How can you effectively manage technology in a restaurant?

One of the most important decisions we made for our restaurants was selecting a primary technology partner. There are lots of options available to restaurants these days but the best of the best have humans who truly care about providing digital hospitality solutions for their clients. Staying curious, getting involved and asking for help has always served us well when selecting technology.

An employee should have a keen eye for details. Providing training with a focus on details is crucial. An employee should be an approachable professional with guests and a friendly team player, contributing to the company's goals and creating a warm and healthy work atmosphere. Retaining guests should be a primary focus for all businesses in the hospitality industry."

The most important thing to consider here is that you are able to create an ecosystem of technology. Ensuring that one piece of tech talks to another is a huge hurdle that hospitality business owners regularly encounter. Further, you have to make sure that the main provider (usually your POS system) integrates with quality providers of other services. It's no good having a POS that can talk to hundreds of other tech, but if that tech is not something that is reliable and of the right standard, then it is useless to you or your business, or worse, it will hurt your business.

As a service provider and as a regular F&B customer I focus on never allowing the system to interfere with the one-on-one interaction between customer and staff. There is nothing more frustrating than speaking with a staff member and they are just not hearing anything, as they are distracted by the multiple fields to complete in their computer! However, if the staff performance is only judged on the basis of their data input, and not on the quality of their customer interactions and engagement, is it surprising they sacrifice the one for the other, more important, activity.

I have been working in the restaurant sector my entire working career, and spent the last 14 years in restaurant technology. The tech stack is the most important factor in modern day restaurant management. Problems that operators face is knowing which area of their business to solve with tech and when to prioritize these changes. Some tech solutions are business critical - think point of sale (to manage ordering / payments) or inventory management for stock control and team scheduling tools. The pandemic pushed restaurants to solve problems using technology quickly but some operators were burnt by companies that over promised and under delivered. Businesses are going back to basics and putting the guest first, deciding on tools to support.

I recently spoke on the topic of People, Processes, and New technology - a big takeaway is to teach your team (people) how to use the technology so well that if they left you for whatever reason, they could easily get a job with the tech vendor.

This is a very important piece of the puzzle which some businesses don't focus on enough. This diversion from the normal in the way of doing things will require a dedicated amount of familiarisation and training within your business. At Pilla, we have found a few ways which can help with the implementation of new tech including: 1. Get buy in from the top so that all staff know this is a priority 2. Choose a dedicated champion(s) in your business who will learn the solution inside out and help others 3. Come up with a realistic roadmap which may mean rolling out the solution in parts across your whole operation

One of the most overlooked factors in this process is to create a simple and regular process for staff to provide feedback on the technology on a routine basis. Many times the effectivity of technology changes is diminished by a lack of timely feedback and progress. If you establish a culture that provides the feedback and communicate back what has been done with that feedback you will increase the chances of success in your technology transition.

All the technology in the world is not useful is the staff doesn't use it. Make sure to explain why you are using the technology. It's important to get team buy in to make implementation successful. Provide adequate training and continue to offer on going training when needed.

Another key step to manage technology in a restaurant is to train your staff on how to use it properly and effectively. You should provide clear and comprehensive instructions, demonstrations, and feedback to your staff, and make sure they understand the benefits and expectations of using the technology. You should also create a culture of learning and innovation, and encourage your staff to ask questions, share feedback, and suggest improvements. You should also assign roles and responsibilities for managing the technology, and monitor their performance and progress.

Good tech will reduce the amount of updates that you have to do yourself. But no tech will do everything for you. There will always be a level of manual input by you, no matter how small. When you first start using a new piece of tech, you've got a fresh start and clean database. Try your hardest to keep it that way. If you're anything like me, then your Apple iCloud drive is a mess, like really a mess. What I wouldn't give to start that again. At Pilla, we have automations to clean up customer data and keep it tidy, but we still need customers to do some input so we also have in-app reminders of best practice. It does work, but with some people more than others!

A third important step to manage technology in a restaurant is to maintain and update your devices and software regularly. You should ensure that your technology is working smoothly and securely, and that it meets the changing needs and demands of your customers and business. You should also backup your data and systems, and protect them from cyberattacks, viruses, and malware. You should also check for updates and upgrades, and install them as soon as possible, to avoid glitches, errors, and compatibility issues. You should also test your technology before using it, and troubleshoot any problems that arise.

Maintaining and updating your technology is crucial for the smooth and secure operation of your restaurant. Regular maintenance, data backups, and protection against cyber threats are important. Installing updates and upgrades promptly helps avoid glitches and compatibility issues. Testing and troubleshooting technology before use is essential. Prioritizing technology maintenance ensures a seamless and secure experience for staff and customers, contributing to your restaurant's success.

In my opinion Maintaining and updating your restaurant's technology is crucial. Regularly check for glitches and security issues, back up data, and protect against cyber threats. Keep up with changing needs and customer demands by considering upgrades. Test technology before implementation and address any issues promptly. Stay responsive to feedback from staff and customers. By doing so, you ensure that your technology is reliable, efficient, and aligned with your restaurant's needs.

Integrating your tech stack is key - it reduces manual processes and unlocks so much more power. A great example of this is having your POS and reservation system talking to one another so you can see guest spend on profiles as well as speed up the table turning process. It may also be key to consolidate platforms into one dashboard. Microsoft have Power BI but needs management so my go to system is always Tenzo - easily digestible and consolidated data at your fingertips without needing multiple log on details and CSV exports.

Make sure you don't have multiple systems that don't work together. The magic happens when your tech stack is integrated and works together to give you a full picture of the business. Otherwise, you will be working for the tech instead of the tech working for you.

A fourth useful step to manage technology in a restaurant is to integrate your tools and systems, so that they can communicate and share data with each other. This can help you streamline your operations, improve your efficiency, and enhance your customer service. For example, you can integrate your POS system with your inventory management software, so that you can track your sales and stock levels in real time. You can also integrate your online ordering platform with your reservation system, so that you can manage your orders and bookings more easily. You can also integrate your digital menus with your POS system, so that you can update your prices and specials instantly.

Integrating technology in a restaurant is crucial for efficient operations. By integrating tools and systems, you create a seamless flow of data, improving efficiency and customer service. For example, integrating POS with inventory management software allows real-time tracking of sales and stock levels. Integrating online ordering with reservations simplifies order and booking management. Digital menu integration with POS enables instant updates of prices and specials, enhancing customer experience. Overall, technology integration streamlines operations and boosts competitiveness.

Integrating your restaurant technology is crucial. It streamlines operations, improves efficiency, and enhances customer service. For example, connecting your POS system with inventory management software enables real-time tracking of sales and stock. Integrating online ordering with reservations simplifies management. Incorporating digital menus into the POS system allows instant updates. Embracing technology integration maximizes its benefits for your restaurant.

Good tech will provide a lot of reporting atomically for you and you should be able to tell from that reporting how valuable the tech is to you. Also consider that tech is valuable for different reasons. At Pilla, our north star metric is the number of users who use the app more than 5 times a day. So for us, we think that customers get most value in using the product that way. But other tech solutions will offer different value metrics. Some tech solutions you might only use once a week but it still has real value and some tech solutions you might never actually open yourself. You need to clear about the value expect from different solutions and what the solution might need to do to meet that, it might not be obvious.

From my perspective, evaluating your technology in a restaurant is indeed a vital step in managing it effectively. By regularly assessing your tools and systems, you can gain valuable insights into their impact and performance. It is important to gather data and feedback from customers, staff, and suppliers to understand how well your technology is meeting their needs. Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your technology allows you to make informed decisions about any necessary improvements or adjustments. Setting goals and metrics for your technology helps you measure its effectiveness and track progress towards desired outcomes. By tracking and reporting your results and outcomes, you can demonstrate the value and benefits.

Regularly evaluate your restaurant's technology to identify its strengths and weaknesses. Collect feedback and data from customers, staff, and suppliers to measure impact and performance. Set goals, track results, and adjust your technology strategy as needed. By actively assessing and improving your technology, you can meet changing needs and optimize your restaurant's performance.

People go to restaurants to feel something, that cannot be felt without human touch. Long leisurely dinners haven’t been the focus in dining as they were 5-10 years ago. The guest wants special but efficient service. Utilizing tech that does just that is the point. Using tablets when placing orders skips at least 3 steps for the server that make the experience more efficient. No more waiting at one POS, no more illegible tickets, with live updates servers can’t order sold out items and so many more perks. Another example is scheduling systems that allow management and teams to switch, cover, message, deny and approve. Restaurant tech’s main goal is effective non verbal communication. Don’t use tech to make the guest do the work.

Of course, depending on the restaurant and level of service, there is a certain level of human contact expected. Tech can be helpful and valuable. Using it so your team has more time with customers is where I have had most success. Creating operating efficiencies and decreasing waste have been areas that have responded well to tech. Implementing tech in these areas can free up team members to spend more time on the floor.

Don't do this alone - unless you have studied the market and have time to micro-manage tech - find people who can whether that I'm in house or external.

Ne jamais oublier que la technologie n’est pas une fin en soit mais un moyen pour aider les opérations à être plus efficace sur le terrain. Le but doit toujours être clair et ne pas être perdu de vue.

Tech is generally something you grasp or you don't. Getting it wrong can be costly, and you don't need to be a master at everything. If you need to outsource your tech needs, then do so, the initial cost will far outweigh the problems if you get it wrong.