Bar and Restaurant Management System
Whether it's time to take a customer's payment or manage inventory, having a bar and restaurant management system brings efficiency, speed, and more profit para o seu estabelecimento.
However, since the market today has a whole range of solutions and different types of tools, choosing which one to use can become a big challenge.
But relax! You don't have to miss out on this technology, because in this article we're going to explain what these systems are, how they work, what benefits they bring, and how to find the perfect one for your bar or restaurant. Check it out!
How to choose the best restaurant system?
What is a bar and restaurant management system
Often also called an ERP, a bar and restaurant management system is a management and automation tool that helps manage every department, activity, and process in an establishment — at least that's what the best solutions offer.
They let you, for example, manage in a single tool:
- PDV
- inventory
- Online menu
- production in the kitchen/at the bar
- order entry by the service staff
- and much more.
In other words, instead of having a system for each of these activities, you can have just one that centralizes the information, automates tasks and speeds up various processes both in production itself and in managing the business.
Generally, this type of solution operates on a subscription model, also known by the English acronym SaaS (Software as a Service). With it, you sign up for the service and pay on a monthly recurring basis.
This way, you can use the software on computers, tablets, self-service kiosks, smartphones, and other devices. In addition, in some cases the hardware is included as well.
What this type of system can do
With this type of system, your restaurant can count on a range of benefits that help Automate tasks, speed up service e maximize profits while they reduz custos.
See below the main advantages that a bar and restaurant management system offers your establishment.
Automate tasks
With a modern system, you can speed up service and automate a whole range of tasks and processes — that way, your team gains valuable time and your customers have a more pleasant experience.
For example, when a waiter takes an order, they can, through a mobile device, send it digitally straight to the kitchen or bar, without having to walk over there. As a result, you can serve many more people in less time and speed up the preparation of dishes and drinks.
Another example of how a bar and restaurant management system can improve your life: when you record the preparation of a recipe or drink, the system automatically deducts the ingredients from inventory.
Reduce waste
Speaking of inventory, this type of tool helps optimize its control a great deal. Thanks to the automation you saw earlier, it's updated by the system itself after a sale, which prevents human errors and strengthens control over raw materials.
This way, you get a truer reading of how your bar or restaurant's inventory stands, without having to make estimates or guesses to know whether or not you should buy a certain item.
In addition, integration with inventory reduces the chances of theft or inventory shrinkage.
digital menu
A good business automation and management tool focused on restaurants and bars needs a trivial but very important feature: the digital menu.
This feature makes your customers' lives much easier, since they can order right from their tables using only their smartphone.
And the advantages don't stop there, because with an electronic menu you also avoid printing costs and you can even update items and prices at any time easily and quickly.
This helps you test new menu combinations, take advantage of seasonal dates, and run promotions independently and cheaply.
Self-service and payment
Together with the digital menu, interacting with your customers through the integration between the management system and smartphones and tablets brings other advantages: self-service and payment without any lines.
Using their phone, a customer opens the digital menu, places their order, and creates a digital tab without having to talk to anyone. That gives them more independence and gives your service team more time to focus on other activities.
The same can happen even when it's time to pay. Using digital methods — such as credit or Pix —, a customer can close their digital tab and pay using only their smartphone, without facing lines (which, again, improves their experience).
You, on the other hand, receive the money instantly — in the case of Pix — can reduce the number of points of sale and staff working at them, and can even save on POS (the card machines). And the best part: all of this through the app used by customers.
Integrate card machines and your POS
But of course, that doesn't mean you're going to give up the well-known card machines entirely. And a good bar and restaurant management system needs to take that into account by integrating the POS terminals with your PDV.
Automating that connection and integrating, simply and quickly, the transactions carried out on the card machines with the financial data that matters to your POS.
So, the system also prevents user errors and ensures that no sale ends up getting lost in the cash flow.
Access closeout and productivity reports
And when it's time to analyze your operation and see how sales went, you can access reports on cash register closeouts and on each employee's productivity.
This is one more security mechanism that lets you spot errors and unusual transactions in the registers' operation, and also analyze which member of your team is performing well and who needs some help.
View relevant operational data
Not just the POS, but your entire operation can provide relevant data that becomes essential information for your business to keep gaining speed and profitability.
Through a bar and restaurant management system, you can find out which dishes/drinks are the most popular, understand your customer profile based on demographic data, discover your busiest hours, among other analyses.
Tips for choosing the best system for your needs
With all these benefits, you've probably already realized that you can't go without a bar and restaurant management system. But then another question comes up: after all, how do you choose the best one for your establishment?
The answer may not be the one you'd like, but it's the most accurate one — there's no magic formula for choosing which tool to adopt. It takes a lot of analysis, planning, and market research to find the system of your dreams.
But of course we're going to give you a little help with that task. There are a few steps that help you wisely choose your new management and automation solution. Check them out below!
Analyze your infrastructure
First of all, know what you have to work with. Por exemplo, se seu empreendimento não tem uma grande infraestrutura de TI, o melhor é contar com um sistema que funcione na nuvem, de forma online.
Also, know how many points of sale, POS terminals, company smartphones/tablets, self-service kiosks, delivery services, and other devices and resources you have that will need to be integrated with this system. Then prioritize the one that handles that integration efficiently and securely.
Define which features are essential for your needs
After understanding what infrastructure you have available, it's time to define what you're really looking for.
Think about your bar/restaurant's entire operation today, how you'd like it to be in the future, and the experience you want to deliver to your customers.
For example, is offering a digital menu and self-service something relevant to your business or not? Do you struggle to control your inventory and close out the register at the end of the day — and would you like to put an end to that? Have you had bad experiences with suppliers in the past and now prioritize partners that provide quality support?
As you've already seen, there's no ready-made formula or predefined list of what to consider at this point. Every business has its own reality and you need to look for the bar and restaurant management system that best fits yours.
Assess how your team will use the system
Finally, also take into account your staff's profile.
Are they people with an aptitude for working with new technologies, or will training be necessary? Are they already familiar with smartphones and tablets, or will they need to learn how to use the devices?
Not paying attention to these points can lead you to choose a system vendor that ends up delaying the solution's implementation and even causes friction while your team uses the tool.
To avoid that, look for companies that offer initial support and that help, if necessary, with training and upskilling.
Learn more about management and automation for bars and restaurants
Want to know more about management and commercial automation and everything it can offer your establishment?
Then check out this blog post on how a management system can help automate restaurants and cut costs and, of course, keep following our updates here on the EPOC blog!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bar and restaurant management system?
Often also called an ERP, a bar and restaurant management system is a management and automation tool that helps manage every department, activity, and process in an establishment.What can a bar and restaurant management system do?
It can automate tasks, speed up service, and maximize profits while cutting costs. It lets you:– Automate tasks;
– Reduce waste;
– Create a digital menu;
– Enable self-service and online payment;
– Integrate card machines and your POS;
– Create reports on the operation.
How do you choose the best bar and restaurant system?
– Analyze your infrastructure;– Define which features are essential for your needs;
– Assess how your team will use the system.
