Restaurant Software: How to Choose the Best

A restaurant's routine is full of tasks, processes and details that, together, make the difference between success and failure. And to make sure everything goes well, it's important to have technology as an ally – more specifically, restaurant software.

Below you'll see what a restaurant program can do for your business and also which solution is ideal.

What is restaurant software?

Any system used in the operation can be considered restaurant software. In other words: there isn't actually a single restaurant software, but rather a wide variety of them, each designed for a specific need or area of the business.

For example, you can have a program that works at the register, another to update inventory, one to organize administrative processes, among others.

These tools can be either complete and complex or simpler, more targeted programs. There are ones installed on desktop computers, others that run on mobile devices and still others that are more specific (such as totens de autoatendimento).

What are the features of restaurant software?

As you've already noticed, there are as many different restaurant software options as there are different types of restaurants themselves. Below you'll learn more about some of the main systems used in this type of business.

PDV

Also known as Point of Sale, the PDV is the software used to run the restaurant's sales. Através dessa ferramenta, os clientes pagam, o restaurante registra as vendas no sistema e realiza os processos ligados a elas (emissão de notas fiscais, baixa no estoque, entre outros).

The POS can be fixed, installed on a desktop computer, or mobile, installed on portable devices like smartphones and tablets.

Controle de estoque

Just as important as organizing your finances and knowing exactly how many sales are being made (and at what amounts) is keeping a close eye on the flow of your inventory. That way, you don't hurt your operation from a lack of some ingredient, nor end up with items stuck in inventory.

Instead of doing this with a simple spreadsheet or, worse still, the old pen and paper, it's more efficient to use a restaurant software suited for inventory control. Ele integra esses dados para alertar quando algum insumo fica acima ou abaixo do nível definido como correto, e ainda pode se conectar com o PDV e o KDS (Kitchen Display System, que é uma sigla em inglês que significa Sistema Visualizador para a Cozinha) para ser atualizado sempre que uma venda é realizada.

That way, you'll never again have the headache of dealing with stockouts, since this updating and control happens practically in real time as the restaurant goes about its activities.

Order preparation management

Speaking of KDS, which. In other words: it's a restaurant software that connects the tab and/or POS to the kitchen making an order be transmitted automatically.

Leia também: KDS monitor: 7 reasons to adopt one in your restaurant or bar

In practice, this means that as soon as an order is entered on the electronic tab (see more about it just below), it's already displayed on a monitor in the kitchen.

That way, preparation starts almost immediately, without the server having to walk to the kitchen or write anything down.

This means more speed and effectiveness in service and preparation, which gets faster and also eliminates the possibility of human error and mistakes. With the KDS, there's no way to lose a tab or fail to read the handwriting on an order, for example.

Electronic menu and tab

The tabs and electronic menus make service faster and easier, while at the same time reducing your team's workload and also giving customers autonomy.

These solutions connect to each other to let customers view the menu (on their smartphones or on the business's devices) and place their orders without having to talk to anyone or wait in line.

What's more, with the tab, customers can even pay their bill autonomously and online (including splitting the amounts in the case of a table with several people) in a few seconds and securely.

That way, the tools become great allies for anyone looking to cut costs and provide self-service for their audience.

ERP

ERP is an acronym for “Enterprise Resource Planning”, which means planning a company's resources. In other words, it's a restaurant software that manages every process, resource and area of a restaurant.

It's divided into modules, and that way it can integrate information and resources from different areas of the business. Among these areas can be POS, inventory, finance, CRM, administration, among others.

What are the benefits of a restaurant program?

And in practice, beyond optimizing your restaurant's operation, how can this software help your business reach a new level? That's exactly what you'll find out next.

Increase sales

By improving the customer experience, speeding up service and making ordering and paying easier, you make sure your current customers keep coming back and also win new customers. 

What's more, self-service makes consumers more comfortable consuming more, which also helps your sales.

Cutting costs

When you bring restaurant programs into your operation, one of the most immediate benefits is cost reduction. By controlling inventory and dish production more efficiently, you avoid wasting supplies.

By automating the register, you eliminate errors (and possible fraud) in financial management. And with self-service, you can reduce your investment in service staff, optimizing your team.

Optimize the operation

Finally, a benefit that is a consequence – actually, a sum – of all the others. With restaurant software or, better still, a combination of several of them, your entire operation becomes more efficient, faster and more profitable.

What is the best restaurant software?

As you've already discovered, there's a wide variety of restaurant programs that optimize various areas of the business. For that very reason, there isn't just one software that's best and that must be used at the expense of the others.

Actually, the right approach is to take advantage of each one of these tools and so improve your restaurant as a whole, from the POS to the inventory. But, of course, that can also present a challenge: how do you manage so many software programs without losing efficiency or creating too many processes and tasks?

The good news is that there's a way to get all the advantages of the various restaurant software options without having to deal with any of these problems; just use a control and management system like EPOC. With it you can bring together POS, ERP, KDS, inventory management, digital menu, online tab and much more with just one solution.

What's more, with EPOC you also get reports that bring you the data from your operation and your customers, ideal for informing more strategic and efficient decisions to boost your restaurant's profitability.
To see how this works in practice, Talk to one of our specialists with no obligation!