This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
For years, restaurant technology has been about speed and efficiency—faster orders, better scheduling, streamlined payments. At major chains like McDonald's, AI-powered drive-through systems are reducing order errors, predicting maintenance needs, and cutting waste. Contactless ordering and AI powered recommendations.
Minimizing Menu Price Increases : Just because diners are still eating out and ordering in, does not mean they are happy about higher menu prices. Restaurant operators should limit significant menu price increases, explore value menus when possible, and avoid implementing any sneaky service charges.
But it goes beyond figuring out how to source the freshest ingredients at the best price. Extreme Weather: By 2035, experts predict that higher temperatures alone will push up worldwide food prices by between 0.9 Review inventory management strategies Inventory isn't just a stockpile of ingredients. percent annually.
Taking inventory is one of the most tedious processes in restaurant operations. Chefs spend countless hours counting inventory, purchasing new ingredients, and tracking down more cost-effective substitutions for products that are either cancelled or out of stock. Recipe Costing. Prevent Shortages.
Accurate inventory management is crucial to running a successful business because it directly impacts a company’s bottom line and is key to maximizing profits. Having an accurate handle on inventory enables a business to become more resilient and know what they can sell and when they can sell it, helping mitigate out-of-stock scenarios.
Steady Online Ordering Brings Food Waste, Donations to the Forefront of Priorities Ordering food online increases restaurant sales, but it also can potentially increase wasted food if proactive measures aren’t taken – for both the business and consumers at home. This speeds up order processing and streamlines operations.
The data to analyze with food is the following: food sales, food costs, sales mixture, food inventory, cost of goods sold, menu pricing, invoice reviews for accuracy of pricing, stock on hand, beginning and end of day protein counts, and daily sold items. They have to price it on the menu and add it to the inventory.
At the same time, a rise in fast-food prices driven by inflation is reshaping consumer behavior, with many customers now treating fast food as a splurge rather than a convenience. AI moves from nice-to-have to must-have Many QSRs experimented with AI-driven solutions in 2024, such as in-app chatbots and personalized order recommendations.
In order to meet this massive shortfall, restaurants have had to up the ante on their recruitment drives. Some establishments are trying to pass on these costs to customers by increasing their prices, causing disgruntlement among their long-standing patrons. Self-Ordering Kiosks to the Rescue. Added Benefits to Boost Business.
These systems can understand various accents and dialects, process orders accurately, and even upsell menu items based on customer preferences. Inside restaurants, AI is powering self-ordering kiosks and chatbots, streamlining the ordering process and reducing human error. One of the most impactful areas is inventory management.
based diners who recently ordered from a QSR, fast-food or fast-casual chai also found that value is about more than just price. Diners are looking for a better overall experience, from streamlined ordering to more inviting restaurant environments. The survey of 1,500 U.S.-based
Inefficient restaurant inventory management practices, improper storage, gaps in inventory logs, theft, and waste can cause even the most successful kitchens to struggle or fail. Below are the top seven inventory management mistakes restaurants are making, and how to correct them.
Understanding what customers order, when they order, and how often is an untapped goldmine of information for restaurant operators. Using that data can help you answer questions like: Are we pricing our bestsellers too low or overpricing items customers arent buying? What do repeat orders say about our customer preferences?
If you’ve taken a look at Grubhub’s app lately, you may have noticed an immense amount of new restaurants available for online ordering. After all, the delivery giant more than doubled what they call their “restaurant inventory” in the past quarter. Because of this, both consumers and restaurateurs pay the price.
Instead, we’re leveraging better forecasting, stronger vendor relationships, and a culture of accountability that helps our teams feel empowered and in control of what happens in their kitchens We are managing costs by leveraging technology and staying hyper-focused on four key pillars: forecasting, ordering, prep, and scheduling.
Consider two worst-case scenarios: A customer orders extra guacamole but your restaurant is all out of avocados or, on the other hand, you've just walked past a crate of rotten, unusable (and expensive!) You'll also be less likely to order too much of any ingredient, which leads to food waste. Inventory Basics. Best Practices.
A Dilemma of “Super Size” Proportions Amid rising food prices and shifting consumer preferences, the restaurant industry is facing a dilemma of “super size” proportions. percent menu-price inflation rate. Customers can become more critical of the quality of products and services when prices increase.
Customers on average will order more menu items, resulting in a larger bill for the restaurant and a larger tip for the employee. Especially with buyers juggling 300+ ingredients each week, it can be difficult to stay on top of deals and prices. Luckily for restaurant managers, several tech solutions exist to cure this headache.
It just goes to show how important drink pricing and cost management are to maximizing profits. Once you have that total, subtract all of your costs, such as labor, inventory, rent, utilities, and other operating expenses. Bars that effectively manage their inventory and reduce waste tend to maintain higher margins.
It’s like knowing how to make a schedule, do inventory, or cover a section of tables if a server calls out sick and you’re shorthanded. Knowing the true cost per serving means you’re not guessing where to set menu prices. Every smart pricing move starts here. Accuracy matters, especially when food prices fluctuate.
It is a particularly challenging time, to be sure, and the ever-shifting landscape demands agility of restaurant operators who must adapt to the changes in order to maintain their margins. The key is to make the right decisions around inventory and pricing at the right times—and having the right technology can make all the difference.
As more restaurants turn to automation, self-order kiosks are becoming a must-have for improving speed, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. But before making the switch, one key question stands out—what is the actual self-order kiosk price in 2025? What Is a self-order kiosk? Self-order kiosks can range in size and use.
Every day, youre juggling staff, food quality, inventory, customer service, purchasing, and moreall while trying to cultivate a dining experience that wows your customers enough to keep them coming back. This means budgeting, tracking expenses like food and labor, and adjusting pricing to balance profitability with customer appeal.
Is online ordering inefficient? Experiencing over-ordering or last-minute shortages? Experiencing over-ordering or last-minute shortages? An inventory management system with automated restocking alerts keeps your stock levels in check. Are labor costs too high? Do you lose money due to food waste? Set clear goals.
Start by gathering two key data points for each menu item: Items Popularity: How often guests order it Contribution Margin: How much profit it brings in To do this, youll need to access your sales data and your food cost for each dish. These are candidates for portion adjustments or pricing tweaks. Hidden gems with potential.
These metrics give you a clear picture of your delivery performancefrom order volume and customer retention to delivery speed and profitability. Order Acceptance Time Order acceptance time measures how long it takes for a restaurant to acknowledge and confirm an online order.
And no, increasing restaurant sales doesn’t mean turning your restaurant staff into pushy upsellers trying to squeeze a few extra dollars out of every order. Create Limited-Time Offers That Drive Action Limited-time offers (LTOs) give potential customers a reason to order now, not later.
In order to reduce cost, waste, and optimize inventory, the process begins with planning and forecasting. That includes being able to analyze data on top-performing menu items down to the ingredient level, supplier performance, prime cost, and peak demand times by ordering channel. Planning and Forecasting.
Adapt to Growing Price Fatigue Since the pandemic, controlling food costs has been a major challenge for restaurant operators. When prices for staple ingredients like chicken rose dramatically in 2023, restaurant operators were forced to increase their prices. Full-service menu prices climbed 4.5
Operators would see increased prices in their supply chain, resulting in rising costs to their guests as well. Hoteliers and restaurant operators are increasingly demanding POS systems that seamlessly connect with CRM, loyalty programs, reservation systems, inventory management, and payroll.
Diners want the convenience of ordering, booking, and engaging with their favorite restaurants straight from their phones. Beyond mobile ordering, restaurant apps support operations in ways that were never available before. Online ordering and delivery apps. Inventory and supply chain apps.
Within a decade, it could be possible for an individual to approach a drive-through in an autonomous vehicle, order through an AI-powered voice ordering assistant, and eat food that was prepared by robots. Voice Ordering. But this technology has even more applications than just ordering on guests' personal devices.
Why should you and your staff spend hours counting inventory, auditing invoices, and combing through contracts? Nobody has time for that when there is a crowded dining room, to-go orders flying out the window and customers complaining about their favorite menu items going up in price. Partner with Supply Chain Experts.
Every online order, email sign up, and reward program interaction generates valuable insightsbut if that data just sits there, youre missing a major opportunity. Think about it: What if you could automatically send a special offer to a customer who hasnt ordered in a while? Or adjust your staffing schedule based on peak ordering times?
When you decided to open a restaurant, you probably didnt picture yourself glued to spreadsheets or tracking the price of eggs, but keeping an eye on the numbers is how you stay open year after year. This gives you a sense of how effective your menu pricing is.
Integrating mobile inventory systems with POS platforms simplifies restaurant operations by automating inventory updates, reducing errors, and providing real-time insights. Here’s what you need to know: Benefits : Real-time stock updates, improved accuracy, and smarter inventory planning.
Financial restaurant KPIs give you visibility into your costs, pricing, and ultimately, your profitability. Monitoring your COGS helps you spot food waste, theft, over-ordering, or supplier price hikes before they eat into your gross profit margin. Most restaurants aim for a Net Profit Margin around the 3%-9% range.
Despite challenges including inventory costs, commission fees and staff turnover, many restaurant owners are expressing optimism about moving forward, according to TouchBistro’s 2024 State of Restaurants Report. What can restaurant operators do to better handle inventory and labor challenges?
Running a restaurant is tough, and poor inventory management can make it even harder. That’s where POS inventory tools step in to help. Key Ways POS Systems Save Restaurants Money: Real-Time Tracking : Automatically updates stock levels as orders are placed, reducing waste and preventing stockouts.
Every order placed at a kiosk generates valuable data, allowing restaurants to better understand customer preferences, forecast demand, and optimize menu offerings. Printed menus can quickly become outdated, forcing restaurants to reprint every time a seasonal dish is introduced or prices change. One of those tools?
Keep Inventory Low If restaurant sales are not covering expenses or if the business has extra inventory in walk-in or dry storage that just isn’t moving, it’s a good time to start trimming back inventory. Careful forecasting can help improve order accuracy and reduce waste.
Additional findings inlcude increased inventory costs caused the greatest financial strain for operators in 2021 with 33 percent citing it as their top expense, followed closely by rent (30 percent) and labor (30 percent). . In most cases, new menu offerings involved adding takeout and delivery options.
It allows AI to understand and respond to human language, which is how virtual assistants can answer customer questions or take online orders. These botsoften built into your website or online ordering platformcan handle tasks like: Taking reservations Answering FAQs (Are you open on Mondays?)
Managing food costs is a growing challenge for restaurants as ingredient prices fluctuate and margins shrink. Real-Time Inventory Tracking offers a powerful solution by giving operators instant visibility into whats in stock, whats being used, and what needs to be reordered.
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 49,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content