaurant management system is essential to growing your company, it is also expensive. So it’s essential to ask for a demo or go to a business event in which you can try out various solutions in person.
Examples
Revel: Supporting both big and little companies, as well as all kinds of eateries, Revel can be utilised online or offline. Revel offers a wide range of services including online ordering, loyalty programmes, table management, and bookings even though it wasn’t designed with the restaurant sector in mind.
Brink POS: A comprehensive system that can be utilised in a range of food service enterprises, Brink was created especially for the restaurant sector. Brink, which is built to expand with your company, uses the cloud to provide limitless storage and improved security. Two essential components of this system are individualised branding and customised menus.
Fleksa: Fleksa is an all-in-one solution for restaurant management. They have a POS system which is user-friendly and is easy for integration with outside ordering platforms, allowing you to manage both online and off-line orders from any one location. It is flexible with German regulations as well. You can also avail a demo before purchasing.
Online ordering System
By giving diners more options for purchasing food and drinks, adding an ordering system to your site is a simple method to increase sales. Online ordering features or integration with well-liked restaurant software are examples of POS functionality. However, to take internet orders fast, restaurant operators frequently use a pre-made system. You will be able to fully customise and own the online ordering process with your own system.
Examples:
ChowNow: To start taking online orders, connect ChowNow with your site or create a branded app. You can also follow directions from Google search, Instagram, and Yelp.
Toast POS: Along with online ordering, Toast POS provides a wide range of capabilities for the food business, including mobile app purchasing, gift vouchers purchases, and contactless payments. Owners and operators can view restaurant information from anywhere thanks to the cloud-based solution.
Fleksa: Fleksa is an all-in-one solution for restaurant management. With Fleksa, you can build your own restaurant website, apps with professional assistance.
They also have a POS system which is user-friendly and is easy for integration with outside ordering platforms, allowing you to manage both online and off – line orders from any one location. It is flexible with German regulations as well. You can also avail a demo before purchasing.
Loyalty program System
Few clients choose to travel using punch cards. Customers can access account and reward information using restaurant apps, which also notify them of special promotions. Business owners may clearly see their target market by combining data from POS reporting and loyalty programmes.
Although certain point-of-sale systems (POS) include add-on loyalty programs, you may also buy independent solutions like:
Examples:
TapMango: Customers can sign up for TapMango by text message, a mobile app, a website, or an in-restaurant tablet, allowing you to fully personalise the data you want from them.
Movylo: Use the software from Movylo to automate birthday wishes, review requests, and the dissemination of daily promotions as part of your customer engagement programme.
Preferred Patron: You can deliver incentive promotions using Preferred Patron, which also has the ability to process gift cards.
Fleksa: Already integrated in your web and app ordering system. It provides its user a gamified approach to loyalty.
Delivery Management
Your restaurant will require some kind of delivery management if you want to enable online orders for delivery. Each establishment will need to decide which of the numerous available food service and dining models is the greatest fit for their unique establishment. A ghost kitchen, for instance, will require more delivery control than a fine dining restaurant.
Third-party distribution platforms are undoubtedly a choice, but they have advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most popular platforms for delivery services include DoorDash, Uber, and Grubhub; these firms charge transactional, services, and delivery costs, which reduce profit margins. The benefit of having your restaurant listed on these delivery services is that it will increase the number of people who see your brand, which will lead to an increase in delivery and takeout orders as well as more people trying your food.
Third-party platforms might be a smart place to start if you need to have your food service company ready for delivery as quickly as feasible. However, your restaurant will save time by employing your customised delivery management software. Furthermore, having complete control over the distribution process enhances CRM. Third-party systems might not be able to offer your clients the same level of attention, support, and service that your restaurant and employees can when they need help with their delivery orders.
Examples:
Tookan: This online food ordering platform and delivery software is provided by Jungleworks. It has features including a sophisticated, all-in-one dashboard, the potential to start marketing strategies, and delivery tracking. Orders can be handled and updated with a click and placed using an app or website.
OnTime360: Almost 300 countries can access OnTime360, which offers a wide range of capabilities like driver tracking, sophisticated route planning, and a client web site. OnTime360 is a good option for many various types of restaurant operations thanks to its flexible price structure.
GetSwift: This delivery service is employed in 75 different businesses and on six continents, despite not being specifically tailored for the restaurant sector. Your POS system can be coupled with this delivery software to send food orders straight to delivery personnel. Keep in mind that GetSwift provides a free, one-month trial.
Marketing Automation Software
By putting data to work and optimising our procedures, marketing automation software will help in overcoming these difficulties.
Most companies view marketing automation as a tool for the middle of the funnel, perfect for nurturing prospects with pre-written email sequences. Additionally, even if email marketing is a wonderful tool of marketing automation, this marketing strategy may cause prospects and customers to have a fragmented experience as they travel from marketing to sales to customer care.
A fictitious sales funnel that uses random touchpoints and unrelated content forces prospects through it. Businesses consistently follow the same playbook rather than adapting to the specific needs of each customer.
Examples
Hootsuite: By scheduling posts with Hootsuite in a matter of clicks, restaurants may save time. A straightforward calendar view can be used to examine content before it is instantly pushed to your company’s accounts.
SproutSocial: SproutSocial is an all-in-one platform for managing social media that enables users to create and control content across many networks. The platform places a strong emphasis on a number of social media performance factors, including growth, interaction, measurement, and monitoring.
Fleksa: With the aid of automated marketing tools powered by Fleksa, you have access to your own data. You can fasten your marketing process with our marketing automation software.
Employee Management
Finding personnel for restaurants can be challenging, but providing flexible scheduling alternatives and giving staff members some influence over their schedules will help to keep them happy. Without restaurant software specifically designed for labour management, that’s challenging.
Make it simple for workers to switch shifts, do rid of paper time-off requests, and optimise your schedules based on anticipated sales data by using scheduling software.
Due to the frequent personnel turnover in restaurants, it is essential to rapidly onboard new hires while taking measures to keep the current staff members. It makes sense to utilise mobile-responsive training software since your employees will interact with it most of the time on their cellphones.
Examples
7Shifts: This tool streamlines labour scheduling tasks and uses POS data to generate schedules based upon sales forecasts. It comes with a free smartphone application, POS interfaces, and a free 2 trials.
Wisetail: Your employees may access Wisetail training content with real-time feedback on Android or iOS devices, and the app keeps the ownership and management teams informed.
Expand Share: Utilise learning tracks or create your own courses with the help of Expand Share’s user-friendly software training services.
If you are looking for an online ordering system that is going to help take your restaurant business to the next level, then you need to look no further than Fleksa. We offer a comprehensive solution that will enable you to streamline your process and enhance your efficiency. So if you are ready to take your restaurant business to the next level, reach out to us today, and we will be more than happy to get started with setting up Fleksa for you.
