Running a restaurant involves juggling countless tasks, from inventory to scheduling to compliance.
That’s why we’ve created this ultimate guide—a carefully curated list of the 87 best restaurant management software and apps designed to tackle every aspect of your restaurant business.
You may be managing a quick-service spot, a fine-dining restaurant, or a central kitchen.
Chances are you are looking for inventory management software, restaurant audit software, HR software, task management apps, or maybe a platform for food safety audits.
No matter your needs, there's a tool tailored for you.
This is your one-stop shop for finding the software that makes managing your restaurant smoother and more efficient.
Here is what we are covering in this restaurant management software guide:
- 8 Restaurant Management Software(All-in-one Platforms)
- 7 Best QSR Management Apps
- 8 Food Waste Management Software for Restaurants
- 9 Best Software for Managing Back of The House
- 10 Restaurant Maintenance Software
- Top 7 Central Commercial Kitchen Management Software
- Top 7 Restaurant HR Software
- 15 Best Restaurant Checklist Apps
- 14 Best Restaurant Audit Software
- 5 Best Food Safety Compliance Software
- 11 Best Restaurant Task Management Software
Before we start, let's understand a few terms:
What is Operational Efficiency?
The term "operational efficiency" is used to describe how well restaurants run their day-to-day operations, from the kitchen to customer service, with the goal of minimizing expenses, increasing productivity, and decreasing waste. Achieving more with less resources while maintaining high standards is the goal.
Efficient inventory management, proper personnel, streamlined workflows, and effective technology utilization are all essential components of operational efficiency. Your restaurant's operational capabilities and the quality of service you provide to clients can both be improved by focusing on these areas.
The output-to-input ratio is a good indicator of operational efficiency. An efficient restaurant gets more out of its resources than it puts in. There are a number of important metrics that measure operational efficiency, such as:
- Cost of goods sold
- Food costs
- Prime costs
- Profit margins
- Employee engagement
- Per order averages
Why is Overall Restaurant Operational Efficiency So Important?
For businesses to lower expenses, increase revenue, and enhance customer happiness, operational efficiency is non-negotiable.
The fewer bottlenecks you have, the better service you can provide to your customers.
Approximately 29% of restaurants expressed a strong likelihood of expanding their locations in the next 12 months, up from just 17% in 2023.
Restaurants can thrive in a competitive industry by streamlining and improving operations including ordering food, menu creation, kitchen workflow, employee scheduling, eliminating waste, and service protocols.
Increasing productivity in areas that you have control over can better prepare you to deal with unforeseen obstacles and outside influences.
To help you achieve operational excellence in your restaurant, we have created a list of the best restaurant apps that will boost your restaurant's efficiency and improve the customer experience
How To Choose the Best Restaurant Management Software?
Addressing this query depends on your business's specific needs and standards.
Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to choosing the right restaurant management software. The aforementioned options that we shortlisted for you in post, have earned their spot.
Some are designed just for the restaurant and hotel industry, while others serve a wider spectrum of businesses. For an insightful comparison, let’s go through the key areas to aid you in the decision-making process.
- Cost Factor: For most people, money is the primary force behind decisions. When in search of operation management software, there are numerous choices available on the market, and while many of them are paid for, we've also covered ones that provide free trials or the chance to start with a much less initial investment.
- Compliance: The challenges associated with food and beverage compliance are considerably more daunting. We'll see how each tool facilitates an effective, if not effortless, navigation of this complexity.
- Customization Requirements: Business software must be adaptable to innovation. We'll evaluate each option's adaptability to the constantly changing needs of the food and beverage sector.
- Integrations: For some restaurant business owners, optimizing value and fostering synergies depend heavily on smooth integration.
- User-Friendly Interface: Avoid spending money on a program that is too complicated and that your staff finds difficult to use. We'll point you in the direction of choices with visually appealing and user-friendly interfaces.
- Real-time Reporting and Analysis: Although digital data collecting is valuable, you can gain guidance for future business decision-making via real-time reporting dashboards and result analysis.
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Available for up to 5 users
Premium for $99/month for the first 20 users (with free trial period)
Available on iOS, Android and Web
8 Top Restaurant Management Software (All-in-One Platforms)
Efficiency is priority numero uno for any food and beverage businesses. These 8 tools are designed to simplify operations, boost productivity, and keep your business running smoothly.
For a closer look at their features and benefits, check out our in-depth analysis here: 8 Best Restaurant Management Software
1. Xenia
2. Form
3. iFoodDS
4. Safefood 360°
5. Primority
6. FoodDocs
7. FieldKo
8. Opsi
7 Best QSR Management Apps
The pace of the operations is crucial for any Quick Service Restaurant. We have compiled this list of 7 software by keeping the unique needs of QSR in mind.
Below is a quick list and you can find their detailed feature and pricing breakdown here: 7 Best QSR Management Software.
1. Xenia - Overall No. 1 Best & Free QSR Management Software
2. Toast POS
3. Restaurant365
4. Foodics
5. HotSchedules
6. Posist Restaurant POS
7. Square Point of Sale
8 Food Waste Management Software for Restaurants
Food waste is not only a business or financial issue for restaurants, more than that it is an environmental and moral issue.
Hence, it is vital for any restaurant to track, manage, and reduce food waste. This list of 8 software helps you reduce food waste as well as budget.
A list of quick look is below and if you want to dive deeper or want to learn more about a specific tool, proceed here: 8 Best Food Waste Management Software.
1. Xenia
2. LeanPath
3. SmartKitchen App
4. Apicbase
5. MarketMan
6. Winnow
7. xtraCHEF By Toast
xtraCHEF Pricing
8. OptimoRoute
9 Best Software for Managing The Back of House
Infantry is the queen of the battle, content is the king in marketing, and the back-of-house is the heart of any F&B business.
The 9 tools we compiled in the list below focus on ensuring that inventory, prep, and scheduling are handled efficiently.
You may ask why. Simple – so your kitchen team can focus on delivering great food.
The quick list is below and you can see a deeper look at prices, features, and benefits of how these tools can transform your BOH operations here: 9 Best BOH Management Software.
1. Xenia
2. BevSpot
3. HotSchedules
4. GoSpotCheck
5. FoodCode-Pro
6. Connecteam
7. CrunchTime
8. SynergySuite
9. MarketMan
Top 10 Restaurant Maintainance Software for 2024
Do you know the one thing any business owner loathes the most? It is unexpected equipment breakdowns! These breakdowns can derail a well-oiled machine.
That’s why it is vital to keep a tab on equipment health by staying proactive. The software below helps you keep everything functioning like a clockwork.
More detailed feature comparisons and pricing details of these tools are here: Top 10 Restaurant Maintenance Software.
1. Xenia
2. UpKeep
3. Go FMX
4. Zenput
5. MaintainX
6. Hippo CMMS
7. eMaint CMMS
8. EZOffice Inventory
9. Limble CMMS
10. ServiceChannel
Top 7 Central Commercial Kitchen Management Software
Managing a central kitchen requires tools built for scale and precision. These 7 options provide the features you need to oversee operations, reduce waste, and streamline processes.
Ready to find the perfect fit for your kitchen? Read more here: Top 7 Central Commercial Kitchen Management Software.
1. Xenia
2. Apicbase
3. GoFrugal
4. Supy
5. Melba
6. HashMicro
7. RestroWorks
Top 7 Restaurant HR Software
From hiring to payroll to scheduling, HR tools are a must for managing your team effectively. These 7 solutions simplify the complexities of restaurant HR management.
Want to see detailed reviews of these tools? Check out the full list here: Top 7 Restaurant HR Software
1. Xenia - All-in-One Restaurant HR Software
2. BambooHR
3. Restaurant365
4. Connecteam
5. 7Shifts
6. Jolt
7. HotSchedules
15 Best Restaurant Checklist Apps
Consistency is key in the restaurant business. These 15 checklist apps help you streamline daily operations, maintain quality, and ensure every detail is accounted for.
Find deeper insights into their features and pricing here: 15 Best Restaurant Checklist Apps in 2024.
1. Xenia
2. Certainty
3. StartSafe
4. Action Audit
5. QVALON
6. mQuest Audit
7. Zeper Audits
8. Bindy
9. Connecteam
10. Hubl
11. Trail
12. MeazureUp
13. FusionPrep
14. FoodReady
15. DeviceMagic
14 Best Restaurant Audit Software
Audits are essential for maintaining high standards. These 14 software solutions make audits faster and easier, giving you the insights you need to stay compliant.
Ready to explore which audit tool fits your needs? Check the full guide here: 14 Best Restaurant Audit Software.
1. Xenia
2. Nimonik
3. AuditKind
4. AudiSoft
5. AuditBrain Internal
6. CMX1
7. Food Safety Audit
8. CYS
9. CAQ.Net
10. The Checker
11. monitor QA
12. Taqtics
13. GoAudits
14. SafetyCulture
5 Best Food Safety Compliance Software
Keeping food safe isn’t just about compliance—it’s about protecting your reputation.
These 5 tools help you manage food safety effortlessly, so you’re always prepared for inspections. Read more about their features and pricing here: 5 Best Food Safety Compliance Software
1. Xenia
2. ChefMod
3. Avero
4. xtraCHEF by Toast
5. Restaurant365
11 Best Restaurant Task Management Software
Managing daily tasks can quickly become overwhelming. These 11 tools make it easier to assign, track, and complete tasks, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
Curious about which tool is right for your restaurant? Find detailed reviews here: 11 Best Restaurant Task Management Software.
1. Xenia
2. Jolt
3. Trail
4. MaintainIQ
5. FIELDKO
6. Fourth
7. Blanket
8. 7Shifts
9. MarketMan
10. CrunchTime
11. Restaurant365
Wrapping it up
The right software can make all the difference. However, finding the right SaaS tool is a task in itself. With so many options out there, it is tough to zero down on the best 3 or best 5 tools. Isn’t it?
We sincerely hope that this list of 87 best restaurant management apps and software helps you make that decision faster, and narrow down your choices to two or three best tools that fit your requirements and needs.
The next step is simple: take a closer look at the shortlisted tool. Sign up for a free trial as most of them offer one, explore their features, talk to their support team to understand the degree of support they’re gonna offer, sign up for a demo, and select the one that fits the bill.
We wish your restaurant chains keep serving great food and creating memorable experiences for your customers.
Streamline Food Safety, Maintenance and Daily Operations with Xenia
Xenia unifies food and beverage operations with tools to standardize, track and measure work across every team, asset and facility.
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Our customers love Xenia's robust use cases including:
Food Safety Management
🌡️ Automatic Temperature Monitoring
Xenia leverages temperature sensors that utilize both Bluetooth and LoRaWAN technology to transmit data reliably to your Xenia account. The monitors work continuously in a range of 40°C to 125°C and an accuracy of +/- 0.4°C. When an temperature deviates from a pre-set acceptable range, management is notified to investigate and resolve.
🔎 Smart Inspection Workflows
Xenia's operations template builder has built in conditional logic into each step. This allows you to trigger actions based on a form response such as creating a corrective action on a failed inspection step, sending a notification to management for out of range meter readings, and much more.
✨ Corrective Actions
Operationalize inspections with fast work order assignment arising from a failed inspection step. All corrective data is stored in the checklist submission for auditing and accountability.
📋 Compliance Reports
View live dashboard summaries of tasks, employee performance, template submissions and more. Filter, organize and export compliance reports to PDF and Excel formats to simplify compliance management.
Maintenance Management
🛠️ Work Orders
Create work orders with associated team, asset, location, priority, category and due date. View live progress reports on each work order, chat with teams, and review resulting template submission, images and notes to improve operations.
🧰 Preventive Maintenance
Create a preventive maintenance calendar to ensure asset uptime is not compromised. Attach images, templates, videos and notes to every task and assign to a team or individual for completion.
📲 QR Codes
Generate and attach QR codes to equipment and facility locations to enable fast and accurate inspections and data logs.
📁 Equipment Work History
View work history for every asset and sub asset in Xenia. Review performance data and enable corrective actions to improve your operation.
Daily Operations
✔️ Checklists & SOPs
Create checklists, SOPs, Inspections and Data Logs to power accountability, training and staff clarity on every task.
📆 Recurring Tasks
Create recurring schedules for review meetings, inspections, cleanings and more.
💪 Team Accountability
Defeat pencil whipping and disorganized responsibility assessments by standardizing operations with Xenia. Track time, collect photos, send messages and ensure high quality work.
📊 Team Performance Reporting
Use Xenia's analytics dashboards to view staff work reports. Filter by asset, location, category or due date and export the report in PDF or Excel
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