Managing a restaurant is no easy task. A lot is going on in a restaurant, be it the reception desk, the dining area, the kitchen or the cleaning area. Everything has to work in tandem for a restaurant to work smoothly. It is crucial to be organised at all times and be prepared. But it doesn’t just stop at that. You can do many things as a restaurant manager to make your restaurant more productive.

Here are some tips you can implement to boost productivity at your restaurant.

A Good POS System

One of the most important investments you should make in a restaurant is a POS system. A POS or Point of Sale system manages all the data of the comings and goings of your restaurant. You can track and handle orders, inventory, finances, reports etc. A good POS system can provide you with insights from a large amount of data in it. You can analyse it to recognise trends and improve your business.

Integrating Accounting software

It is one thing to work hard and another to work smart. You can update the processes within your restaurant to make them faster and more efficient. One of them is the manual entry of accounts. Gone are the days when you relied on separate software to manage your accounts and sales. You can now integrate your accounting software with your POS. This will give you a real-time view of your business performance, track invoices, manage contacts, map sales and more.

Maintain an Organised Kitchen 

The kitchen is the heart of a restaurant. A slow kitchen means lower sales and unsatisfied customers. Restaurant managers and owners are always looking for a way to optimise kitchen performance to increase productivity. Often, the first step is to have a clean and orderly kitchen.

A well-organised kitchen can bring out food faster, avoid the stress of full service by being prepped early on, and thus improve the quality of the food coming out. A clean, organised kitchen will also avoid accidents and food contamination and attract fewer pests.

Proper Communication with the Kitchen

Keeping communication lines open in the kitchen is essential for the smooth functioning of the kitchen. Managing orders, multiple courses of food, stock, and bringing out food on time all depend upon proper communication between the wait staff and the kitchen.

When there is proper communication, your meals go out faster, customers are satisfied, and your waiting staff need not chase around orders.

Inventory Management 

Purchasing stock is the first thing you do every shift. But it can be confusing when one shift ends and the next begins or when you see an unforeseen unavailability of certain items. Putting your purchasing and managing order avoids confusion, especially during a hectic rush hour.

Keeping track of your inventory can be done using software like the QSR management system, which will make the purchase process easier with regular purchasing of stock, keeping a list of authorised vendors and alternate vendors in case of emergency etc.

Final Words

A restaurant can either be hectic and confusing or organised and productive. All these above tips can be easily implemented to make your restaurant productive and function smoothly. After all, it’s working on all areas of restaurant operations and improving them consistently is what adds to the bottom line.