![]() Lastly, reach out to multiple companies before signing up with any one solution. This will help avoid future hidden costs. ![]() Be sure to ask about pricing structures, too, both in terms of what’s actually included in the base price and how pricing might change if your restaurant grows. Discounts typically depend on a restaurant’s size and number of locations, but often there’s wiggle room. “It’s important to get feedback from people that are actually using these solutions everyday,” says Tsang.Ĭome prepared to the conversation to also negotiate pricing. (You can also sign up for our tech consult, and we’ll walk you through some options.) As you start weighing your options, make sure to ask for client references. There are technology platforms to help with all of these goals, and many more, plus numerous competing companies within each category. Streamline your hiring, scheduling, or payroll process? Which solutions to prioritize often comes down to your current goals. “A lot sound good on paper, but before you sign up, it’s worth evaluating how you’ll actually use them and the level of commitment on your part.” “None of these solutions are magic bullets,” says Tsang. ![]() There’s also a time investment in terms of the setup, but to fully reap the benefits, you’ll also want to set aside time to analyze the data that comes out of most solutions, too, and to familiarize yourself with all of the features at your disposal. Most have subscription and/or installation fees. How do I choose the right tech platforms for my restaurant?Įvery tech solution requires some degree of investment. The greatest challenge is often figuring out with which solutions to start. “Sometimes operators want to have scheduling tied to the POS because then you can see who was working when, the number of sales they’re making, and then determine which servers are selling the most or doing best with promotions,” says Tsang, noting that the data can help operators adjust staff training accordingly.Įven if your tech components don’t line up perfectly, the primary objective of nearly all restaurant solutions is to help make operations more efficient. Take for example, having a scheduling solution, like 7shifts and Harri, that integrates with your POS system. Yet, when you are able to build a tech stack where many parts work congruously, this is where you can really dial in your workflow. As Tsang points out, the goal is to find solutions that integrate with one another, but of course, with the thousands of services out there across dozens of categories, that’s not always the reality. “In an ideal world, everything functions in harmony, but oftentimes, it’s a little more chaotic than that.”įrom the POS system to accounting software to a physical website, all software and digital solutions that a business uses are considered part of the tech stack. ![]() “To me, it’s just a fancy term for all the pieces of technology that are within a restaurant’s operations,” says Ken Tsang, CTO of Science on Call, a tech support platform for restaurants. As the past few years have proven, building a robust tech stack has become increasingly valuable as operators look for ways to tighten operations.īut what exactly does that two-word phrase really mean? What is a restaurant tech stack? These are all key components of today’s modern “tech stack”, an important term for any first-time operator to understand. As many as 97% of restaurants reported using at least one online ordering platform, and 81% reported using an online reservations system to manage their bookings. More than three-quarters of restaurants reported that they changed their POS system in TouchBistro’s 2023 “ State of Restaurants ” report, surveying more than 600 restaurant owners, presidents, CEOs, and managers. Last year was a big year for technology in the industry.
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