16 Apps For Restaurant Managers To Stay Competitive in Restaurant Industry

Best Free Apps For Restaurant Managers

Here's a detailed run down on the best free apps for restaurant operators and managers, alike!

1. Xenia - All Time Best App for Restaurant Managers

With an all-inclusive suite of solutions, Xenia is one of the best free apps for restaurant managers that transforms restaurant management by integrating compliance, everyday end to end operations, and overall maintenance management to make up for a delightful customer experience.

On top of that, it's also an employee training and accountability program - dubbing it as one of the best restaurant training platform.

The platform maintains a dedicated Learning Center, covering a wide variety of industry use cases that aren't just restricted to restaurants only.

Moving on, restaurant owners and operators can easily develop customized checklists and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) using Xenia's integrated restaurant inspection checklist creation module, and then assign them to teams and individual staff with individual characteristics such as category, location, asset, and priority. 

Furthermore, this restaurant app has a dedicated Bluetooth temperature monitoring system with added support for sensors concerning freezers, refrigerators, and temp-probes.

With a comprehensive tracking system for corrective actions, automated processes accelerate responses to out-of-range temperatures. 

The platform also allows restaurant owners to take care of compliance and operations so they can concentrate on growing their business.

Key Features

• Custom Checklists: As part of your food quality audit, create your own checklists for temperature checks, food storage, and cleanliness inspections. These checklists help to standardize your audit process and ensure that all essential areas are covered effectively.

• Task and Work Order Management: Assign duties and work orders to staff to address any food safety violations discovered throughout the auditing process. This feature helps ensure that remedial steps are taken as soon as possible.

• Efficient Communication: The message and chat capabilities make it simple for team members to interact. This enables more effective audit coordination and speedier resolution of food safety concerns.

• Corrective Actions: Digital solutions assist in maintaining a thorough record of all food safety actions, guaranteeing constant adherence to standards and making compliance simpler to show during inspections.

Pricing

• Free Forever: Free trial for up to 5 users
• Starter: $99 / month for 15 users
• Premium: $199 / month for 15 users with unlimited access to all the core features
• Custom: Need something tailored to your organization?

Feel free to Book a Demo to get started!

2. Upkeep

Restaurant management teams could profit greatly from the use of restaurant maintenance software.

A restaurant CMMS can ensure that procedures function properly across the establishment in addition to streamlining necessary activities pertaining to restaurant assets.

UpKeep's restaurant-centric features are frequently ranked under the category of the best free apps for restaurant managers in terms of value, simplicity of use, and customer service. 

Key Features

• Managers can simply manage a full inventory of restaurant assets, monitor their use, and arrange repairs or replacements as needed. 
• Keeping track of compliance requirements and arranging inspections to ensure restaurants adhere to all safety regulations.
• Customers will have a pleasant and comfortable experience if all systems are well-maintained and functional.
• Managers should utilize reporting and analytics to examine patterns, identify reoccurring problems, and make data-driven choices to help save money.
• Keeping track of service history, expenses, and vendor performance will assist restaurant management in developing excellent relationships with maintenance contractors and suppliers.

Pricing

• Free Trial: Yes
• Lite: $20 /month per user
• Starter: $45/month per user
• Professional: $75/month per user
• Business +: Request pricing for more information

3. SafetyCulture

SafetyCulture is a well-known and highly regarded digital solutions supplier that provides the finest restaurant management software that digitizes information and streamlines processes to enhance the overall performance of the restaurant personnel and assure the quality of goods and services. 

Their extensive array of features eliminates the stress of paperwork and other administrative responsibilities, letting owners and their staff concentrate on the most vital issues of their day-to-day operations: providing exceptional dining and keeping their clients happy.

Key Features

• For opening and closing inspections, equipment maintenance checks, and personnel performance reviews, use customizable forms and templates. Relevant restaurant checklists may also be downloaded from the Public Library.
• For safe document storage, scan all papers and put them in a single location where users may access them according to their assigned roles.
• To increase operational efficiency, capture problems, and provide remedial measures.
• Produce reports with relevant analytics to guarantee that food safety regulations are met.
• Assist staff in developing their abilities in areas such as safe food handling, kitchen safety, hospitality management, and more.

Pricing

• Free version: Available for teams of up to 10
• Pricing: Premium plan $24/month

4. HotSchedules

HotSchedules combined with Fourth in 2019, and it has since been a part of its technology ecosystem.

It is a cloud-based software solution for the restaurant and hotel industries. 

It offers extensive scheduling, labor management, and communication features. It aids in streamlining personnel management, improving communication among staff members, and optimizing operational efficiency and employee productivity. 

Key Features

• User-friendly UI with drag-and-drop functionality
• Demand forecasting in 15-minute intervals allows for quicker scheduling and wiser deployment.
• Individual team member messaging and mass broadcasts to all workers
• Shift transactions are simple to approve.
• While scheduling, compliance notices and alerts

Pricing

• Free Trial: Yes
• Contact the vendor for pricing

5. Sortly

Up next on our best apps for restaurants list, we've got Sortly.

It is a dedicated inventory control and asset tracking software for restaurant managers to simplify documenting and tracking your inventory from anywhere at any time. With an Android, iPhone & and iPad App, Sortly Pro is a user-friendly solution for individuals and businesses alike.

The monthly subscription that Sortly Pro offers includes detailed phone and email support which is handy for any questions or problems that might occur with the software as well.

With the Sortly Pro Plan - i.e. you sign up for it, you can simply add notes or tags to easily identify and search for items based on various criteria such as quantity, price, product information, etc. You can conveniently highlight a particular part of a photo for better identification of that specific object.

Equipped with customizable QR labels that efficiently let you scan & and identify your inventory, and an ability to import data from CSV files for easy setup, Sortly Pro makes it easy to scan and find your items quickly.

Key Features 

• Scan barcodes to swiftly identify and monitor products in your inventory.
• Keep a record of all interactions and moves involving inventory items to improve accountability and traceability.
•  Streamline the organizing and monitoring of inventory goods, including quantities, prices, conditions, and comments.
• Assign unique rights to users, providing for regulated access to inventory data depending on their roles and responsibilities.
• Create detailed reports to acquire an understanding of inventory performance, trends, and possible areas for improvement.
• Set up alerts and notifications for critical events like low stock, late returns, and warranty expirations.

Pricing 

• Free
• Advanced - $49
• Ultra - $149
• Pro - Contact Vendor

7shifts

Although 7shifts is well recognized as an effective staff scheduling system, it also serves as any restaurant labor management solution. Here's a quick look at some of the program's main highlights below.

Key Features

• Its simple drag-and-drop features allow restaurant operators to assign employees to shifts depending on their availability and specific shift needs.
• With a single click, owners can simply accept or refuse staff requests, promoting a responsive and well-coordinated workforce.
• The labor cost savings calculator enables restaurant operators to manage their workers strategically, optimizing productivity while keeping a close eye on the bottom line.
• This restaurant management app offers a Tip Pooling report. This means owners can centralize all staff gratuities, simplifying transparent and equitable distribution.
• Integrates easily with several Point of Sale (POS) systems, ensuring a smooth flow of data across different facets of restaurant administration

Pricing

• Comp: free for up to 30 employees
• Entrée: $29.99 per month 
• The Works: $69.99/month
• Gourmet: For corporate restaurants and chains, contact 7shifts for a tailored pricing quotation.

Humanity 

Humanity is an innovative restaurant management app that is changing the way large teams are handled. Consider it your dashboard for your company's daily operations. The software’s easy mobile app and desktop solutions eliminate human error and streamline complicated operations, removing the need for pen and paper in staff management.

Key Features

• offers real-time insights about your workforce's activities and statuses, allowing you to stay in the loop with a single glance.
• Receive real-time notifications on employee actions, schedule changes, and other important information, keeping you in control and your team in sync.
• The Attendance Management function automates the process, ensuring that attendance records are accurate and up to date.

Pricing

• Free trial for the 30-days
• Starter: $3 per user per month 
• Classic: $4 per user per month
• Custom pricing for businesses

Avero

Avero offers an insight powerhouse that provides restaurateurs with crucial tools to improve business operations and sales.

As one of the best apps for restaurant owners, this tool integrates seamlessly with your restaurant POS and provides access to a full range of tools that provide optimal restaurant management.

Key Features 

• The Promotions Management feature enables restaurateurs to successfully design and manage promotions, ensuring that marketing campaigns are in sync with overall business goals.
• The app lets you gain an in-depth understanding of your restaurant's financial health, allowing you to make educated decisions and manage resources for long-term profitability.
• Detailed Reporting  to evaluate your company's performance
• Streamline operations across multiple locations, assuring uniformity in performance and client experience.
• With Avero's Sales function, you can easily track and analyze sales data.

Pricing 

• Starter - Free
• Essential - $300/year
• Profesional - $600/year

Best Paid Apps For Restaurant Managers

1. LimeTray

Up next on our best free apps for restaurant managers list, we've got LimeTray.

It is a centralized platform for all your restaurant's requirements, starting from A - Z!

LimeTray can reportedly assist you in growing your online company, managing your restaurant operations, and promoting your brand more effectively. Restaurant marketing and technology solutions from start to finish.

With an automated inventory management system, you can save time and money.

Within a few clicks, you may easily monitor inventories, regulate food expenses, and manage suppliers. Set up notifications to notify you when you run out of essential materials.

Key Features

• Automate the majority of back-end functions for a smooth workflow. Segregate orders based on cook time and the time of order.
• Keep track of everything that comes in and out of your restaurant kitchen. Receive quick notifications and updates whenever you are about to run out of an ingredient.
• A single dashboard with multiple integrations and tools for better management.

Pricing

• Free Trial: No
• Contact the vendor for pricing

2. Form

In the search for effective restaurant management operations, form emerges as an invaluable tool. This software streamlines our approach to food safety compliance by facilitating the digital transition of conventional monitoring forms. 

Their mobile restaurant employees will especially benefit from the integration of an offline mobile app, which will enable them to gather data easily and instantly, even in places with spotty internet. 

Key Features

• With our Bluetooth thermometer IoT integration, you can ensure exact temperatures and initiate corrective action with simple workflows.
• Choose from 12 distinct job categories, such as temperature and picture, and utilize dynamic form logic to take the appropriate action from anywhere.
• Real-time measurement of critical aspects like as ingredients and equipment, as well as marketing, menus, and point-of-purchase materials.

Pricing

The company offers three plans

• Essential 
• Pro
• Enterprise

The plans typically start at $5000 per year, but pricing will depend on your business needs. You can ask for a quotation

3. MarketMan

MarketMan is a cloud-based inventory management technology that works with restaurants of all sizes. It includes capabilities such as menu planning, budgeting, supplier management, and system-suggested ordering. It assists in the optimization of restaurant inventory management and the reduction of food expenses. 

Key Features

• Connect your POS and Accounting with SaaS software that interacts with your technological stack to control your restaurant inventory.
• In seconds, you can boost menu profitability, minimize COGS, and create data on real vs. theoretical COGS and gross profits.
• Use scanned invoices to power powerful analytics and reporting solutions that automatically monitor price swings and provide preemptive notifications for any price adjustments.
• Centralize reporting, communication, and consistency across all sites. Place orders, receive delivery, manage recipes, and grow inventory with ease.
• Assist staff in developing their abilities in areas such as safe food handling, kitchen safety, hospitality management, and more.

Pricing

• Operator: $179/Monthly for Control inventory, ordering, & receiving
• Professional: $249/Monthly for more tools and insights to lower COGs
• ULTIMATE: $399/Monthly for large multi-unit organizations

4. TouchBistro

Among popular apps for restaurant owners, TouchBistro is more of a household name. It has POS capabitlies, allowing managers to necessitate easily rely on digitized solutions for sales tracking and various other things.

TouchBistro allows complete order management from your iPad, as well as configurable menu items, the ability to establish a food schedule, inventory management, and powerful reporting options, making it an obvious choice for any restaurant. 

This restaurant management app lets managers have comprehensive order management, the ability for customers to pay at the table, and to monitor employee sales activity via real-time or historical data.

Key Features

• This custom restaurant app lets managers Control and manage the restaurant's supply inventories.
• The easy-to-use menu management feature will allow you to change and alter the menu regularly.
• Detailed statistics and analytics to evaluate employee performance and avoid any step that isn't selling to help your business.
• Integrated accounting to streamline your restaurant's financial operations.
• Collect and save client preferences, offer reward programs, and tailor their eating experience to boost customer happiness.

Pricing 

• 1 User (Solo) $69/month
• 2 Users (Dual) $129/month 
• Up to 5 Users (Team) $249/month 
• Unlimited (Unlimited Users) $399/month

5. FoodDoc 

FoodDocs is a top-notch restaurant management app built exclusively for food safety system compliance.

The software allows users to create, monitor, and control all restaurant activities from any device that can access the internet. FoodDocs offers an AI-powered food safety system with a configurable HACCP plan.

Key Features 

• Create a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) Plan with ease, guaranteeing that your restaurant not only meets but exceeds regulating criteria.
• Experience the ability to tailor monitoring activities, effortlessly customizing the program to your workflow and operational needs.
• Robust in-app notifications Keep your team on track. Remind your employees of their tasks and duties to ensure that nothing goes between the cracks.
• The restaurant management app empowers restaurant managers to conduct training sessions with ease making compliance an integral part of your restaurant's culture.

Pricing 

• Basic plan is Only Billed Annually (£999/year)
• Standard plan is £199/month
• Professional plan is for £299  
• For enterprise plans, contact the support team.

6. Crunchtime

Next, on the rundown of the best restaurant apps is CrunchTime, a dynamic solution for multi-unit restaurants. The program allows restaurant operators to improve client experiences while simultaneously mastering the art of profitability.

Key Features

• Intuitive management features to control food costs and optimize inventory 
• The Average Transaction Value (AvT) delivers necessary data to owners to assist them in making informed choices while maintaining profitability
• gives vital insights into sales forecasting, helping managers to predict demand, maximize resources, and remain ahead of the competition.
• This custom restaurant app offers scheduling and labor management to improve operational efficiency and staffing levels.
• CrunchTime's Labor Cost Management function enables owners to keep a close check on labor expenditures.

Pricing

• For pricing details, please contact CrunchTime.

7. FreshBooks

FreshBooks is a flexible accounting restaurant management app designed to ease bookkeeping and give deep insights into your restaurant's financial performance.

Key Features 

• Accounting features provide a detailed record of all your financial activities, ensuring that every financial engagement is thoroughly documented.
• The Profit and Loss report allows you to see your overall income against total spending. This helps you to assess your company's profitability. 
• The program delivers a clear view of your tax obligations by unifying your financial data, assuring compliance. 
•  FreshBooks recently released an upgrade to the Balance Sheet report. This update adds a useful feature: customers may now see retained earnings in their Balance Sheet reports.

Pricing 

• Lite – $ 4.25
• Plus – $7.50
• Premium – %13.75
• Select – Contact FreshBooks for tailored pricing quotation

8. When I Work

Moving on with our best apps for restaurant owners' recommendations, When I Work is a name worth mentioning.

It is a versatile and efficient employee scheduling tool that is perfect for restaurateurs who are looking to better their front-of-house and back-of-house performance.

The software provides an accessible platform for employees and restaurants who are looking for seamless management of shifts and scheduling updates.

When I Work is also known for its extremely user-friendly design and robust feature set. Managers can make shift creation and management super simple ensuring process excellency.

A standout feature of when I work is that it allows managers to assign associates to specific shifts based on their job positions. That way, each shift is adequately staffed regardless if the employees are servers, chefs, etc., and again based on availability.

The application also has templates that can be used in scheduling; a handy function that can decrease the time taken to create weekly schedules.

Key Features

• Keep track of employees' attendance and timeliness.
•  Streamline the process of obtaining and managing employee leave.
•  Keep accurate records of employee hours for payroll and compliance purposes.
•  Sync schedules with calendar software to ensure smooth integration and accessibility.
•  Facilitate communication between management and staff about schedule and shift changes.

Pricing 

• Essential - $2.50
• Pro - $5.00
• Premium - $8.00

What is Restaurant Management Software?

Restaurant management software is a system that includes all of the marketing and operational components needed to operate a restaurant. 

While improving marketing and operations, the system is meant to handle order administration, payment processing (which is handled by payment processing software), and day-to-day issue handling. 

Data security measures are included in standard restaurant management software to protect critical company information.

It will also link all workers to ensure the success of your business by monitoring labor, sales, and inventory data. This is critical to the overall success of the business.

Why Invest in The Best Free Apps for Restaurant Managers?

Businesses should invest in restaurant management software to increase their profit margins, sales, and satisfaction with customers.

At the same time, it will help reduce order processing mistakes, employee attrition, and wait times. 

The following are additional reasons why you should invest in restaurant management software: 

• Organized Operations: With a restaurant management system, you can improve inventory management and turnover, work on personnel scheduling, and make modifications to various kinds of menus.

• Quick Service: Such software provides quick turnaround with minimum chance of mistakes. Improved communication between front and back-of-house workers is also conceivable.

• Automatic Payments: Payment processing services, such as those offered by restaurant management systems, are fast, dependable, and secure.

• Improved Customer Loyalty: Some restaurant management systems can employ value features. These include coupons, promotions, discounts, and a variety of giving alternatives. Customers will often return knowing that they can take advantage of these perks.

Benefits of Restaurant Management Software

When starting a business such as a restaurant, you'll want to keep up with some of the most popular restaurant industry and restaurant technology trends. This is true whether you're operating a coffee shop, a bakery, a food truck, or a ghost kitchen. 

Among these developments is the deployment of the best free apps for restaurant managers. 

Restaurant management methods will differ depending on the kind of business. However, one element stays constant: the desire to earn a profit.

Such software will assist restaurant management since it minimizes expenses, enhances earnings, and delivers excellent customer service. 

Improved Sales Tracking

When employing a restaurant management system, all transactions are routed via the system. This covers orders, payments, promotional discounts, gaps, and costs.

This indicates that your sales data is correct down to the last item.

Quick Access to Financial Information

All transactions are digitally recorded in a restaurant management system, which eliminates the majority of human mistakes. Transactions, for example, will contain a time stamp and order data, such as the identity of the employee who completed the transaction and the sold products.

Improved Customer Service

Customer satisfaction should always be a primary focus, particularly in the restaurant industry. Restaurant technology aids in the improvement of customer service. You will have a better understanding of your clients thanks to the CRM tools provided by restaurant management systems. 

Remote Data Access

Most restaurant technology and management software is now cloud-based.

This enables a company owner to access their system and data from anywhere using a web browser. They will be able to monitor staff performance remotely and get real-time sales transaction statistics. 

These features enable restaurants to have engaged management even while they are on the go. This information is also useful when presenting to an investor or a customer. 

Efficient Staff Management

It's possible to create employee schedules with a restaurant management system easily.

The integrated employee scheduler will automatically allocate additional staff members, such as wait staff and bar staff, during peak hours and less during downtime. 

Sales data can be aggregated with the employee schedule in order to match the demand with supply. This ensures that you’ll have fully optimized resources that are never under or over-utilized. 

Improved Staff Communication

A restaurant's communication between the executive chef, wait staff, and cashiers is critical. The constant difficulty at restaurants is that information is lost somewhere between each of these groups of individuals. Customers are irritated as a result. 

Restaurant management systems improve staff communication. Customers can make orders while waiting by using portable devices. That data is sent to the cashier so that it may be appropriately captured and billed.

Reduced Restaurant Expenses

Cost-cutting is essential in every business. When it comes to everyday operations, a well-managed inventory management procedure and personnel scheduling will assist a corporation in decreasing its losses.

Variances can be controlled or prevented entirely with a restaurant management system, resulting in greater savings.

Bottomline

When it comes to keeping things organized, boosting team efficiency, and ensuring customer satisfaction, the best free apps for restaurant managers provide some of the best possibilities. 

With increased efficiency, insightful data, and smooth software connections, all of these technologies can improve your profit margin and the overall performance of your organization.

Even though you'll need an account and a subscription to use most of these apps to their fullest, you can try out a lot of them with a free trial or demo.

FAQs

What is a smart restaurant system?

A smart restaurant uses a wide range of cutting-edge technological tools to streamline its operations. Food tech firms are developing automated technologies to help restaurants run more smoothly and effectively. The recently popularized idea of opening a "smart restaurant" is shaking up the food service sector.

Is POS an RMS System?

The business and retail environment is incomplete without a Point of Sale (POS) system and a Retail Management System (RMS), which are connected but separate components. In order to simplify sales processing, payment acceptance, and receipt creation, a point-of-sale (POS) system integrates hardware and software solutions. 

On the other hand, a Retail Management System covers greater ground and goes beyond only the transactional parts of retail operations.

In order to maximize the entire performance and efficiency of a company, an RMS would often include tools for managing inventories, customer relationships (CRM), and the supply chain.

What can I manage with an RMS?

A Restaurant Management System (RMS) enables businesses to manage all aspects of their operations.

You can effortlessly manage inventory with this powerful software system, which ensures correct monitoring of stock levels, movement, and automatic reordering operations. The technology also allows for smooth POS transactions, speeding sales processing and payment operations.