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When used strategically, customer data can help you personalize marketing, streamline operations, and create a better dining experience for your guests. The more you understand your customers, the better you can fine-tune your marketing and pricing strategies. Restaurants collect a ton of customer data. You can increase revenue.
Juggling multiple food delivery apps means switching between tablets, manually entering orders into the POS, and trying to keep track of ever-changing fees and commissions. Most platforms require restaurant staff to log into a separate device, respond to orders in real time, and manually transfer details into the POS system.
POS systems do more than just process payments they enable restaurants to personalize menus by analyzing customer data. Learn more in our latest post: How POS Systems Enable Menu Personalization. Increases Sales : Personalized recommendations drive purchases. Customer Insights : Track orders, dietary preferences, and trends.
A spike in food costs, a drop in sales volume, or one slow season can wipe out months of hard work. A spike in food costs, a drop in sales volume, or one slow season can wipe out months of hard work. For example: Lets say your restaurant made $100,000 in total sales last month. What Are Restaurant Profit Margins?
POS systems do more than handle payments they utilize POS data to help restaurants analyze and manage seasonal sales trends. By leveraging POS data, restaurants can adjust inventory, staffing, and marketing strategies to maximize profits during busy periods and minimize waste during slow seasons.
One approach is to use a contribution margin model : after youve calculated food cost, ask yourself how much money is left from the sale of a menu item to cover everything else. Yes, competitor pricing can give you a ballpark idea of what customers in your area expect to paybut it shouldnt be your only reference point.
On the flip side, a cluttered or confusing category setup can overwhelm guests, slow down ordering, and lead to missed sales opportunities. Good example: A finedining restaurant using just five clearly defined sections—Small Plates, Mains, Sides, Desserts, and Beverages. It’s called decision fatigue , and it kills conversions.
Since 2014, online ordering has grown 300% faster than dine-in and now accounts for roughly 40% of restaurant sales. In 2025, the US online food delivery market is expected to reach $424.9 billion in revenue. Customers expect to browse menus, place orders, and pay for their meals with just a few taps of their phones.
For operators, restaurant apps mean higher sales, greater customer retention, and smoother day-to-day operations. The restaurant industry is going mobile, and restaurant apps are at the center of this transformation. If your business isnt keeping up with the changes, you risk falling behind and not meeting modern customer expectations.
Personalized restaurant marketing using POS data is a powerful way to drive sales and foster customer loyalty. By tapping into the insights your POS system provides, you can tailor marketing efforts that speak directly to the needs and preferences of your customers. Here’s how: What is POS Data?
Finding the best restaurant POS system isnt just about taking ordersits about unlocking smarter ways to run your business. From real-time inventory tracking to mobile ordering and multi-location management, the right POS helps restaurants grow faster and operate more efficiently. What POS does Gordon Ramsay Use?
Unlike social media platforms, where the algorithm overlords dictate who will and will not see your posts, emails go straight to your customers inboxeswhich they check daily. When used correctly, restaurant email marketing keeps your restaurant top of mind, turning occasional diners into loyal regulars.
How POS data improves customer loyalty isnt just a trending topic its a strategic advantage for modern restaurants. By capturing real-time insights into customer behavior, preferences, and spending habits, POS systems empower restaurants to deliver personalized experiences, reward loyalty, and increase repeat visits.
That’s where the right POS features make a real difference. Modern point-of-sale systems go beyond order processing—they streamline operations, reduce bottlenecks, and improve table turnover. Modern POS systems can reduce wait times by up to 30% through automation and real-time data. Ease of Implementation in U.S.
Restaurants can now use customer data to enhance restaurant menu design, creating smarter menus that increase profits and improve the dining experience. Spot Best-Sellers : Focus on the 16% of menu items that drive 80% of sales. This approach also helps reduce food waste and maximize customer satisfaction.
Comprehensive analytics dashboard for insights into customer preferences and sales trends. Are you serving finedining patrons seeking a premium experience, casual diners looking for convenience, or a mix of both? Have you noticed how food delivery apps are becoming essential in attracting and retaining diners?
This article breaks down how to manage ingredient costs, reduce waste, and optimize menu pricing using modern tools like POS systems. How Technology Helps : POS systems track costs, reduce waste, and improve menu performance. Start by analyzing your ingredient costs.
Using data from POS systems, loyalty programs, and feedback forms, restaurants can create targeted promotions and build long-term loyalty. Implementing personalized restaurant marketing strategies with tools like Lavu POS can enhance customer satisfaction and drive business growth. favorite dishes, dining frequency).
If your POS system is slowing down your restaurant , you’re not just dealing with minor annoyances; you’re risking lost revenue, poor customer experiences, and operational chaos. In today’s fast-paced dining environment, even a few seconds of lag can create a ripple effect that impacts your entire service flow.
" They're somewhere between a full-service casual dining restaurant and a quick-service restaurant or fast food chain. The history of fast casual dining The fast casual concept was born in the 1990s but gained popularity in the mid-2000s with the massive success of Chipotle Mexican Grill.
It requires accurate data on food costs, total sales, overhead costs, labor costs, and all the many costs in between. You need to know what your competitors are charging and gauge the boundaries of what guests will pay for the dining experience. When you go out to eat, you're not just paying for the food.
Misconception 1: You can just turn QR codes on at your restaurant without making any operational changes and it'll work just fine. Fine-tune your serving style What happens after a guest scans a QR code and places their order? That said, there are still a lot of misconceptions about how to best implement QR codes.
Delivery/Takeout : COVID created a shift from in-person dining to takeout and delivery options, increasing reliance on third party delivery services, and on attractive takeout options. From a legal perspective, Insurance : the pandemic highlighted the limitations of insurance policies. Workforce : COVID fundamentally changed the labor market.
They may choose to dine out when they don’t want to cook, but they may also not want to dine in. Integration with your POS system or third-party ordering app (if applicable). Today, you can expect that your customers are always looking for convenience. So, that’s where carry-out services come into play.
A single percentage point difference in food costs or labor can be the difference between profit and loss. IRS Audits: Inaccurate or incomplete records can trigger costly and time-consuming IRS audits, leading to significant penalties and fines. Bookkeeping is the often-unsung hero, forming the bedrock of smart financial management.
Key Takeaways Restaurant bookkeeping requires specialized tools and systems, including management software, POS systems, and a well-structured chart of accounts. In the bustling world of gastronomy, the art of restaurant bookkeeping often takes a backseat. But, how does one efficiently set up a bookkeeping system?
Restaurant profit margin calculator How to lower restaurant costs How to increase restaurant sales Gross and net profit margins for restaurants In restaurants, profit margin is the percentage of revenue left over after expenses and costs are taken out. We all know it. Restaurant profit margins are pretty low.
For many restaurants, you have access to a loyalty program right through your point of sale system or digital platforms. Ultimately, youll increase the rate at which they dine with you, engage your customers, and increase your revenue. Points-Based Program Your customers earn points for each dollar they spend.
Access to Capital Remains a Challenge : 66 percent of operators anticipate needing additional funding in 2025, yet fewer than 12 percent have explored POS-based lending, despite its potential to provide faster, more flexible capital. On a year-over-year basis, small business sales (+2.1 Month-over-month sales (+0.1
We’re talkin sales totals, customer orders, kitchen prep times, even that feedback card someone scribbled on. We’re talkin sales totals, customer orders, kitchen prep times, even that feedback card someone scribbled on. This includes daily sales, popular meals, customer reviews, and even employee schedules.
This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features news of Drinksgiving and Thanksgiving trends, FSR challenges, and "out-of-the-box" dining habits. The annual report surveys 600 independent full-service restaurant (FSR) owners and operators from across the U.S.,
This can be done by calculating your restaurant’s food cost percentage and cost of each dish using reports and data that an integrated point-of-sale can provide. Keep things running smoothly by using an integrated point-of-sale system that allows you to do everything in one place. Offer Easy Online Ordering.
Businesses and restaurants can adopt this pricing model through a point-of-sale (POS) system, presenting both cash and card price. This same solution can be used in restaurants whether its fast food, dine-in or finedining. What is Dual Pricing? A perfect example of dual pricing is a gas station.
Many food and beverage establishments have seen success with technology — such as contactless options, automation to support changing workforces and innovative customer loyalty strategies — in their endeavors to meet the demand for safer and more convenient dining experiences. Gone are the days of cash-only transactions.
But restaurants face a fine balance in increasing costs, as customers are also impacted by the realities of inflation. Recent surveys are showing the vast majority of Americans have been cutting back on dining out. By using a POS system, customers, waiters and cashiers reduce their chances of errors when entering orders.
Running a successful, finely-tuned takeout operation is a complex and challenging endeavor no longer relegated to businesses basing their models primarily on delivery sales. While perhaps a consistent feature of your daily business, they are not your employees.
She previously spent three years as an executive recruiter for restaurants, and her recruitment experience varies from fast food chains to finedining, and for roles ranging front of house, back of house and management. She brings more than 17 years of human resources and talent acquisition expertise to her role.
Full-service restaurant, finedining. Fast casual, cafes, breweries, Percentage of sales. Points based. There's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to distributing tips among restaurant staff, but there are a few different methods that are commonly used. Find the full guide to restaurant tip outs here. Tip pooling.
Break-even point. Sales per labor hour. You can now determine what percentage this is off your overall sales to get a picture of your restaurant's financial health. For finedining, around 30 percent. Business is often a game of numbers, and restaurants are no exception. If it's not measured, it won't be managed.
Restaurants will adopt mobile-first hardware architectures and API-connected software platforms that can be unified at every digital touchpoint, from order taking at POS or self-service, to food prep in smart kitchens, to service in-house, and finally delivery to in-restaurant tables or the customer’s front door.
With the right technology in place, restaurants can tailor smaller menus to the on- and off-premise dining preferences of their customers while leveraging automated marketing promotions to make the most of their offerings. To mitigate these concerns, restaurants have gotten creative, looking for new cost-cutting measures.
QSRs Shift Focus from Slow-Paced Dining to Swift, Transactional Experiences Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) are reimagining their dining spaces to prioritize speed, convenience, and personalization over traditional, slow-paced dining experiences. An issue that may arise from this in 2024 is data privacy.
71 percent rely on delivery for 11 percent or more of sales. 33 percent rely on delivery for more than 20 percent of sales. 65 percent rely on mobile ordering for 11 percent or more of sales. 25 percent rely on mobile ordering for more than 20 percent of sales. 43 percent plan to add an outdoor on-site dining space. "What
This edition of Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine's Research Roundup features consumers' dining desires, the power of personalization and the untapped opportunity in localized marketing. COVID-19 Consumer Dining Trends. Mixed take-out bag. The US and UK also varied on how they wanted to retrieve take-out orders.
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