An efficient restaurant is a profitable one and you know it. But reaching peak efficiency is ever so tricky these days with the world just coming out of a pandemic and back into normal life. However, with a few simple tricks, even you can improve the efficiency within your restaurant, in fact, here’s 8 that we think will definitely help you and your restaurant out!
#1: Reduce human error
By integrating a POS system into both your ordering and payment systems, it eliminates the possibility for staff to make errors in taking specific orders from customers, or from miscalculating values in the payment process. This is a great step in the right direction when it comes to improving overall restaurant performance. Furthermore, with prices now being regularly updated, it further reduces the chance of mistakes leading to negative customer interactions.
#2: Upskill your team
Everyone knows that in order to run a successful restaurant, providing adequate staff training to new joiners is extremely important. But that doesn’t mean you can forget about updating their training every now and then. While it is important to give your team the space, time, and opportunity to upskill themselves on their own, providing additional training will not only help your business run more smoothly but it’s also an excellent way to improve your overall employee retention and performance. You can also capitalise on your POS system’s reporting features by collecting data on which staff perform the best per month and giving them a bonus for doing so. This will further motivate your other staff to work harder too.
#3: Upgrade your POS system
Having a good POS system will ensure your restaurant is equipped with efficiency-minded features like table management or faster payment methods. However, the real benefit of a good POS system is that it helps you stay on top of all your costs, like staffing, inventory, and more. This type of solution will help you save on costs while giving you a lot more time to do the things you really should be focusing on. And that’s something we could probably all get behind.
#4: Streamline inventory purchases
Your inventory purchasing and management can be one of the most important, and time-consuming, parts of your restaurant operations. You and your staff need to constantly be on top of things when it comes to when items need to be ordered, in what quantity, and even who to order certain items from. Here purchasing software can do a great deal of help by preventing you or your staff from over-ordering items, which keeps wastage as minimal as possible. The software can also give your team the means to log any issues that may arise as soon as they pop up so they can be dealt with immediately and prevent any further issues down the line.
#5: Invest in reservation technology
Restaurant reservation systems can really help you to improve your front-of-house performance. By combining offline and online reservations, as well as walk-ins, it allows you to craft a user-friendly system that enables you and your staff to work faster and with greater efficiency.
#6: Leverage off loyalty
Looking to turn existing customers into regulars and bring in new ones in the process? Consider offering smart incentives that will keep customers coming back for more – whether it be discounts, freebies, or gift cards. This ultimately leads to higher efficiency in your restaurant as your customers now have a reason to keep stopping by for a bite. You can also check with your POS system provider if they have an option to create a fully automated loyalty and referral program, and whether it syncs to your POS. This would make it easy for your restaurant to incentivise repeat business while simultaneously building your email database.
#7: Bring payments to your customers
Nowadays customers expect to pay their bill at the table, as soon as they’re ready for it. Hence it’s wise to make sure your payment solution is up to the task. You’re going to need to make sure your POS system and ordering software are available on any device within your restaurant and that they are all integrated with fixed and mobile payment terminals that allow you to accept payments wherever your customers want to pay you. This ensures a seamless experience for them, thus making your teams’ life easier and increasing restaurant efficiency.
#8: Refine your menu
Think of it this way; the larger the menu your restaurant offers, the more ingredients and staff you’ll need in order to maintain or support a wide variety of orders. In this case, you might want to exhibit a little restraint and be thoughtful about what you want to serve. Utilize your restaurant POS system to analyze which items being sold in your restaurant are the most popular or bring in the most sales and make those your priority. It may also be helpful if your menu items have overlapping ingredients. This makes it easier to track and replenish your inventory before you run out of items. A smaller menu means fewer recipes to learn, which thus makes training and managing your staff easier. All of these elements contribute to increased efficiency in your restaurant kitchen.
CTA: How do I improve efficiency in my restaurant?
Ultimately, while you may have to make some changes both internally and externally within your restaurant, these changes are necessary in exchange for better efficiency throughout your restaurant. And with better efficiency comes better profits and happier staff and customers all around, who wouldn’t like that?
Keen on taking the first step towards digitization for your restaurant? EasyEat is here to help! Get in touch with us by clicking here to book your FREE demo! We look forward to hearing from you!
