If you have ever been to your favorite restaurant only to be told that you would have to wait or possibly cancel your reservation due to the terminals and operational systems being down then frustration and irritation could not begin to describe how you may have felt. It isn’t a surprise as we do rely on machines to do the majority of the work in most businesses and day-to-day functioning and rely on them to be trustworthy, but we all have a shelf life, equipment included.
What you need to ensure, as a business owner and entrepreneur is that you have a backup system in place, a failsafe and guard that will kick in should the electrics go down, and a routine maintenance plan in place for your current operating system. The problem is that we get comfortable, stuck in our daily habits and routines, and if it hasn’t given you issues now what’s to say it will anytime soon? Words are spoken no sooner than the day you need them the least. The weekend.
The last thing any restaurant owner wants or needs is to arrive for work ahead of a fully-booked dinner service only to find all the terminals on the floor and in the backroom blinking offline. Nightmare. And enough to make you want to run for the hills if you don’t have a panic attack first.
One step-ahead.
Like the old saying goes and which rings true still to this day is that prevention is better than cure, and investing in a quality POS system with a routine maintenance plan and check-in schedule in place you will thank yourself in the long run.
Finding a good system may not be all that tricky, there are plenty of choices and options on the market today, the key element is finding the right fit when it comes to IT companies and their services related to the food and beverage industry. Searching for companies that provide IT for restaurants sounds easy enough, but if you rush with your hiring decision it could end up costing you more money than you initially thought it would and you may not even receive the service you expected or are paying for.
There are a few fundamentals to keep in mind when looking for a good business to build a relationship with and who will guide and advise you on how to run your system optimally and make it work for you. Let’s take a quick look at what some of those are and you can use them as a guide to know what to be aware of and which features to keep an eye out for or request if not readily available.
- Experience. This goes without saying and the number of years they have been operational is a quick indicator as to whether they have seen and dealt with every situation possible. You want a company that has ‘been around the block’ so to say and which has installed and maintained all shapes and sizes when it comes to terminals, POS stations, and the motherboard of operations.
- Reputation. This element speaks volumes without a word ever being said. Simply heading to the companies webpage and reading the comments and ratings review page will tell you the type of service they provide and the experience past and current customers are enjoying (or not).
As a business owner, you may not believe this is a completely important or even relevant component to your business as you pride yourself on face-to-face interactions, but if you take a moment to look here https://mention.com/en/blog/online-reviews/ you will see how they can change the way people see your company.
- Training. Technology is advancing and evolving daily and quicker than some of us can keep up with, so when it comes to learning how to use new systems and computer programs it can become overwhelming quickly. Look for a company that offers staff training and support till you feel your employees are comfortable and things are going smoothly for a period.
- Customer-service. At the end of the day, yes your company is providing dining service to paying customers and members of the public, but you are also a client (of your hired IT firm) so be sure that you are treated in a way you feel your paying customers would like to be treated.
Is it worth the investment?
Thinking you will save money on a mediocre operating system yet splurge on restaurant design and layout is a mistake. This way of thinking will land you in hot water before you know it. The workings and data collection of your main hub is essentially the heart and soul of the business and without a functioning heart, your restaurant will be going nowhere quickly.
Customers don’t want to hear about a power trip or electrical short, they want their prime rib or fillet mignon like they have every Friday and that’s the end of the conversation. If the system goes down with no backup function in place it is not only the staff that will be embarrassed with no answers to give to paying restauranteurs, but you will have to face the music and explain why the system is down.
The importance of a quality, fine dining restaurant computer system (see this link for a more in-depth read for a later stage) could be the difference between becoming a household name or ‘that place we can go’ when everything else is booked up. So to answer your simple question, yes, the investment is worth every penny.
A last thought.
Fine dining has been around for centuries with palates and food executions becoming more extravagant than the last honorable chef could think of and the more elaborate the better, people come for the experience after all is it not?
That being said, let the food and wine do the talking, the waiters their song and dance to sell exquisite dishes of the evening, and let a failed operating system be the last thing on your mind.
Leave a Reply