With more advanced technology entering the market, businesses are able to accomplish more than ever. From all-inclusive communication software and data monitoring to powerful POS systems and employee management systems, technology makes restaurant operations quicker and more profitable.
By increasing connectivity, improving communication between teams, and giving more access to sales data, inventory, scheduling and safety statistics, there is no question that technology is a vital piece of every successful restaurant. In a tough business climate, restaurants cannot afford to miss out on all the benefits technology offers the foodservice industry.
Here are a few resources that will make 2017 your business’s most productive year yet:
1. Kitchen Brains
One of the most crucial challenges facing the foodservice industry is finding a solution to the traditional “honor system” for temperature monitoring. FSM is a total solution for recording, collecting, and analyzing the data needed to run a successful kitchen. “FSM is a simple paperless solution for HACCP compliance,” says Mario Ceste, CEO of Kitchen Brains. “With FSM, a proprietary hand-held device is not required because FSM can operate from standard tablets or smartphones.” kitchenbrains.com
2. Unified Office
Multi-store QSR franchisee shares keys to operational excellence: Are you looking for ways to increase operational effectiveness? See how an award-winning pizza franchisee boosted their operational excellence. In this short video, a franchisee partner with 80 U.S. stores in three states shares his keys to driving operational excellence across his national franchise operation. He explains how a business communications service from Unified Office has helped him maximize sales and profitability. Learn what made this franchisee say, “Store sales just went through the roof.” unifiedoffice.com
3. Breakaway Restaurant Solutions
Technology in a restaurant is one of the most necessary items for long-term success. Having a point of sale system will enhance your speed of service and help keep inventory focused and under control. Online ordering, even in a quick-service restaurant, is just as vital in order to reach the widely targeted millennials who prefer online over face-to-face or phone interactions when shopping. “Having a presence on the web and the service to back it up will ensure profits, and Breakaway has the software make that happen,” says Michael Stuhlman, director of sales and operations for Breakaway. breakawaypos.com
4. R.F. Technologies, Inc.
R.F. Technologies, Inc. is a one-stop drive-thru solutions provider that helps quick-serve restauarant owners maximize their profitability and efficiency by providing a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee on drive-thru repair services, product sales, and innovations. “We have proudly revolutionized the new listen-in-only (LIO) drive-thru audio system to save up to 60 percent on traditional all-in-one headset costs,” says Bob Noorian, founder and CEO of R.F. Technologies, Inc. “LIO is the economical alternative solution that increases drive-thru activity communications at a much lower cost.” rftechno.com
5. HotSchedules
Make the shift to HotSchedules workforce solutions.
HotSchedules labor solutions help busy operators make the shift to online employee scheduling and communication with comprehensive labor, logbook and shift management tools. Our forecasting and reporting capabilities help restaurants schedule the right people at the right time to reduce labor costs by as much as 2 percent. Managers can create schedules 75 percent faster, freeing their time to engage their teams and recapture work-life balance. “We have seen a decline in our costs of about 1.5 percent because we’re scheduling more to business needs,” says Todd Eposito, a franchise owner from Culver’s Addison, Illinois. hotschedules.com
6. SkoolLive
U.S. teens spend $16.4 billion on food annually, prefer limited-service restaurants, and influence more than 70 percent of family food choices. SkoolLive is the first nationwide on-campus digital network. “Our 7-foot-tall interactive digital kiosks, installed in high traffic campus locations, gives community business partners, such as yourself, the chance to deliver informative, engaging, and impactful awareness campaigns to our digital native audience of high school students,” says George Bruton, founder and CEO of the company. SkoolLive advocates for schools and shares local, regional, and national ad revenues with participating schools to support student programs and contribute to campus fundraising. skoollive.com
7. 911 Systems
Gather customer insights by tracking license plates on customer cars as they enter and exit your restaurant to provide unprecedented customer insights:
- New versus repeat customers
- Drive-through wait time
- Frequency of visits across all locations
- Brand loyalty
Unlocking your customer metrics provides your team the ability to evaluate the success of marketing campaigns, store operations, and customer satisfaction in real time while automating your reward program. Get the full presentation: 911sys.com
Investing in technology for your restaurant can lead to increased transparency into your business and streamline processes to increase effectiveness and profitability. These providers can help you set your business up to achieve amazing results in the new year.
