How Quick-Serve Restaurants Benefit from an Integrated, End-to-End System
As we move into a new year, it is a good idea to pause and consider how your quick-serve restaurant is performing and the steps you can take to increase your efficiency, sustainability, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, your profitability.
Many restaurants have experienced incremental improvements by updating various parts of their operations with new technologies. However, the real benefits of technology are found by integrating all the software components of your business for a complete, end-to-end system.
The Benefits of an integrated solution
End-to-end solutions help bridge the disconnect between your front-of-house and back-of-house, eliminate errors from mistakes made using paper tickets and antiquated POS equipment, and streamline your kitchen and service operations for increased customer satisfaction.
Here are just some of the benefits an integrated solution can offer:
Point-of-Sale – Whether you focus on dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering, or a combination, efficiency starts with the Point-of-Sale (POS) system. Handheld devices make it easy to take orders and accept payment anywhere in the restaurant. Self-service kiosks provide customers convenience, lowering costs and overcoming staff shortages.
Kitchen Display System (KDS) – A Kitchen Display System (KDS) integrates with the digital POS system and automatically displays the order to the kitchen when the order is placed, eliminating the delay from paper tickets. KDS systems can prioritize customer orders so they are completed on time. Other benefits include showing recipe details and order substitutions, identifying pick-up or table service, including allergy and special preparation requests, and tracking meal preparation times.
Order Consolidation – Orders from multiple channels – in-house, online, external apps, telephone, drive-through – should be combined into the same format for your kitchen staff. An end-to-end system makes sure no orders are missed or entered incorrectly.
Payment Processing – Besides cash and credit cards, accepting contactless payments from Apple Pay, PayPal, and Google Pay is becoming increasingly important, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inventory Management – Maintaining inventory levels is critical for restaurants to ensure they have sufficient supplies on hand to meet the restaurant’s expected demands. Integrated systems can monitor inventory levels while orders are processed and alert when items are running low or are out of stock. Effective inventory management helps minimize food waste, reducing costs and spoilage.
Driver Tracking and Route Planning – If you are providing delivery services for your customers, it helps to have the system assist you in tracking your drivers and optimizing their routes. Routing capabilities within an integrated system let you notify customers of expected delivery times.
Effective Customer Communication and Marketing – Complement your advertising with targeted marketing messages via text, social media, and email. Leverage AI technology to offer loyalty incentives and personalized deals customized to a person’s buying patterns.
Reporting and Analytics – From food costs to prep times to repeat customers, your business generates valuable information that can help you monitor inventory, service levels, customer satisfaction, food costs, and more. Integrated systems help consolidate all this information, analyze it, and create reports and dashboards so you can make strategic decisions in real time.
Discover the possibilities for yourself
Using a robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform like LS Retail’s LS Central integrates with your CRM, scheduling, payroll, and other business systems to help you manage your financials, inventory, and data analysis and reporting. ArcherPoint can show you how to integrate your quick-serve restaurant’s business systems to help lower costs and deliver exceptional customer service. Contact us to learn more.