Technology has impacted the restaurant industry, causing the shift in how food safety and restaurant operations are conducted. Instead of using paper and pencil, many restaurants are now using some sort of application for their digital food safety and restaurant operational needs. However, not all of these applications are created equal. There are some must have features that should be considered requirements when choosing an application for your restaurant. Let’s take a look at some of those features.
1. Ease of Use
The application you choose should be easy to use. If the application is too complicated or difficult to use, you’ll likely have a tough time getting your employees onboard. The ease of use is especially important during rush hours. You need to be able to grab your device, take food temperatures, and complete the log all within a short period of time. If you are unable to do that, maybe that application isn’t the right fit for you.
2. Customization
Being able to customize your logs and checklists at the touch of a button is key when choosing a digital food safety app. Nothing is worse than having to build your strategy around a permanent set of logs and checklists. Instead, having the ability to customize your logs and checklists can make digital food safety easy.
3. Offline Availability
The power goes out or the internet goes down and you’re left without the tools you need to complete your logs and checklists. When choosing a digital food safety app, it’s important to know whether that application has offline availability. You are able to take your logs and complete your checklists offline and when the internet or power returns, the app will update.
4. Gamification
Keeping your employees engaged while at work is a constant struggle. If employees are unengaged, both productivity and happiness decreases, which can affect the workplace atmosphere. Creating a culture of food safety in the workplace is detrimental to a smooth running restaurant. A digital food safety application should have built-in gamification features to help keep the employees engaged.
