In the last few years, management automation has become as important a component of the restaurant business as, say, design, concept, or marketing strategy.

In the last few years, management automation has become as important a component of the restaurant business as, say, design, concept, or marketing strategy.

A management automation system, as a software and hardware complex, consists of a computer program and specialized equipment. Using the system, you can significantly simplify and speed up the work of staff in the establishment, as well as optimize production and business processes. This is approximately the definition of the system given by specialists. Essentially, it is a tool, not much more complicated than a screwdriver, the effectiveness of which directly depends on the management of the establishment and the professionalism of the consultants installing the system. Therefore, the preliminary stages of preparation for implementation and selection of a consulting company are the most important.

Front office for the cashier, back office for the manager

Computer systems can be divided into two global modules: front office and back office. In most systems, the front office consists of a waiter's station and a cashier's station. This is the part of the system that is located directly in the restaurant or bar hall. With its help, waiters, bartenders and cashiers serve visitors.

At the waiter's automated workstation (AWP), all actions related to customer service are performed. The main one is entering a new order or changing an existing one, which are printed on special printers, counter belts in the kitchen and in the bar. They contain information for cooks and bartenders about what dishes and drinks need to be prepared, or what the customer has refused. From this workstation, you can also print an invoice on a form with the restaurant logo.

The main difference between the cashier station and the waiter station is the ability to close the order and settle the account with the client. After completing this procedure, the client receives a receipt, and the system has registered the fact of the client's settlement.

The back office is the part of the system that the administrators, managers, and accountants of the restaurant work with. The system consists of warehouse accounting modules, reports, and a module that configures the configuration of workstations. The most important and most complex module is warehouse accounting. This program handles all the accounting of the restaurant's goods. The main idea of ​​all warehouse accounting programs in catering establishments is to simplify the work of the accountant-storekeeper as much as possible. The database is used to enter cost cards for dishes, record the arrival of goods at the warehouse, their movement from one department to another (from the warehouse to the bar or the kitchen), and, of course, the write-off of sold products. Based on the data from this module, you can quickly and easily conduct an inventory in a specific department and across all warehouses. In addition, you can always get the necessary information about the availability of products in warehouses and purchase them if necessary.

The reporting module is the manager's main assistant. It collects, structures, and provides information on the operation of the entire complex as a whole, as well as useful statistics for a certain period of time, in a simple and easy-to-analyze form. Using this information allows the manager to keep their finger on the pulse of the business, respond promptly to changing situations, and identify strengths and weaknesses in the restaurant's operations.

The system can be additionally equipped with a discount module, which will allow you to use various discounts — From fixed to complex storage systems.

The agony of choice

Choosing a system and, no less importantly, a supplier company is the most important stage of the entire project. And, oddly enough, it is at this stage that many typical mistakes occur.

1. A trivial, but the most dangerous problem is the customer's unclear understanding of the capabilities of the automation system. The lack of necessary capabilities can lead to delays in project implementation and inefficiency of the system. And unnecessary functions will cause unjustified expenses for the investor. A unclear understanding of certain nuances can also complicate and slow down the staff's work. For example, customers are often afraid that only a registered cashier can close an order and pay customers, and not any waiter who has the right to do so.

2. Another very important aspect of choosing a system is its technical characteristics and overall stability: the ability to transfer data, the degree of its protection, and the system's behavior in the event of hardware or software failures. Only a technical specialist can answer these questions after a thorough analysis. For example, having implemented a system running under the MS DOS operating system, the user will ultimately receive a number of limitations related to connecting additional equipment, the ability to transfer information, its protection and storage in the event of failures.

3. Very often, at the search and selection stage, the customer is guided by an advertised supplier. He is attracted by the number of already completed projects and is not at all interested in quality. At this stage, the investor should contact the owners and managers of restaurants who have worked with this company. Another important fact is that having installed a system that works great at a neighbor or competitor, the restaurateur may be completely disappointed, since the operating system of one establishment may be unacceptable for another.

4. And the last piece of advice is to not be afraid of high prices. The software market has already formed, so there is no place for companies that set exorbitant prices for their solutions. At the same time, the low cost of a software package may be caused by low-quality equipment, unstable system operation, or insufficient competence of suppliers. That is, for little money you can get not a solution to problems, but a replacement of some deficiencies with others.

---

 

Help

Cost of restaurant automation systems (using the example of the automated control system for restaurants, bars, cafes, fast food restaurants "Magic"):

Front-office software 200-800 USD.
Back-office 300-2000 USD.
Kitchen printer (printing orders) from 250 USD.
Bar printer from 250 USD.
Printer for printing guest bills (letterheads) from 400 USD.
Fiscal printer on average 600 USD.
Touch screen monitor on average 800 USD.
Commissioning (of the project cost) 10-15%

---

 

Expert advice

Olga NASONOVA, CEO of Restaurant Consulting:

A restaurant is a special world, so we can draw an analogy with our ancestors’ ideas about the structure of the world. A restaurant stands on four “elephants”: price category, cuisine, type of service, atmosphere. All this, in turn, stands on a turtle called “location”. The secret is to ensure that all these components are on the same level. For example, if a restaurant has a high price category, a high level of service, but the “elephant” called “cuisine” is lower than the others, the structure collapses. If all the “elephants” are on the same level, but the location does not suit any of them, the establishment is unlikely to be successful. The most important “elephant” in the restaurant concept - the price category, determined by several factors: the specifics of the location and the characteristics of the premises of the future restaurant. At this stage, objective factors in the form of characteristics of the premises may play a role. For example, it may be too small or too large for the intended establishment. If all the components are connected by one idea, then the restaurant is guaranteed success.

Alexander KOPICH,
IT specialist of the automation department of the company "Market"