27 Nov, 2023
Are you a restaurant owner looking to upgrade your business? With restaurant technology, you can streamline your operations, save time on admin, and improve the general experience of your staff and customers.
Are you a restaurant owner looking to upgrade your business? With restaurant technology, you can streamline your operations, save time on admin, and improve the general experience of your staff and customers.
While just about every restaurant relies on technology like electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems, you might still be using more outdated systems in other areas.
For instance, if your business is using a paper diary to manage your reservations, you’re losing time. Additionally, you’re missing out on major booking opportunities, and struggling to deal with no-shows.
By going further and embracing restaurant technology like booking tools, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, and data analytics software, the most vital parts of your business can function better than ever.
The following are eight facts you should know about embracing restaurant technology.
What is restaurant technology exactly?
Restaurant technology refers to products and systems used to manage restaurants and their operations. Many of these systems you will already be familiar with.
It’s an umbrella term that incorporates digital systems and tools that help restaurants function more smoothly. It automates and streamlines operations for convenience and efficiency.
Some products that fall into this category are:
- EPOS systems
- Online booking and table management systems
- CRM software
- Data and analytics software
- Employee scheduling and payroll software
- Inventory management systems
Restaurant technology can be used to meet a variety of needs in a restaurant. It can help with everything from table management to marketing to payroll scheduling. Restaurant tools streamline daily tasks, build customer relationships and drive more revenue.
Why is restaurant technology important?
Effective restaurant technology will influence all aspects of your business. You gain new abilities to bring in customers, such as through a pervasive online presence and personable SMS marketing.
Every restaurant uses technology somewhere in its operations. According to our Hospitality Tech Trends report, the top three most important pieces of technology for a restaurant are:
- Booking and reservation software (95% of hospitality operators consider it important)
- EPOS systems (91% of hospitality operators consider it important)
- Table management systems (86% of hospitality operators consider it important)
It’s tough to imagine running a hospitality business without using a digital EPOS system. However, despite how important reservation software and table management systems have proven to be, many restaurants still rely on pen and paper diaries to fill these roles.
Proper use of this technology streamlines restaurant operations by making bookings easy. With tools like ResDiary, you can accept bookings from a wide range of sources. You can use smart rules to only accept bookings that comply with the needs of a given service.
Restaurant technology also gives staff easy access to vital information with digital tools and data management. If you’re relying on a pen and paper system instead, digging through old notes for bookings or losing track of cancellations will be holding your business back. By using new technology, you can ensure our staff won’t be dealing with these issues over and over again.
As you and your staff will no longer be spending time on inefficient jobs, you will have more time for more important tasks. With more time will come more availability to help customers and better service. This can bolster your online reviews and increase your word-of-mouth reputation.
Curious to know how much your business may be losing because of pen and paper diaries? Check out our ResDiary vs pen and paper value calculator to see what you could save by making the switch.
You can also check out our complete guide to the true cost of pen and paper for your business.
8 reasons your restaurant needs to adopt technology
Relying on pen and paper diary management can negatively affect your business, as well as your staff and customer happiness. Here are eight reasons your restaurant needs to adopt the latest technology.
Get more insights into these stats and more in ResDiary’s Hospitality Tech Trends Report.
1. 95% of venue operators believe reservation software is important
The Tech Trends report found that a massive majority of restaurant operators believed reservation software was a key part of running an effective business. While 95% found that the software was important, a further 77% believed reservation software was the single most important part of their business.
Venue operators believe in the value of booking systems because they offer precise data and ease of use. An online booking system enables customers to book online, increases service speed, and personalises patron experience with dining data.
Comparatively, pen and paper systems will reduce staff efficiency and result in human error. With physical notes, there is also a chance that bookings and information may be lost, misplaced, or even stolen.
2. 93% of diners booked online in the last year
A vast majority of modern restaurant goers are booking reservations online or through their mobile devices. Having a proper online avenue for booking and a solid digital profile is key to ensuring your restaurant is being seen by new customers.
Of the 93% of diner attendants who booked online, over 81% said they felt it was easier than traditional booking methods. By relying on a pen and paper system, you may be losing out on customers who are looking for more modern dining experiences.
ResDiary offers Google and Meta integrations to make it easier for your customers to book with Google Maps and Google My Business, Facebook, and Instagram. They can turn followers into diners with the push of a button thanks to attractive-looking widgets.
3. 85% of venue operators believe analytics software is important
A large number of venue operators saw good analytics software as crucial for their performance. Of those operators, 45% felt it was very important for their business.
A functional analytics system empowers restaurant owners to streamline daily tasks and focus on improving the dining experience.
With analytics, you can make more informed decisions on your customer's experience. You can find out what your business thrives at and double down on it. Use data to reduce waste, predict future sales, optimise your menu, improve efficiency, and track employee performance.
ResDiary allows your business to gather data on your diners at every step of the booking process. This is customisable and can be little things like your diners’ birthdays, to bigger patterns like booking frequency, what specials offers they like to book online, or most common cancellation reasons. All of this information helps you adjust and optimise your operation.
Plus, if you are using an EPOS system that is integrated with ResDiary you can gain even more insights like customer spend. Then, it’s easy to harness this information to drive more sales and revenue.
Then, you can use ResDiary’s analytics suite. It’s the perfect way to easily combine information about your customers and make data-driven decisions about your business.
4. 30% of restaurant operators class themselves as early adopters of tech
Restaurant operators that have adopted technology before their competitors can press ahead with more efficient operations. While 30% of operators class themselves as early adopters, over 57% would rather wait for a competitor to test out the system first.
But with this approach comes the risk of waiting too long to adopt the newest restaurant technology, meaning you could end up being left behind by your competitors.
Restaurant management software and online reservation systems are constantly growing to help improve the customer experience in your venue. Remember that your customers may often expect to be able to use the latest technology.
ResDiary has a range of market leading technology tools. We also offer in-depth online support and training to empower you to get the most out of the system.
With a growing list of over 70 technology integrations, you’ll have the opportunity to try out some of the most useful systems that can benefit your business, from POS systems to marketing tools and beyond.
5. 23% of venue operators spent more than £5,000 over the last year on hospitality tech
Effectively budgeting for new restaurant technology is a common worry. In addition to £5,000 a year in tech spending, 46% of venues believe that their tech budgets will have to increase even more over the next 12 months.
Unsuccessful budgeting to keep up with technology impacts a restaurant's growth and operations. It is vital to ensure that restaurant technology trends are relevant, paying for their cost, and are genuinely improving the guest experience.
At ResDiary, we know how important new tech is and how costs affect a business. That’s why we charge no commission fees on bookings made through our integrations.
If you’re concerned about spending too much money on new tech, consider how you can save money in other areas. For example, ResDiary integrates with Rotaready, a tool that streamlines staff scheduling to help you save on labour costs. Find out how ResDiary and Rotaready helped one hotel bring down costs here.
6. 63% of diners use third-party platforms to discover and book restaurants
A majority of diners have used platforms like Google or Dish Cult to discover which venues are most suitable for them. Many customers scroll through restaurants on a handheld device. They may be inclined to book with Google or third parties because they are the most convenient options.
However, of the diners making reservations, 88% said they would prefer to book on a restaurant's website if possible.
A well-rated Google presence creates a great degree of trust in unsure customers and is a better guarantee you are seen online. It is vital that your brand has a positive online reputation and good online reviews to help attract the most customers.
Without success in these areas, fewer people will discover your restaurant. They will find your competitors on third-party platforms and will never see your business in Google Search results. You also won’t be able to take advantage of ResDiary’s Reserve with Google integration to easily attract more diners.
By not updating your pen and paper system you are missing out on reaching countless customers with improved visibility for your restaurant.
7. 50% of diners like being able to purchase restaurant vouchers
Over half of diners responding to the survey wanted to buy a voucher as a gift for friends and family. Despite this, only 42% of restaurants have systems to create or sell vouchers.
Vouchers are a fantastic opportunity for restaurants to attract new customers. Diners are more inclined to pay for drinks and other extras when the meal has already been paid for.
They are a source of guaranteed revenue at the time of purchase. Even when the voucher hasn’t been used, you have the money in your account.
Vouchers are also a great way to increase spend per head. They can also have the effect of increasing party sizes and encouraging future bookings. After all, when a customer receives a restaurant voucher, they will almost always bring one or two others to dine with them.
ResDiary’s voucher add-on makes it quick and easy to create, sell, market, and redeem vouchers in your restaurant. You can even sell vouchers as physical gift cards.
ResDiary is the perfect way to create vouchers as you can easily sell them on your website as promotions. You can use promotions to spread the word about your vouchers on social media and any other channel you wish.
It’s a highly effective way to give your diners what they want.
8. 47% of venue operators think integrating solutions is important
Almost half of interviewed venue operators said integrations would affect their choice of technology in the future. Quality integrations streamline your business and make tasks easier for restaurant staff. This saves you more time to focus on customers.
Integrated systems also let you share data between systems. With precise data, your restaurant has the opportunity to see trends and improve its operation based on clear insights.
ResDiary offers a variety of integrations for restaurant technology. These integrations include EPOS systems, marketing tools, and customer relationship management systems. All of these solutions are highly reliable and bring genuine value for your business.
We are ready to bring cutting-edge technology to your restaurant and improve your business.
Embrace the future of hospitality with ResDiary
ResDiary offers seamless integrations and automated systems to help with data analysis, marketing, and so much more. It’s the perfect system to help optimise your hospitality business.
ResDiary offers a competitive edge, helping your business get more online visibility and serve your customers more efficiently. Save time on admin and attract new customers with ResDiary.
Book a demo with us today and uncover the benefits of leaving your pen and paper system in the past.
