Building Your Tech Stack

Technology for restaurants has come a long way. There has been exponential growth in tech companies exploding on the scene since COVID. Unfortunately, the operator has been slow to understand and embrace this new technology.?

My goal for this newsletter article is to help operators understand this new technology. More importantly, I want to help you figure out how to build a tech stack that helps you crush it while still giving you more time to work ON your business instead of IN your business so that you can have time off with your loved ones. Remember “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It also makes Jack divorced!

So, what is a tech stack you ask? In simple terms, a tech stack is a number of different technology software you use to run your operation. You may use one tech company for scheduling. You may use another tech company for your point of sale or reservations. Another for inventory or ordering. Maybe you use technology for marketing. The point is, every restaurant uses a certain amount of technology to operate. Failure to do so is the fastest way to close your doors.

Anyone remember a time when as a server, we wrote orders down on an order pad and gave the copy to the kitchen? Remember as a cook or expeditor trying to read that chicken scratch? Remember how long that process took to go from order taking to delivering the food? Not to mention you then had to ring it in on a cash register. And, who’s to say that order ever got rung in? Cash tickets could easily have been pocketed. There was no checks and balances unless you physically added every guest checkup and compared it to the total ring on the register.

We have come a long way regarding the way we process checks, ordering, and payments because of POS systems like Aloha, Light Speed, Micros, and others. What about reservations? We used to answer the phone and have a book we would hand write the reservation in. This was also very time consuming and less productive requiring more hours of labor. Then companies like OpenTable, Resy, and other reservation systems eliminated that wasted time and money and allowed us to be more efficient. People were able to make reservations on-line. We were even able to create a data base to use for marketing purposes and to enhance the guest experience.?

Today, there is technology software that allows you to write schedules, place orders, do inventory, create P&Ls, process payroll, track tips, change menus on the fly, track reviews, and so much more. But, this can be confusing. How do you know which tech software is right for you? While there is no stack that is right for everyone, there are some questions you should ask yourself. Each operation is unique and requires customizing what is right for your restaurant.

There are three basic questions you should ask yourself when selecting which technology you are going to use in your stack.

• Question No. 1: Does this technology make my operation more productive and help my team do their job?
• Question No. 2: Does this technology make the guest experience better?
• Question No. 3: Can I afford this technology?
• Question No. 4: Does the technology work together?

If the technology doesn’t save you time it is not worth the investment. There is a lot of talk about AI and robots these days. Technology MUST enhance the guest experiencer it isn’t going to help you. For instance, automating certain cooking operations like sous vide is a great automation. Having a robot take your order and bring your food does not give a guest experience where they feel loved and cared for by another human being. Lastly, the tech should be affordable. In fact, a lot of software actually saves you money or increases your revenue.

When it comes to building a tech stack, the same rules apply. Regarding better productivity, the different softwares have to integrate with one another. For instance, your scheduling software should integrate with your POS. Your reservation system should integrate with your POS system to assist with table turns. Your purchases, inventory, and P&L should all integrate. If not, you are actually doing the same thing more than once and that isn’t time or money saving. Don’t stack software that doesn’t integrate.

One of the things you should consider is, what tech software out there can do multiple things allowing you to have less separate technology in your tech stack. Restaurant 365 is one that you should look at if you want integration with other technology as well as doing more than one function. R365 provides the following:

• Accounting, Bookkeeping, and budgeting software: See and manage your tailored chart of accounts, P&L, income statement, and financial transactions.
• A Rrestaurant Inventory Management System: Drive profit with food cost and inventory control, labor, and scheduling.
• Payroll for Restaurants: Hire, onboard, pay and retain restaurant workers.

So, Restaurant 365 can handle your financials, HR, and scheduling in one platform. I am working with Restaurant 365 because there are the best platform for executing all of these tasks. R-365 also integrates with a number of the most popular POS systems used today. I recommend Restaurant 365 to all of my clients and to anyone serious about building the best-in-class tech stack.

If you happen to be in Tampa Monday, May 6th, join Restaurant 365 and myself at for Conversations and Cocktails at the Rusty Pelican 2425 North Rocky Point drive from 2pm-6pm EST. To make a reservation click here

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/conversations-cocktails-with-r365-tickets-881404132487?aff=oddtdtcreator

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