How Tech is Changing the Way Restaurants Manage the Dining Experience

THEN:

NOW:

• Arrive at 8:30am

• Check batch reports on office computer

• Find last night’s shift notes to get an idea of how the evening went

• Call key contacts for clarification as needed, make notes for morning staff meeting

• Run morning staff meeting

• Arrive at 9:30am

• Check batch reports on office computer or mobile device

• Run morning staff meeting – reference key performance data (reports available on your tablet or smart phone)

On the horizon: Video conference for morning meeting – no need to get out of your pajamas this far ahead of lunch service!

THEN:

NOW:

• Get out a pen and paper… and the Ibuprofen

• Find the sticky notes you wrote for employees who requested specific shifts or time off

• Write out the schedule and tack it up in a common area for the staff to check when they come in

• Log in to Hotschedules

• Make your schedule

• Email shift details to your team

On the horizon: Just double-check the schedule your restaurant management system already created; manage time off requests as needed from your mobile device.

THEN:

NOW:

• Manually compare food cost, ingredient lists, waste reports and specials using notes compiled over time

• Base ordering decisions on anecdotal knowledge of which items are most popular, while also managing food cost

• Decide which items to keep and which ones have to go

• Log in to Swipely to see exactly which menu items are making you money, which are bringing customers back, and which could use some tweaks… or the boot.

On the horizon: Receive a text message when food cost on any item exceeds your preferred threshold; update your menu based on that data and finish your beer while it’s still cold.

THEN:

NOW:

• Spend hours on the floor observing your team in action

• Spend more hours in the office reading shift reports, and yet more hours talking with staff about challenges and opportunities

• Deal with larger problems as they come up

• Use server management software to quickly identify your best servers and each individual’s strengths and weaknesses.

• Understand trends and immediately spot numbers that are off to resolve issues before they become serious.

• Use peer coaching to encourage skill development, saving yourself time and increasing both sales and tips.

THEN:

NOW:

• Spend hours going table to table and trying to remember birthdays, anniversaries and kids’ college graduations

• Manually sign off on occasional freebies for regulars

• Spend some time on the floor cultivating relationships with your regulars – because it’s fun!

• Use restaurant management software to know who your biggest spenders and most frequent visitors are, and offer VIP treatment accordingly.

• Use details from a reservation system like Opentable to learn about each evening’s customers; use that information to delight them and keep them coming back.

On the horizon: Get a daily report with birthdays, anniversaries, favorite menu items, beverages and pairings, and server preferences for tonight’s reservations. Run with that.

THEN:

NOW:

• Figure out how much you can afford to spend on marketing

• Spread it among radio ads, newspaper ads, coupons and events like Restaurant Week

• Cross your fingers and hope it works!

• Create a clear plan that includes email marketing,  events, a loyalty program and special promotions through services like Groupon

• Measure return on your marketing efforts so you can repeat the things that work and ditch the things that don’t

On the horizon: Use your integrated restaurant management software to offer different, personalized incentives for first-time visitors, loyal regulars, those who haven’t been in for a while,and those who celebrate their special occasions with you.

THEN:

NOW:

Hahaha!

Check in on your phone or tablet from a beach in Baja.