The Perfect Dashboard Is the One You Need — Not the One They Give You

An interview with the owner of a chain of panini shops in Denver reveals — yet again — the importance of a customized dashboard

Hi, I’m Nick, and I firmly believe that there are few problems in a company that cannot be resolved by a more adequate analysis of the data. Two critical elements need to be better to get a handle on a company’s operations: a modern data stack and a better dashboard.

When business owners come to me and lay out their problems, one of my first questions is: So, what’s your dashboard like?

Zell’s: “Well, um, it’s pretty good, I guess. I mean, I am sure it could be better. I’m not really sure how, but I feel like some things are missing. Like, maybe, how do I use all of this?”

This was the first question I posed to my guest, and his answer was one I have gotten used to hearing. Today, the CEO and founder of Zell’s Panini & Crepes is in the studio Zell’s Panini & Crepes based in Denver, Colorado.

Zell’s uses a cloud-based point-of-sale solution that enables businesses to streamline processes related to food ordering, tableside payments, customer retention, and more. During this interview, “Doctor Nick” — just having some fun folks — learned some interesting things about the POS system Zell’s uses. In addition, he had his — okay, let’s switch back to first person — MY opinion about the help that data analytic companies like mine can offer to these sometimes expensive restaurant management systems.

Zell’s: “I use the POS system to track my sales and operations, and while I feel like I have a pretty good handle on what’s going with sales and operations…still, after sometimes staring at the dashboard, I realize that so much is happening, and so much is available that I almost feel frozen like a deer in the headlights.”

Most of the “kit” restaurant management systems are pretty good. Some are better than others, and others rise to the top when they excel in customer service and tech support, according to Zell’s CEO, who is now on his second system.

Zell’s: “The first guys were good, and then they were bought out by a bigger company. From that day forward, I felt like that’s it, ‘You are on your own now, son.’ Good luck!”

Zell’s case of losing a good support team to a buy-out is rare, but surely it happens. A comment that was made, however, by Zell’s, was that he has so much data before his eyes that he sometimes feels “frozen like a deer in the headlights.” This problem, folks, is one I often hear. As I am wont to say, everything needed to run your business successfully is “in the data, folks;” however, sometimes having too much can also present a busy entrepreneur with a decision-making bottleneck.

“It’s hard to explain. Sometimes, I feel like I have so much information that I tell myself, ‘Let’s come back to this later over a coffee when I have more time.’ In a small, bustling business where I am often forced to cook to replace a sick employee, that moment for analysis seldom arrives.”

Zell’s Panini & Crepe cafe was first opened in the suburbs of Denver in June 2022. The second venue opened its doors at the beginning of 2023. The company has exciting expansion plans but admits that opening additional stores will be delayed until an operational cookie-cutter that maximizes profits can be established.

Working out in the gym

I didn’t want to do it, but I went there anyway. I love comparing data usage and the need for better data exploitation with everyday situations. I asked Zell’s CEO if he hit the gym often. He seemed in shape, so I figured my example would fit.

Zell’s: “Absolutely. While my time is greatly limited now, I need to do it for some peace of mind and body.”

Going to the gym for many, especially professionals, has a form of “checking the box.” You work a lot, so you buy an expensive membership to a great gym. When the trainer takes you on a tour before purchasing, she points out the state-of-the-art machines. One after another, your mind is blown by the never-before-seen contraptions: cables, chains, ropes, mats, heavy balls, reverse-squats machines, and machines that almost do the workout for you! Oh, and they even have free weights.

Because of all of the cool stuff, you are paying a premium. After buying the membership, many people come to the gym. They are overwhelmed by the wealth of machines that target every little muscle on the body that they end up doing the standard exercises: Some free weights, some mat work, and then a job on the treadmill. If we were to put a price on the machinery they used, then most likely, their membership would be 70 percent lower. The bells & whistles, however, lured them in.

This is where the work of a good trainer comes in. An experienced eye can assess what parts of the member’s body require what work. The trainer knows precisely what machine and motion — many machines that work similar muscles differ by the motion used to stimulate that muscle — will aid the gym member in their quest to be stronger, happier, and healthier.

And here it is, folks: the data analyst, like me, is the trainer. Overwhelmed by all of the data that is coming to him thanks to his POS system, a data analytics company, after a detailed interview with an entrepreneur like Zell’s CEO, can merge and join different data, thus resulting in a tailor-made and comprehensive dashboard with data from other data sources.

Zell’s: “Sometimes, I just want to say I want to this, this, and that — but not that, that, and this. What happens, though, is the next thing I know, I am going down a data rabbit hole, and suddenly, I realize that I have just spent an hour I don’t have analyzing ‘napkin use.’ Of course, I am joking, but you see my point.”

Indeed. We see your point and are ready to help channel the never-ending flow of information better. My team at Valiotti Analytics will indeed take a look at Zell’s dashboard, and we will work with them to create one more adapted to the needs of the company. Our mission is to help the frazzled entrepreneur feel more at ease and more confident in the decisions he makes.

While it’s all in the data, folks, sometimes, too much good is not good enough.