If you own a restaurant, you know that keeping it going takes a lot of hard work beyond serving great food. The cooking may be the most glamorous part of the restaurant industry, but the grunt work involves crunching numbers behind the scenes to ensure that the food business is operationally viable.
Thankfully, new technology such as employee scheduling software helps restaurants stay on top of their expenses, as well as provide so many other vital functions that it has become an essential tool for many small- to medium-sized restaurants. Here are four important functions of employee scheduling software fulfills.
Manager-Facing Dashboards
Employee scheduling software presents all the most important data clearly and right away to managers on a dashboard created especially for them. Keep track of total sales, labor costs, labor as a percentage of cost, and even data about the weather (which has important implications for foot traffic).
The stats are presented so it’s easy to compare against previous statistics. Also, you can configure the software so it tracks whatever statistics your restaurant needs to know. Here is a helpful guide to understanding restaurant costs that goes into more detail, but read on to see other important ways this software helps reduce costs by keeping you informed about all aspects of your restaurant.
Fully Integrated
Because most employee schedule software can easily integrate with all the popular POS systems used in North America, the data it provides gives you a totally accurate and full picture of your restaurant’s economic health. The dashboard even has a section for employee feedback, adding another important dimension about your restaurant’s operations.
This software tells you everything that’s going on at your restaurant, and that’s the level of insights owners need before making important business decisions.
Enterprise-Level Data, Immediately
Beyond daily statistics, this software helps you keep track of big-picture macro data you need to identify economic opportunities or find operational savings. It’s all produced in real time, which is what you’d expect of a modern technological solution.
Balanced Schedules, Produced Quickly
Naturally its primary function — creating schedules in 80% less time than it would otherwise take — saves you money too, as it reduces the time employees waste creating schedules, and keeps them focused on working where they’re most useful.
But it also reduces expenses because it prevents managers from accidentally giving an employee so many shifts that they enter overtime pay. On the flip side, it prevents staff from experiencing burn out. Employee scheduling software makes it very easy to comply with labor laws, which doesn’t only ease what can be a frustrating process — it will save your restaurant money.
It seems like new technology is created every day that claims to “disrupt” an industry. Your restaurant doesn’t need a tool that reinvents the wheel; it just needs to help you achieve your goals. Employee scheduling software is so popular among small- and medium-sized restaurants because it makes running a restaurant easier, but it also makes it more profitable.
