Buyer's Guide To Restaurant Operations Management Software

What is Restaurant Operations Management Software?

Restaurant operations software is an integrated tool that helps managers and owners of restaurants operate their businesses more efficiently. It usually includes several functions from personnel scheduling, stock control, restaurant (POS) systems, customer relationship management (CRM), and reporting tools. This software helps employees in restaurants focus more on providing exceptional customer service by automating and streamlining a variety of tasks.

Types of RMS 

Every restaurant has different requirements, hence there are various restaurant operations software types available. Consider the characteristics your restaurant could need and how important each is to you when deciding which type is best for your bar or restaurant.

1. End to end

This kind of RMS is the strongest and most comprehensive. Main features include staff, menu, order and payment administration, restaurant tech assistance, core point of sale, food inventory management software, CRM, reporting, and analytics. It could be possible to combine different capabilities, depending on the restaurant operations software provider.

2. Restaurant POS

The point of sale (POS) serves as the system's central component, enabling integration with other systems for marketing, accounting, inventory management, and other crucial operations.

3. iOS or Android Only

To preserve system integrity, the majority of systems are made to operate exclusively on a single kind of device. Prior to selecting a system, decide which operating system your business will employ.

4. General POS

This solution is intended for companies that provide food service and retail options. It provides a smooth crossover with optional modules.

Why Do You Need Restaurant Operations Software?

Due to its tight profit margins and high failure rates, the restaurant industry is notorious. Maintaining your competitiveness and profitability requires effective management. 

The restaurant industry is changing, and this includes changes in our eating habits due to the demands of patrons and the difficulties of running a business. To maintain your competitiveness, your company plan must include restaurant operations software. 

Many restaurants and businesses involved in the food industry are currently being pushed to drastically change the way they operate, from increasing app-driven delivery to enforcing stricter guidelines for internal sanitization and food safety procedures. As a multi-unit operation, it is a challenging undertaking to complete this swiftly and successfully. An OpsX platform can help in this situation.

An OpsX-style restaurant operations software system will streamline the organizational aspects of your company and, as a result, streamline the profit margins. It will accomplish this by ensuring that safety standards are met in precise measurements and by giving staff members the tools they need to finish tasks more quickly and accurately. With a high-quality OpsX platform, productivity barriers vanish and internal process visibility and execution are maximized. 

With the help of this program, you can address these problems and meet evolving client requirements. 

Simplifying Processes

Within the busy restaurant industry, manual operations could be a major bottleneck. Inventory control and staff scheduling are just two of the tasks that restaurant operations software handles to solve this issue. With fewer errors and more time to spare, this digital approach helps you maintain an effective business.

Increasing Contentment with Customers

Modern restaurant customers are mostly concerned with convenience and customization. This is where technologies like mobile applications and kiosks, which allow for faster ordering, really make an impact on inventory management software. 

Furthermore, it might tailor loyalty programs to turn those diners from first-timers into regular customers and streamline table management to get customers seated faster.

Data-Informed Decision Making

Restaurant operations software not only speeds up operations but also provides an extensive amount of information. You will be able to track sales trends, look over customer feedback, and even project future demand by using this software. If you have access to this kind of information, you can make data-driven decisions that boost your profitability and maintain your company's innovation.

Optimizing Inventory

The biggest enemy of a restaurant is waste. Thankfully, restaurant management software for the US market could be your secret weapon in this battle. 

With real-time stock level data, it helps you plan for ingredient use and expedite reordering. You can cut down on food waste and guarantee that the freshest ingredients are always in your kitchen by doing this.

Empowerment of Employees

Both your employees and your business's bottom line can benefit from restaurant operations software. Imagine a solution that streamlines procedures like wage tracking and performance reviews, freeing up your staff members' time and energy. This program can provide students with valuable insights that will aid in their proficiency. A happier, more productive workforce that takes pleasure in their work is the result.

What Should I Consider Before Getting an RMS?

Finding a system that suits your needs and provides everything your restaurant needs is crucial, as it will handle a lot of your daily operations. Make a list of the features that the system must have and decide what specific goal it must serve first. 

After that, evaluate the following points carefully:

Type

Decide what kind of system you require. Do not purchase an iPad system if your company will operate entirely on Android smartphones. An end-to-end solution will probably be the most economical choice if you want a one-stop shop.

Scaling

Invest in a system that can expand with your restaurant if you intend to expand or franchise it. Make sure your system can accommodate a significant number of employees (and their schedules), advanced large-scale analytics, multibranch add-ons, and an increase in the number of terminals and mobile devices.

Integration

Since no system is flawless, you'll probably need to link your RMS with additional programs to accomplish all of your goals. Make sure your reservation management system (RMS) can readily link with other systems, such OpenTable or Yelp, to avoid wasting time repeatedly inputting data into several applications.

Ease of use

It's hard enough to run a restaurant these days. In the middle of a dinner rush, you don't want to waste time troubleshooting your RMS. Take your time testing the RMS to make sure it is user-friendly and that issues are simple to resolve.

Benefits of Using Restaurant Operations Software

Increased Efficiency & Productivity

Function and efficiency are the lifeblood of the food and hospitality industries. Setting organization as a top priority is crucial for success in both day-to-day operations and the broader business.

Your company's productivity can significantly increase by utilizing a restaurant management system for daily operations such as inventory control, staff scheduling, and business transactions. Your revenue will undoubtedly increase as efficiency becomes your strong suit and all of your monitored data and organized duties are kept in one single organized system!

Improved Customer Service

The quality of your restaurant's customer service and satisfaction is a key sign of its success. Ensuring that each customer has a pleasant time throughout the whole meal—from seating to ordering to paying—will guarantee repeat business and a job well done.

Using a restaurant management software system will make serving customers simpler, easier, and less likely to result in mistakes made by humans. Customers can now enjoy your business without worrying about misplaced orders or jumbled bookings thanks to this.

Online Ordering

Managing takeout and table reservations in the already fragile online ordering ecosystem can be a big difficulty for the hospitality industry. The advantage of having yield software, table management software, or even a basic point-of-sale system is that it's simple to incorporate internet ordering with your in-person orders.

Furthermore, you will have a deeper understanding of your delivery and takeout sales with the implementation of POS systems and data tracking capabilities. This implies that you can determine where to put your time and energy to increase the success of your organization as a whole.

Better Inventory Management

It is crucial to ensure that you have an adequate supply of inventory, monitor its utilization, and keep an eye on the locations and methods of overflow. By employing restaurant operations software to improve inventory management, you can make sure that food expenses are taken into account and that food waste is tracked down for reduction.

In addition to promoting a healthy workflow when creating menus, purchasing supplies, and handling food surplus, improved inventory management frequently helps to save food expenses.

Accurate Reporting & Data Analysis

Accurate reporting is extremely beneficial in the restaurant sector. Ensuring accurate tracking of expenses, sales, and earnings is crucial for determining where to allocate resources and close any gaps.

When management systems are put up, reporting can be completed automatically, which reduces the possibility of human error and paper document loss. You can more readily analyze and improve if all of your data is in one organized system.

Key Features of the Perfect Restaurant Operations Software for You

Every restaurant has different requirements. This means that there isn't a single restaurant management solution that works for all establishments. 

To satisfy their needs, restaurant owners need certain features and services, which are all included in the top restaurant management software. The following are the essential requirements that must be met by a restaurant management system:

1. All-in-One Solution

Restaurant management systems come in a variety of forms. Certain systems optimize certain parts of your company's operations while necessitating external integrations to assist you in doing your everyday tasks. Others combine multiple processes into a single system. 

To carry out other crucial daily tasks, such as inventory control or labor management, you'll probably need to interface your point-of-sale system with pertinent third-party platforms. This is often expensive and requires some adjustment time.

Think about purchasing complete end-to-end restaurant management systems. These systems are the most durable, dependable, and economical kinds of restaurant operations systems because they combine front-of-the-house (FOH) and back-of-the-house (BOH) functions onto a single platform. 

Select end-to-end software that includes menu, order, inventory, and personnel administration functions together with essential point-of-sale system functionalities. Make sure you can do nearly all restaurant procedures with only a few clicks on a single system. 

2. Hardware Compatibility

To streamline certain tasks, search for an all-in-one restaurant operations software that works with the hardware you already have if you own various devices. It will facilitate your cost-effective and seamless adoption of the new restaurant operations software. 

If not, purchasing the right hardware for the RMS could cost you a small sum. During the changeover, you run the danger of losing important sales and customer data as well.

3. User Experience

All key restaurant team members can easily use the best restaurant management platform. It's probably not the best choice for you if you need hours of in-depth instruction to learn how to use a system. 

A system like that will not increase efficiency—rather, it will cause irritation. It will take too much time for your staff to learn how to use the system, and clients will become impatient while waiting for services.

4. Intuitive/Automated Menu Configuration

Menu pricing is subject to change without notice. To ensure that you stay up to date with these changes as they occur, look for a system that has an easy-to-use menu configuration solution. Your menu items and prices ought to be nearly automatically updated.

Ask the restaurant operations software service provider if the restaurant management program of your choice includes an automatic menu configuration feature. Alternatively, test it out before buying. Prior to making a purchase, the majority of RMS service providers allow you to test their solution for free for two weeks to a month.

5. Cloud-based or Online Management

For restaurant operators with multiple locations, an online or cloud-based administration function is crucial for three reasons:

At first, you can track statistics and remotely control each of your branches from a single dashboard.

Second, combining data from each branch is easy. You'll be able to ascertain which branches generate the highest revenue by monitoring each one's performance.

Thirdly, you could be able to run your restaurants remotely for a lot less money than you would need to pay for an on-site restaurant management system. You will pay a fixed subscription fee for a single overall system, as opposed to purchasing many systems, one for each branch. 

6. Reporting and Analytics Features

For a business to grow, proper reporting and analytics features are essential. They offer precise statistics on sales, customer satisfaction, and inventories. This information is necessary for restaurant owners, managers, and other stakeholders to make wise business decisions and expand their operations.

Always check to see if the key performance indicators (KPIs) for staff and customer service are provided by your chosen RMS with comprehensive yet simple-to-read reports. Viewing previous orders from customers and calculating your customer satisfaction score based on all of the input you've gotten should be possible. Not to mention evaluating the work of your staff.

7. Loyalty and Reward Implementation 

You'll be ahead of the game if your RMS enables you to establish client loyalty and incentive programs. You'll always maintain an advantage over your rivals and keep more clients.

To enhance their marketing endeavors, the majority of small business owners in the food industry also employ incentive and loyalty schemes. Through these schemes, patrons can earn free meals or loyalty points by sharing their eating experiences on social media. 

Customers connect with the brand as a result, and they also promote it at the same time. The greatest restaurant operations software needs to make it simple for you to put these plans into place. 

8. Excellent Technical Support

Technical assistance is needed for almost all technological systems in order to resolve potential problems throughout time. Seek restaurant operations software that has a technical support service that is available via chat or a hotline, seven days a week. 

You'll be well-protected and equipped to manage any system problems if you do this. Additionally, you can avoid technological difficulties and downtime, particularly on the weekends when eateries are at their busiest.

Implementation and Beyond

Selecting the appropriate RMS is only the first step. To fully reap the benefits of your new system, successful implementation, and continuous management are essential. 

The following suggestions can help ensure a smooth installation process and continued success:

Plan the Implementation

Create a thorough implementation strategy with deadlines, responsibilities, and completion dates. Before going live, make sure you allow enough time for staff training and device try-outs.

Train Your Staff

Your employees must receive quality training so they can utilize the new restaurant operations software with assurance and effectiveness. Provide thorough instruction and continuous support to handle any queries or issues.

Monitor and Optimize

After the RMS goes online, continuously monitor its overall performance and compile employee and customer feedback. Utilize the data and insights provided by the system to identify areas in need of enhancement and streamline your business processes.

Stay Updated

Update your RMS with the newest security patches and features. Assess the overall functioning of your machine on a regular basis and look into new features that might improve the efficiency and satisfaction of your patrons at your restaurant.

Leverage Data

Make wise decisions and accelerate the expansion of your restaurant by utilizing the data and insights your RMS offers. Examine customer preferences, income characteristics, and operational data to find areas that could use innovation and improvement.

Choose Xenia to Streamline Your Restaurant Operations

Xenia is your all-in-one solution for restaurant operational management, aiming to ensure that you run your business without any hassle like your best gravy.

Xenia offers you a single, all-encompassing customizable dashboard where you can find everything well organized—from real-time inventory tracking and employee scheduling to meeting compliance and managing multiple units.  You get the leverage to effortlessly take care of everything in your restaurant, thereby, making sure that operations are running smoothly, even if you are at only one place or supervising more than one establishment.

With Xenia, real-time reports can be generated easily when switching between locations. They can be further customized per your specific needs. Moreover, you can customize the checklists that will guarantee the same level of quality throughout different locations of your restaurant. 

Your team can enforce compliance from wherever they are, whether they are in the kitchen's corner or on the move with our mobile-compatible interface. The in-app chat feature allows to stay in touch with each other while making sure execution remains the top priority.

That's the best part about using Xenia for restaurant operations management. As a manager or supervisor, you don't have to be on your toes to make sure your business is up and running.

Start using Xenia for free to change the way you run your business. 

Conclusion

One of the most critical choices that has a significant impact on your restaurant's productivity, profitability, and customer satisfaction is selecting the appropriate restaurant operations software. You can unleash your restaurant's full potential and give your customers an uninterrupted dining experience by communicating your needs, weighing your options, and skillfully deploying the equipment.

Remember that the right RMS is a strategic partner as well as a tool that enables you to precisely and effortlessly traverse the challenges of restaurant control. Gain from a more eco-friendly, lucrative, and customer-focused business by taking the time and making the effort to choose correctly.

We hope that after reading this buyer’s guide, it becomes a tad-bit easier for you to choose the right restaurant operations management software for your business. 

And if we could spark your interest in Xenia, feel free to book a free tour with us.