Efficiency is a tricky balance to manage in the restaurant world, with everything from payroll management to inventory wastage to worry about. And losing efficiency doesn't only impact your wallet; it also affects your customers and overall reputation. So, what can you do to enhance your efficiency and restaurant success?
An increasing trend is restaurant software, with around 50% of surveyed restaurants stating their restaurant technology is extremely important for their business. Various software options are available, including digital menus and digital food logs, which can offer many benefits for your business.
Read on to learn the top five benefits of using digital food logs as part of your restaurant technology.
1. Compliance Tracking
You need to follow food safety rules and regulations to remain compliant, including the HACCP management system. Instead of scrambling to get your paper records in check, and risking human errors, use digital food logs. Poorly kept food logs not only damage your reputation and cause business downtime but can also close your restaurant.
You will be able to keep impeccable records that are ready to present at a moment's notice with digital food logs. It will help evidence you paid attention to each detail, including:
- Food temperature logs
- Food safety culture
- Sanitation
- Corrective actions
It also gives you more transparency and visibility over records so that you can make more informed decisions for your restaurant. Your team will be confident during inspections. And everyone will be on the same page, ready to access the information.
Plus, digital restaurant software includes an onboarding process, so all team members will be able to use technology easily. This also helps to provide evidence that your team is well-trained, proficient, and understands the importance of food compliance.
2. Customization of Digital Food Logs
Changing paper food logs is tedious and takes up valuable employee work time. However, you can easily create customized food logs with digital restaurant software.
Create the type of food log that meets your needs, meaning you can cover all details of your restaurant with ease. There is a lot of flexibility without it being time-consuming for staff. For example, you can create customized logs to check you are meeting all the food safety rules and regulations.
You can also create digital menus and easily update them, following restaurants such as Mcdonald's, which note revenue boosts and better connections with customers using this technology.
3. Improved Safety and Communication
Open communication is key to ensuring restaurant safety. Digital food logs give you the visibility you need to stay in control of your business and improve safety.
You will be able to flag errors quickly and deal with them before they escalate. There is also less chance of human error; meaning records will be accurate and allow operations to flow without downtime. Food logs also reduce the chance of theft, making the workplace a more open and transparent environment.
For example, digital food logs also offer real-time reporting, so you will be alerted if a log deadline is missed, so you can correct it fast. Plus, you can view daily reports to check how operations are running, leveraging data to improve business operations and communication between employees.
Everything is in one place on the restaurant software portal or app, so you can access the data whenever you need it. You can even practice health inspector audits so that you can have peace of mind everything is in order for when an inspection does occur.
4. Operational Efficiency
Poor food log-keeping can lead to safety issues and operational downtime. Digital food logs reduce risks of error, ensuring operations can run smoothly and automating many processes that free up employee time to focus on other tasks.
It also reduces the chance of food wastage, kitchen equipment failure, and inefficient food storage so that you can utilize resources in the most efficient way.
You can quickly determine how much food to have prepped for the busy lunch or dinner hour. You will also identify why food wastage is occurring and at what stage so you can quickly make changes that work the first time. You can also know the amount and value of waste, which can motivate employees to be more mindful of their actions and to follow protocols correctly.
Reducing errors also increases production, streamlining workflows and ensuring all your operations are stable. Employees will be more satisfied with smooth operations, which improves retention rates and can improve the atmosphere of your restaurant.
Customers will recognize the smooth process. They will be able to see you have a high retention rate of staff, which also gives them confidence in your establishment.
5. Returns on Investment
Digital food logs are also more cost-effective for your restaurant. You save on costs in many ways, including:
- Improved inventory management
- Reduced food wastage
- Automation of tasks
- Efficient tracking
- Catches discrepancies and errors
- Less operation downtime
Although there is an initial investment when using restaurant software for such things as food logs, you will reap the returns. Reduced food wastage and efficient inventory management ensure you make cost-savings on supplies. Automating tasks and decreasing errors and discrepancies also help cash flow, so you can focus on investing in improving your business instead of using money to fix the mistakes.
Automation of tasks also reduces labor costs. Paper food logs may cause employees to work overtime, whereas digital food logs can be done quickly and reliably during working hours.
The Best Digital Food Logs for Your Restaurant
Now is the time to invest in restaurant technology and benefit your business, including using digital food logs. However, not all restaurant software is created equally. It is important you find reputable and scalable technology.
FreshCheq has created food safety software that you can depend on. Our technology includes custom reporting and unlimited logs. Plus, you do not have to be connected to the Wifi, as the log will automatically upload once you reconnect. You can also have unlimited users, so your team can all begin to use the software.
Do you want to learn more? Request a demo today!
