Module 9 - Restaurant Systems

Module 9Restaurant Systems : 

Module 9Restaurant Systems Sri Beldona, Ph.D. HRIM 140 Information Technology in Services Management

The Nature of the Restaurant Business : 

The Nature of the Restaurant Business From a customer perspective Can be experiential Convenience Sometimes personalized Efficiency is key From an operational perspective Control (costs, timelines, inventory etc.) Labor control and training

Three Typical Operational Types : 

Three Typical Operational Types Small Independent Restaurants: Choose systems based on short term outlook (3 years or less). Commodity POS systems that are inexpensive and easy to learn and operate. Large, Chain oriented: Longer-term outlook. Efficiency is key. Need to integrate with labor management, time and attendance (T&A), accounting and procurement. Hotel Based F&B operations: Lateral integration with other services in hotel.

Point of Sale Systems : 

Point of Sale Systems The core system of operation in a restaurant Facilitate service delivery Order taking kitchen order printing check settlements (splits and transfers)

POS System Enhancements : 

POS System Enhancements Signature capture Integration of F&B and retail Credit card settlements Ingredient analysis Pre-ordering Integration with PMS

Handhelds : 

Handhelds PDA like portable devices Simple interfaces and ease of use important Flexibility Can have signature capture, credit card swipes and a small printer Best suited for environments where space and movement is a constraint (stadiums etc.)

Tablets, E-Menus & Management Alerts : 

Tablets, E-Menus & Management Alerts Tablets: Heavy for restaurant use by waiters. Can be used by customers for wine-lists, ingredient information E-menus: Also see Microsoft Surface PDA based management alerts

Reservations : 

Reservations For chains -including availability checking across multiple outlets within the same operation, making multiple table reservations for groups, and transferring reservations from one outlet to another. Intermediary Based: Guests can book over the Internet which is a positive for both. Should feed into a table management system

Table Management : 

Table Management Manages the service delivery process meal progress, wait time forecasts Helps manage table turnove Wall-mounted wait-list displays Integration with reservations helps better service guest need Monitor service times on each table

Kitchen Monitors : 

Kitchen Monitors Replacing order printers in table service outlets Monitor order status data Visible from central location Enables real time control

Internet : 

Internet Online ordering systems Delivery based, curb-side to go, etc. Wireless Internet Access for customers Intranets: For training, knowledge sharing, discussion forums, operation manuals etc. Websites for restaurants for customers to access

Inventory & Purchasing : 

Inventory & Purchasing Critical aspect of restaurant operations Cost control in terms of procurement costs, shelf life and portion control Typically not integrated with POS Procurement moving into a RFID (radio Frequency Identification) based one If integrated with other systems, better overall control

Labor Management : 

Labor Management Time Office functions Payroll Hiring management Labor forecasting Even tracking employee performance in some cases Preferably centralized in the case of chain based operations