Article contributed by TouchBistro
Ever been stuck doing inventory on what was meant to be your day off? As a restaurant owner or manager, you’re used to putting in extra hours, but you know your time would be better spent on high-value tasks. Enter restaurant automation. It’s the key ingredient to helping you reclaim your time, run a more efficient business, and save money.
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What is Restaurant Automation?
Automation in restaurants refers to the process of turning a manual procedure into something that happens automatically with the help of technology.
For instance, digital point of sale (POS) systems entered the market in the 1970s. For the first time, servers could enter customers’ orders into machines that would automatically send the order information to the kitchen.
The POS is a well-known example of restaurant automation. But back of house automations like labor and inventory automation can also be game-changers for your business. Let’s dive into why BOH automations are so important.
The Importance of Back of House Automations
Restaurant technology can be incredibly helpful in reducing costs, as many operators already know. Staff scheduling tools can protect against overstaffing and decrease labor costs. Inventory technology can drive down costly food waste.
Accounting software can reduce the cost of bookkeeping. These are all solutions that the majority of full service restaurant operators are using today – but there’s a catch.
While technology is highly valuable to restaurateurs, it works best when it’s used behind the scenes. In the front of house, most consumers still want a traditional dining experience. In fact, 85% of diners prefer to order from a physical menu and speak with a server (vs. just 4% who prefer QR code ordering and 4% who prefer self-serve kiosks).
This means restaurateurs must walk a fine line between leveraging technology to boost efficiency and reduce costs, while preserving the human element of hospitality in the dining experience. How can you walk this line successfully? By ensuring you’re focused on implementing the right kind of restaurant automation.
Inventory management automation, for instance, may not sound quite as exciting as QR code ordering or self-serve kiosks, but the latter kinds of flashy tech products aren’t as effective as back of house solutions. Anything that disrupts one-on-one interactions with guests is a gamble.
In contrast, BOH automation in restaurants can help operators make meaningful changes to their business, without ever compromising the guest experience. It can help you streamline manual processes like data collection and cut down on operational inefficiencies.
The Most Important Back of House Automations for Restaurants
Your BOH team is already working hard to deliver outstanding food and keep your restaurant running smoothly. Now, here’s how you can help them work smarter.
Inventory Management Software
Inventory management software is technology designed to help you efficiently track, manage, and optimize your restaurant inventory. It automates numerous manual tasks, including:
- Tracking food and supplies (goodbye, spreadsheet!)
- Ordering new ingredients and supplies
- Calculating menu item profitability
- Managing vendor relationships
- Reporting on inventory expenses
- Assessing food waste
Inventory management automation enables you to streamline the entire inventory process, boosting your efficiency and maximizing profits. Solutions like TouchBistro Inventory Management are also designed to integrate directly with your POS, giving you a one-stop shop for ingredient tracking, recipe costing, waste reduction, and more.
Labor Management Software
Labor management software helps you schedule, track, and manage employee work hours, and productivity. It automates several manual tasks, such as:
- Forecasting labor needs and creating staff schedules
- Tracking breaks, shift changes, and vacations
- Calculating and optimizing labor costs
- Sending employee communications
- Tracking staff performance
- Managing employee task lists
- Tracking labor data
Labor automation allows you to streamline labor forecasting, employee scheduling, and task management, all while keeping costs in check. Solutions like TouchBistro Labor Management are designed for teams of all sizes and leverage near real-time data from your POS.
Kitchen Display Systems
A kitchen display system (KDS) is a tablet or screen that displays digital order tickets sent directly from your POS. It replaces the verbal orders or manually written orders that restaurant kitchens have traditionally relied on.
Using a KDS makes it faster and easier for your front-of-house and back-of-house staff to communicate. The software increases efficiency and accuracy thanks to features like color-coded labels that indicate an order’s status, and routing capabilities that send each ticket to the correct station.
Faster ordering and cook times means that customers receive their meals quicker, and you can seat more diners per service, translating into greater sales. Solutions like the TouchBistro Kitchen Display System Powered by Fresh offer all of these benefits and more.
Back Office Solutions
Back office solutions include software tools that help you manage HR, payroll, invoicing, accounting, and more. This technology automates manual tasks like:
- Conducting employee onboarding and payroll
- Managing vendors and other suppliers
- Generating, sending, and receiving invoices
- Digitizing accounting and bookkeeping information
- Generating financial statements and identifying cost savings
- Paying bills
Implementing this technology streamlines administrative tasks so you can stay focused on the customer experience. By automating core BOH duties, you also cut down on paperwork, minimize errors, and ensure you stay compliant with regulatory requirements. Plus, you’ll have better insight into the financial performance of your restaurant.
To accomplish all of this, you may choose to use several different back office systems, or a more comprehensive solution like TouchBistro Profit Management, which is also equipped with advanced inventory management features.
Back of house restaurant automation is your ticket to streamlining manual processes, reducing inefficiencies, and saving money – without compromising the guest experience.
Solutions like TouchBistro Inventory Management and TouchBistro Labor Management can simplify even your most complicated processes. Learn more about this game-changing tech.
