8 Must-Have Features of a Restaurant Management System that You Need to Know

If you own or manage a restaurant, you know how challenging it can be to maintain everything from bookkeeping to inventory, staff scheduling, and customer relations. You need a management system that streamlines all these processes and allows you to keep track of everything without creating a ton of paperwork.

If you aren’t using an advanced management system yet, now is the time to get one. It will make your life much easier and help you run your business more efficiently.

A good restaurant management system (RMS) not only streamlines all your operations but also makes it easier for employees to do their jobs while keeping accounting details simple and easy to track. Read ahead to learn more about what an RMS can do for your business.

Essential Functions of a Restaurant Management System

There are many different RMS options available, so it’s important to choose the right one for your business. Make sure to select one that offers the following functions:

Bookkeeping – A good RMS will integrate with your accounting software and make it easier for you to record financial details for every part of your business. You can track sales, expenses, employee hours, and more all in one place.

Inventory Management – Your business will be more efficient if you know when you’re running low on supplies. With an RMS, you can easily track and reorder inventory to keep your restaurant stocked and prepared for customer demand.

Food Ordering and Tracking – If you run a food truck or have a catering business, you need an RMS that can handle food ordering and tracking. You can easily set up orders, track deliveries, and manage customer relations.

Employee Scheduling and Routing – Managing employee schedules and assigning tasks can be a big hassle without the right RMS. Automated scheduling and routing will make payroll simpler, enable you to assign tasks to specific employees, and track hours.

Inventory Management System

Keeping track of inventory can be a major challenge for many businesses. Inventory management systems can help you track what you’re selling, what you need to reorder, and what products are about to expire so you can make adjustments.

In a restaurant setting, an inventory management system can help you track everything from food items to equipment, including mixers, spatulas, and refrigerators. Many RMS also let you track employee hours and assign tasks, making it easier to see which staff members are clocking in the most hours and which need more training.

You can also keep track of customer orders and preferences to improve customer service. If your restaurant uses a POS system, you can integrate your inventory management system with it. If you don’t have a POS system, you can choose an inventory management system that connects with your point of sale system.

Food Ordering and Tracking System

Many businesses have food items that are rarely sold, such as frozen pies or cookies that are baked ahead of time. A food ordering and tracking system can help you manage these items as well as perishable items like sandwiches, salads, soups, and steaks. You can set up menus and customer orders, track deliveries, and easily reorder food as it runs low.

You can also track the expiration dates of food items and make sure they stay fresh until they’re sold. A food ordering and tracking system can be especially useful if you own a food truck or do catering for events.

Many of these systems are mobile, so you can view customer orders, track deliveries, and reorder food even when you’re on the road. Your customers can also place orders from the system, helping you to keep track of what they order over time.

Employee Scheduling and Routing System

A good employee scheduling and routing system can make it easier for you to assign tasks to specific employees, track their hours, and even find out how long it takes them to complete certain tasks. With automated scheduling and routing, you can see who has time to do what, making it easier to assign tasks and keep track of employee hours. You can also select which employees should get the tasks you need to be done most urgently.

If you own a food truck or do catering, you may want to select employees who have the necessary skills to do those jobs. An employee routing system can also help you track employee productivity, enabling you to identify tasks that take longer than expected and determine which employees are energetically and efficiently completing their tasks.

You can then assign tasks based on this information to see who should complete the tasks that are taking the least amount of time.

Marketing and Promotion Management System

Your RMS should make it easy to track your marketing efforts and see their effectiveness. You should be able to create a calendar of marketing events and track their results, including social media posts, coupons, and more.

Your RMS should also allow you to track the effectiveness of your staff and their efforts, including how many sales they make each day. It should also allow you to give bonuses based on performance, so you can motivate your employees to do their best.

Accounting and Taxes Management System

If you decide to keep your own books, an RMS can make the process much simpler by organizing your data for you. You should be able to track all your sales and expenses, whether it’s for a single location or multiple ones.

Your RMS will also help you stay compliant with tax regulations, which can be a pain to track on your own. It should be easy to track your business expenses so you can take advantage of deductions when tax season arrives.

Customer Relations

Customer relations management systems help you keep track of the feedback you receive from customers. You can view comments, complaints, and compliments to see what customers like and don’t like about your restaurant. You may also be able to integrate this system with your social media pages so you can respond to customer comments and complaints quickly.

A CRM system can also help you encourage customers to leave feedback, making it easier to improve your restaurant based on customer suggestions. You can also integrate a CRM with your website to make it easier for customers to leave feedback on your website.

Wrapping Up