Best Restaurant Management System

What is Restaurant Management System?

The restaurant management system is a type of software designed for restaurants, bars, cafes, food trucks and others in the food service business. It helps to manage staff, billing and inventory.

Benefits of Restaurant Management System

1. Employee Schedules:

a) The salary and expenses related to employee training budgets can be tracked effectively.

b) Keeps tracking system accessible location-wise.

c) Employee timings are scheduled to keep them in tune with the restaurant requirements (like peak hours or festive season).

d) Reports are generated graphically too.

2. Managing Inventory and Restaurant Billing System:

a) Full access to menu items, ingredients, and stock purchases. The restaurant management system can be updated.

b) Accounts on food costs restaurant management software help in decision making.

c) Reduction in costs by tracking wastage and theft.

d) If the bar software has a recipe management feature, you can also control food costs down to the smallest ingredients.

3. Reports on Point of Sale:

a) Consolidating data and costs of different items and then having an overview of the full cost is really beneficial.

b) Coordinates the menu items (which are in more demand and which are less) and the stock items.

c) The best restaurant POS software helps generate reports that the restaurant management system can share with the relevant employees.

d)  Get alerts for cash shortages, discount rates, and overtime work hours.

Why Your Restaurant Needs an Online Restaurant Ordering Software?

There has been a huge increase in the popularity of restaurant management systems in India in the current era. Online Restaurant management systems come packed with tons of advantages that make them a compelling business asset. Here are some benefits of online restaurant software:

1. Track Sales Efficiently:

Restaurant software solutions are end-to-end comprehensive platforms restaurant management software capture all transactions such as orders, bills, payments, and expenses. Restaurant software helps to tabulate real-time sales data, enhances accuracy, and gives managers an accurate picture of the health of overall restaurant operations.

2. Anytime Data Accessibility:

Best restaurant management systems in India are cloud-hosted today. Thus, clicking a button enables complete access from any geographical location. Restaurant management software help staff members remain involved and hands-on even if they are not physically present at the restaurant premises. One of the biggest advantages of bar and restaurant software is that it enables quick, flexible, and agile data access, thereby enhancing business productivity.

3. Accurate Financial Statements:

Small restaurant software facilitates the speedy and accurate calculation of financial statements – a restaurant management system eliminates manual work, paperwork, and cumbersome, time-consuming processes. Restaurant costing software has the capability to sync sales data with CRM and inventory systems, thereby resulting in the consolidation of vital information in a unified repository. Investing in the best canteen management software also enables advanced data analytics, as a restaurant management system has the ability to display all key performance indicators. This ensures better managerial decisions for faster and more effective strategic goal achievement.

4. Cost-Effectiveness:

Online restaurant reservation software is a great tool that can lead to massive cost savings due to the automation of routine tasks.  Restaurant software solutions reduce the number of staff members, overheads, and miscellaneous expenses by streamlining business processes. A complete restaurant management system is ideal for small dining organizations or new restaurants as a restaurant management system can reduce variances and improve operational efficiency.

5. Superior Guest Experience:

Investing in restaurant management solutions is a smart way to provide a personalized experience to valued clients. Restaurant management system register systems store essential information such as contact details, address, order history, and transaction details to deliver a more satisfying service. Restaurant software also utilizes this data to develop impactful loyalty development programs and run better marketing campaigns.

Features of Restaurant Management System

Online restaurant management system differs according to the features that they provide. You should choose the ideal software according to your restaurant billing software needs and set up. To make your choice easier, we’re giving you a list of essential features you must consider.

1. Cost

Most of the best restaurant management software is available in an affordable range. However, the cost might become higher depending on the customized features the restaurant management system might require. Additional hardware costs related to tracking different aspects of restaurant software must also be kept in mind if needed. If the cost of personalized feature software appears prohibitively expensive, some open-source and free restaurant management software options are available. This is an excellent idea for businesses that are in their early stages.

2. Ordering

Most of the best restaurant management system takes up dine-in orders into the system. This software is an inbuilt feature of most software. However, nowadays, online and mobile-based orders are also fed into the system, and updates are sent to the restaurants.

3. Table Service

The restaurant management system is an essential feature that helps managers run the restaurant efficiently. Restaurant software can assign waiters, coordinate the table services, and even check for customers' requirements effectively.

4. Employee Management

Scheduling the staff shifts becomes easier at the click of a mouse. Since all the details are fed into the system, there is less chance of error

5. Social Media and Marketing

Restaurants can simultaneously attract customers through social media platforms and engage with them. Regular updates are given to restaurant (restaurant software) promotions, schemes or offers through Facebook, Twitter, blogs, text, and even emails.

6. Membership Cards and Gift Cards

Membership cards and gift cards can be an issue from the information fed into the system. Bills also can be adjusted according to the inputs of the gift card rates.

7. Reports

A small restaurant management system generates reports on different aspects of restaurant software, including sales, item stock, daily operations and management, and much more.

8. Streamlining Locations

The entire chain of restaurants at different locations can be coordinated from one software source. A restaurant management system allows restaurant owners to control operations at all locations and save time.

9. Store Management

Items that are stored/stocked and their inventory is updated for better running of the restaurant. The restaurant management system can also be purchased before upcoming promotions or festival times.

10. Accounts and Taxes

Order billings, staff salary and promotions, discounts and offers, taxes applicable on the bills, and all sorts of accounting work are managed on the best restaurant billing software. The accounts and taxation aspects of the restaurant software business can also be taken care of through the software.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Restaurant Management System

Before choosing a restaurant management system, one needs to take a close look at these critical features to make sure that you get the best restaurant system:

1. System Type:

It is important to choose the correct kind of restaurant reporting software. For example, your organization may opt for a core POS restaurant software instead of an end-to-end restaurant management system in India, as the restaurant management system all depends on your budget and module requirements. Restaurant management system to research the various kinds of bar management software and restaurant management software so that you may decide on the perfect match for your organization.

2. Deployment:

There are both on-premise restaurant management solutions and monthly subscription cloud-based restaurant delivery software tools. Both types of bar and restaurant management systems have their pros and cons, and most establishments are according to their budget. Cloud-based café restaurant software gives complete accessibility to restaurant operations remotely and hence is popular as one of the best restaurant management software.

3. Scalability:

If your restaurant has plans to expand or diversify operations to a larger scale in the future, make sure that your restaurant management system is highly scalable. Most restaurant software solutions have multi-branch add-ons, analytics, and integrated HR features that can handle a growing employee base along with functional requirements. Service vendors with enterprise plans for restaurant booking systems mostly guarantee scalability and allow you to purchase extra modules to upgrade restaurant software.

4. Offline Capability:

Restaurant management system majority of restaurant software operates through the cloud. Hence it can be accessed at any time. However, a big negative with these restaurant software tools is that if the internet crashes or gets disconnected, they stop working and hinder organizational momentum.

So restaurant management system is absolutely vital to ensure that your restaurant reservation system has an offline mode so that team members can continue working even without the internet – once the connection resumes, your small restaurant management system will automatically sync the changes so that the cloud-backed data remains secure.

5. Remote Tools:

In this digital age, choosing an online restaurant management system with remote handheld tools is important. These tools are automatically linked to the cashier, and restaurant kitchen; thus, they are great at saving time and energy and avoiding miscommunication. Remote tools keep menu costing software highly agile and flexible and reduce manual paperwork. The restaurant management software could lead to errors.

Restaurant software in India has come a long way, and there are a number of sophisticated offerings in the market. Take a close look at all crucial aspects before investing in your establishment's best restaurant management system.

Who Uses Restaurant Management System?

If you’re a tech-savvy bar and restaurant owner, you would’ve been halfway there figuring out how to use technology to supercharge your business. Though a restaurant management system might seem daunting, you can greatly enhance efficiency and productivity with the best restaurant software.

1. Online Presence:

Undoubtedly, the key ingredient in the recipe for attracting more customers today has a strong online presence.

You can use weapons to get attention and stay in the spotlight. Best hotel and restaurant software can link up with all the popular online platforms, and voila! You’re the talk of the town!  Let’s boil it down to the elements that constitute online presence.

2. Website:

I don’t think anyone would argue anymore about the importance of having a website for your business. Whatever the restaurant management system business you own, having a dedicated website has become the norm.

A good website for your restaurant business must have the following features:

• Appealing Photographs and Descriptions of the Menu

Having a wonderful gallery of mouthwatering dishes is definitely going to attract more customers without a doubt. Once a database for dishes is set up, the online restaurant management software can update the online menu on your website automatically as soon as you tell them what you got in the store.

• Online Ordering and Table Bookings

Most customers prefer tables, views, or places while enjoying their delicious food. But most of the time, they have to put up with whatever space is available. And I don’t think anybody has to explain the frustration of waiting for food at the expense of missing an important meeting.

Here's a list of the best order management software for businesses. This is where the best restaurant management software and a dedicated website becomes the most useful. Restaurant software can configure customers to order their favourite food in advance (and pay for it) and book their tables. A live update for the available tables can be a great feature too.

• Online Feedback Space

This feature can be great for knowing how your customers feel and promoting your business. The restaurant management system is probably the most powerful strategic planning tip for restaurant owners and managers you can use since all of us have been accustomed to making our decision based on other people’s experiences. And evidently, the better feedback you get, the more customers you’ll attract. 

Though unethical, you can moderate the feedback or pay people to write them. But restaurant management systems might backfire on platforms where people can openly interact, such as forums and social media.

3. Social Media and CRM

Now restaurant management software, we’ve mentioned social media platforms, Twitter and Facebook, are your best bet to reach the potential masses. The first step would be to set up a good Twitter profile and a Facebook fan page. Then link them up with the online restaurant management system to handle it.

The restaurant management system can now update you on what’s on their mind. A restaurant management system can very well track their engagements and reach-insights.

You can also set up options for your customers to sign-up for your site’s newsletter via Facebook, Google+, or Twitter to comment on dishes and leave feedback. With help of this restaurant software, you can display a restaurant management system on your social media pages automatically.

This restaurant management system also allows you to implement marketing strategies such as launching campaigns, special offers, discounts, loyalty programs, and much more in just a few clicks. Restaurant software is more effective than dropping fliers all over the city from a glider plane!

You can even set up a room for people to interact with the chefs and convey their suggestions. The restaurant management system can be a lifesaver if your customer isn’t satisfied with the food!

4. Mobile Application

A restaurant management system might seem too much but launching a Mobile Application dedicated to your restaurant is as close as you can get to drawing your customers’ attention. The Hotel restaurant billing software can be configured to deliver special dishes, discounts, custom offers, and whatnot daily.

And ordering food can never get easier. Delivering special offers to customers who use your application can be more rewarding in the long run. The restaurant management system ensures you always stay in the spotlight and people always consider your restaurant whenever there’s a plan to eat out.

5. Restaurant Listings Sites

Considering restaurant management software today, everybody lives on somebody’s top 10 lists; it’s probably one of the best ideas to get in touch with popular restaurant listing sites. Need a tip? Google “Best restaurants in … (Your Locality)”. If you’re up in those lists by the sites, great job! If you’re not, we got some work to do! Contact them, get them updated about your restaurant, and make provisions for them to list the dishes from your website. A restaurant management system will ensure that the customers’ attention is ‘directed’ towards your restaurant as much as possible!

Sites like Food Panda are effective in the restaurant software department, especially if your restaurant offers home delivery.

The restaurant software can also track all the transactions and take care of your promised commissions. A restaurant management system is also an effective way to track how many leads those sites generate for you.

6. Interfacing With the Generic Restaurant POS Terminal

The online restaurant management software is designed to integrate with a fully functional POS system depending on your needs.

With the best software and required hardware, you can achieve perfectly tallied and organized:

a) Card Transactions (Debit/Credit Swipes)

b) Internet Banking (Direct transactions or via certain wallet apps)

c) Near Field Communication (NFC) Transactions

d) Cash (it’s obvious, but it can also link up with a cash register!)

e) Redemption of Loyalty points, Gift Cards, Coupons, etc. (if applicable)

The restaurant management system can organize your orders, track all the payments, provide insights, point out customer patterns, indicate the influencing variables, correlate with CRM software, and much more!

7. Inventory Management

Whether you run a small restaurant or a chain of multiple restaurants, inventory management is as important as the quality of food delivered.

The best restaurant software solutions or restaurant billing software can take care of this department effectively and efficiently. The restaurant management system monitors the real-time status of the orders and thus the inventory depletion, predicting the approximate exhaustion time in advance.

The restaurant software can also consider the degree of perishability as a deciding variable. The restaurant management software can be configured to notify you, send texts/emails to your regular vendors, or even purchase directly after comparing prices and delivery times from various online vendors!

The online restaurant software logs and displays the most accurate insights into all your expenses and income. You’ll probably no longer miss a penny unaccounted for and have perfect control over your money flow.

Though restaurant management software has nothing to do with customer attraction directly, the restaurant management system can ensure your regular customer will never miss his favourite sandwich just because you forgot to buy the salmon!

Restaurant Software that Offers B2B Solutions

Restaurant management systems are many innovative and feature-rich software in India. Restaurants, hotels, and inns need to scan the market, check out the viability of restaurant software tools available, and invest in the best restaurant management software. Here are some popular online restaurant software platforms that offer professional B2B services:

1. HDRestaurant

This advanced best restaurant management system with a core POS platform is an ideal choice for cafes, fast food joints, hotels, coffee shops, and pubs. HDRestaurant is one of the best restaurant software tools in the market today and is popular due to its visual interface, robust features, and mobile accessibility. HDRestaurant is a holistic café restaurant software that can boost productivity parameters from table management to billing and inventory management.

2. SlickPOS

This cloud-based easy-to-use restaurant software is a dynamic package integrated with numerous top-class features. SlickPOS has a mobile feedback app for instant real-time data updates and handles various functions such as inventory, CRM, and table management. It is a modern restaurant management system that boasts end-to-end functionalities and sophisticated data analysis reporting options.

3. Torqus POS

Torque POS is a multi-faceted bar and restaurant software that gives managers a complete overview of daily operations such as inventory, kitchen orders, reservations, billing, and delivery status. The restaurant management system is one of the best café management systems that streamline tasks and ensure structured billing operations. Torque POS is smart as a restaurant management system gathers restaurant data and integrates with existing systems to provide an overall restaurant solution.

4. MargERP9+ Restaurant Software

A widely popular restaurant costing software, Marg billing software can handle all the GST transactions and filing of tax returns. The restaurant management system is a powerful restaurant automation system that specializes in managing all bookkeeping, accounting, and financial aspects of a dining establishment.  Marg billing software is cost-effective, provides a high return on investment, and is customizable to save businesses time, money, and effort.

5. Hotelline PMS

This novel restaurant management system tool is useful for many hospitality institutions such as hotels, pubs, inns, food trucks, and restaurants. Restaurant software is a cloud-hosted system that unifies data to give better managerial insights on inventory control, billing, table management, and food orders. Hotelline PMS is among the best restaurant solutions, powered by state-of-the-art technology and drives operational efficiency to the highest possible levels.

Many credible restaurant management software vendors are providing tailor-made systems in India. Choose from the top players in the field to benefit from a collaborative restaurant management system that can enhance your organization’s bottom-line results and give you a strong competitive edge in the market.

Types of Restaurant Management Systems

Restaurants have a number of complex and interconnected operations. Restaurant management systems have to be managed seamlessly for commercial success. Restaurant software is the current trend, as most dining establishments utilize their services for better efficiency and customer retention.

There are many types of restaurant software in India, and it is essential for organizations to scan the market before investing in the best restaurant software. Here are some various top restaurant software systems:

1. Front of House Solutions:

This restaurant management system includes all those various systems that a hotel or restaurant guest may observe or interact with. The main objective of the front-of-house restaurant marketing software is to provide a holistic and superior customer experience. Restaurant management software caters to diverse requirements. Most fronts-of-house online restaurant software includes specialized modules that handle point of sale, table management, and guest reservations.

2. Back of House Solutions:

There are tailor-made back-of-house bar and restaurant software that manage all retail and manufacturing operations, such as calculating raw materials and labor requirements. These small restaurant management systems handle inventory, ordering, food scheduling, and labour management so that there are higher output and productivity.

3. POS Platforms:

POS systems are the most common of all small restaurant software platforms as they focus on capitalizing the sales and improving the diner experience to the maximum. Small restaurant management POS systems are unique as they have a core POS software module and allow for smooth integrations with third parties for other functions such as inventory control, financial software tools, payroll packages, and other vital business systems.

4. End-to-End Systems:

Various online restaurant management systems are holistic end-to-end service providers. This restaurant management software is a robust restaurant automation system that handles all the activities involved in a dining establishment – inventory control, table management, customer loyalty, taxation, compliance, and CRM modules.

The best restaurant system may allow you to match and choose particular features or modules that the restaurant system is required by your restaurant, thereby customizing the restaurant system to a large extent.

Restaurant management software has no hard and fast rule based on which restaurant booking systems are classified. Most organizations check out the features, support, and pricing before identifying a complete restaurant solution that works for their restaurant business model.

How Restaurant Management Software Works?

Here are some processes of restaurant management software that help them work smoothly:

1. POS Hardware

A good restaurant reporting software needs effective POS hardware as a restaurant management system is the backbone of all operations and one of the vital requirements for the restaurant management system. Restaurant system solutions consist of physical hardware components such as a computer terminal, card reader, printing machine, and cash drawer. The hardware serves as the body of an online restaurant management system, and the remaining restaurant management software can be purchased according to requirements.

2. Employee Calendar

Most restaurant management systems in India have an employee scheduler allowing managers to plan activities, tasks, and upcoming events. The calendar in restaurant register systems clearly displays the taken and available duty/time slots, whereas a self-managed portal allows employees to choose their own shifts. The scheduler of your restaurant software system can also be linked to a payroll or time-tracking module for efficient attendance and pay calculation.

3. Restaurant Loyalty Program

The best café management software tools are equipped with gift cards and loyalty programs to retain long-term clients. The restaurant management system can automatically scan or swipe gift cards and deposit loyalty points to regular clients, giving them the incentive to become regular at your restaurant. Restaurant software can also be linked to CRM platforms to gain better marketing insights and capture important customer information to provide personalized service.

4. Payment Processing

A café restaurant software system is usually compatible with multiple payment processors or gateways, allowing customers to pay in multiple means other than cash. Restaurant management systems enable clients to utilize handheld devices or scanners to capture their financial information, store restaurant management software securely for future transactions, and result in speedy billing transactions.

5. Reservations System

Bar and restaurant software facilitates clients to reserve tables and even place orders before physically arriving at the restaurant. Most restaurant management system in India allows customers to book online through websites or a customized app. Hence, restaurant analytics software prevents overbooking and expedites speedy superior service for loyal guests.

The Bottom-Line

At the moment, you may be limited by your location on the map or the size of your business; hence, you may feel it isn’t so important to have a Restaurant Management system. But since no part of the world is isolated anymore, all thanks to the Internet, the sooner you implement a restaurant management system, the better your chances to accumulate and attract more customers.  The price of the implementation is usually a tiny fraction of the profit and efficiency it delivers.

In the long run, implementing Restaurant Management Software is inevitable, either forced by the need to survive the competition or the time the restaurant management system takes to handle everything manually. I will leave you to answer the question, “When will you?”

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