It became easy Pre-Pandemic for restaurant and operators to see their POS as the be-all and end-all of the tech side of their daily operation.
As business changed and priorities and profit niches evolved into areas including takeout and delivery, it became clear that operators needed a platform not just a POS.
When Craftable first started over ten years ago, there was a serious need in the hospitality industry—for a service that could help managers in all branches of food service to keep track of inventory, labor, and production in one place. Today, Craftable has continued to provide these services for establishments ranging from bars to restaurants to hotels, and plans to keep growing with the industry.
“When Craftable started, most people were using spreadsheets or the back of a napkin to manage their costs and stay organized,” said Phil Probert, VP of Sales. “The problem with those spreadsheets is that they don’t talk to each other.”
Originally envisioned as a beverage management product, Craftable quickly grew to become compatible with other areas in the hospitality industry, and is currently used by celebrity chefs, big-name hotels, and mom-and-pop businesses alike. “It’s really all about the people and the relationships and utilizing that. It comes down to understanding the operator, knowing they’re not a typical person behind a desk, and catering to their needs and their business to set them up for success,” Probert added.
A subscription-based software platform, Craftable is fully mobile and can be used on a phone or tablet—which means you can manage vendors and order inventory from the walk-in freezer.
Craftable checks all the boxes of the fundamental food service workflow: starting with the supply chain, Craftable allows users full control over all aspects of ordering and receiving inventory, including tracking rebates and credits. Craftable reduces labor cost and time, not only by centralizing back of house systems to one phone application, but also by integrating with labor management companies. Craftable also makes purchase management, invoice management, and recipe costing seamless—and it’s compatible with over 60 POS systems.
A major draw of a service like Craftable is the ability to integrate multiple systems in one consolidated platform. Probert gave the example of Craftable’s Logbook—any complaints, issues, broken appliances, etc. can be logged into the system, so that they’re easily accessible when ordering product, assigning roles to employees, or opening in the morning; no back-of-napkin notes here.
This undoubtedly cuts down on labor costs and allows employees to spend their time working on the things that matter most, without having to search through emails or be surprised when something is out of place. This way, not only can those disparate spreadsheets of ten years ago can finally talk to each other, they can provide real-time updates based on data from sources across the business, and valuable data that can be used to make future decisions.
With all of the technology we have to sift through every day, having everything in one place becomes essential. For busy people in an already busy industry, picking and choosing technology shouldn’t become yet another task. With new technology emerging at a rapid pace, Craftable is committed to continuing their growth, like they’ve done since their inception over a decade ago.
In many ways, the next generation of technology has a lot to offer the industry. Particularly for processes such as inventory and purchase management, invoice generation, and costing, Craftable’s bread and butter, automation could significantly cut down on processing time and labor costs.
“We have a lot of applications in the pipeline for automation, and making decisions based on analytics,” Probert said. There are a lot of possibilities for growth, and Probert says he’s excited to bring AI applications into the hospitality industry, to save time and reduce labor.
Craftable’s service has a number of different tiers, so if you don’t need a particular module, you don’t have to pay for it. “Not every kitchen has a bar, and not every bar has a kitchen,” Probert noted. This way, managers can pick and choose what works best for their business. Pricing is dependent on the business’s needs, so you won’t pay for what you don’t use.
Experts are available at Craftable to answer questions and assist every step of the way; you can contact them at hello@craftable.com or partners@craftable.com.
