Comparing Gastronomy Software: These are the Best Restaurant Softwares

Gastronomy Software Definition: What is Gastro Software?

Essentially, any software that facilitates the digitization of processes in the hospitality industry can be classified as gastronomy software. This includes specific cash register programs for the gastronomy, accounting software for restaurants, tools for staff planning, and inventory management solutions.

However, the term "gastronomy software" - unless further described - is generally used in the context of comprehensive management applications. Such gastronomy management software or restaurant management software usually includes several tools that digitally assist those in charge in the central areas of their daily business. Depending on the need, the above-mentioned features and various other tools can be integrated.

With restaurant software, restaurateurs have the opportunity to organize all levels of their operations centrally and digitally: from purchasing and managing payments at tables, monitoring payroll, to analyzing sales, customer preferences, or employee performances.

The core goals of these programs are to increase the efficiency of the respective operational processes, optimize these based on data, and ultimately achieve a significant increase in customer satisfaction.

Why should restaurateurs use restaurant software?

The hospitality industry is a tough terrain. New restaurants struggle to gain a foothold. They have to make a name for themselves, primarily through outstanding products, high service quality, and flawless organization. Established businesses, however, are not self-sustaining either. They should maintain their services and their reputation consistently to stay on the path to success.

While customer expectations in the hospitality industry may shift slower than in other sectors, there have been some significant changes in recent years due to the increased customer use of digital devices, channels, and payments.

These developments, or the respective and general consumer habits, can result in the hottest new venues or long-standing top restaurants having to cope with significant revenue losses surprisingly quickly. Besides the requirement to be always up-to-date, expenses for the needed goods, labor costs, and taxes put a dent in revenues. It is necessary to maintain as high efficiency as possible on all these fronts.

In such a fiercely competitive industry, the smallest advantage or the slightest unique selling point can make the difference between success and failure. A restaurant program often holds the balance.

It enables a central and digital organization of the most important operational processes: With powerful planning applications, managers can keep the costs for purchasing or personnel low. The communication between waiters and chefs is significantly facilitated by precise cash register systems, and intelligent ordering software for the gastronomy ensures that the kitchen never runs out of the required ingredients, even in the greatest turmoil. Additionally, modern solutions offer customers the options for online table booking or ordering, and the latest digital payment methods.

By accepting these possibilities, the respective hospitality businesses have an excellent chance to massively boost customer satisfaction, the economic performance of the business, and ultimately the general competitive strength in the short and long term.

How does software for the gastronomy work?

The operation of a gastronomy software is primarily determined by the integrated features. The following describes typical tools and related processes.

• Menu Management: Restaurant management software can help with specific tools for organizing menus and prices. This makes it much easier for those in charge to consider seasonal conditions and generally keep the menu selection up to date. Changes can be made and implemented on the (digital) menus or signs at a moment's notice.

• Inventory Management: Gastronomy management software allows for efficient tracking of inventory. Those in charge know when to order which ingredients. This helps restaurants save money by reducing waste and at the same time ensuring they always have enough ingredients in stock to fulfill orders. Some inventory management solution can even automate these processes.

• Appointment Planning: Gastronomy software can help efficiently plan important dates - especially events, such as weddings, significant birthdays, or other celebrations. No data is forgotten or double-booked, and staffing needs can be tailored precisely to the recorded information.

• Cash Register System Integration: Many restaurant management systems can be integrated into cash register solutions (Point-of-Sale software) or come with them. This significantly simplifies payment transactions. This function also helps improve customer service. It streamlines the ordering processes for employees (including between the service and the kitchen) and guests alike.

• Reports and Analysis: Restaurant software often provides detailed reports, allowing owners and managers to monitor sales data, customer preferences, employee performance indicators, and much more. Based on such information, better business decisions for the future can be made, and relevant processes can be optimized based on data.

• Loyalty Programs and Promotions: Restaurants can create customized loyalty programs or advertising campaigns with some gastro software. They are very effective in ensuring that customers return time and again and new guests are attracted. Companies can use such measures to build relationships with their customers for long-term loyalty and increase revenue at the same time.

• Online Ordering and Booking: Gastronomy programs can incorporate specific restaurant service software, allowing customers to order and pay for meals online, and arrange delivery or pick-up orders. These functions are particularly beneficial for businesses that offer take-out, delivery, or catering services. Table reservations can also be implemented with some solutions.

• Mobile App: Restaurant management software is usually also accessible via a mobile app. This makes it easier for business owners and restaurant managers to keep track of the processes in their business - no matter where they are.

• Accounting Gastronomy Software: Accounting and tax matters are always a challenge for gastronomy businesses - especially for small businesses. Special accounting software for the gastronomy makes it possible to minimize corresponding difficulties. It allows for organizing payrolls, recording receipts and purchases. Those in charge no longer have to worry about losing critical information or having to submit important figures to their tax office at the last minute.

• Employee Management and Planning: Restaurants often have a large staff, working in different shifts. With employee management functions, those in charge can plan the working hours of employees in all areas. Special schedules for training new employees and apprentices can also be drawn up. This way, the restaurant is always appropriately staffed, and teams are not overwhelmed. Some solutions even analyze by themselves on which days or evenings there is more or less activity, so managers can plan accordingly. Understaffing or overstaffing – at least organizationally – is no longer an issue.

• Room Planning: With restaurant management software, hosts or managers can capture the layout of their restaurant. Based on this plan, table reservations can easily be made, or places for larger events can be organized. Waiters can use the information linked to the orders to ensure that the right food and beverages arrive at the right tables.

What are the pros and cons of gastronomy software?

On the whole, the use of software for gastronomy can provide a substantial increase in process efficiency, more satisfied customers, and secure competitiveness. The specific benefits associated with these effects are summarized below.

• Increased Efficiency: Restaurant management software helps streamline workflows by making tasks like ordering food, tracking inventory, and creating menus easier. As a result, processes are completed faster, and resources are freed up for other important business activities.

• Improved Accuracy: Gastronomy software automates many manual tasks that are susceptible to human error. This helps to reduce problems. In detail, the accuracy of accounting, the processing of customer orders, and pricing can be improved.

• Optimized Customer Experience: By enabling online reservations, customer loyalty programs, digital payments, and - especially - well-organized service, gastronomy management software allows those in charge to generate better customer experiences. Some solutions also help restaurant operators understand their customers' preferences better via analytics and adjust their offerings accordingly.

• Extensive Data Analysis: With restaurant management software, it's easy to collect data on sales, customer feedback, website visits, etc. These can then be a very helpful basis for decision-making for marketing campaigns or menu changes. Furthermore, the respective software often provides report functions that allow businesses to track their performance over time and make sensible changes based on the insights gained.

• Lower Costs: By automating certain administrative tasks, the costs associated with running a restaurant are generally considerably reduced. In addition, companies can make smarter purchasing decisions using the analysis tools by identifying, based on data, the most cost-effective suppliers of ingredients or promotional items. Tools for personnel planning also usually significantly contribute to reducing efforts. These make it possible to optimally estimate the need for employees per day and shift.

Indeed, despite all these weighty advantages, there are also some disadvantages when using gastronomy software. The following difficulties are typical.

• Online Requirement: Many gastro programs - and in particular some components like ordering tools and digital payment options - require a constant internet connection to be fully functional. If the router fails or there are network problems on the provider's side, everything grinds to a halt, and one must plan, settle accounts, etc., manually again. The more tasks the software takes over in the restaurant, the more serious are the effects in case of a network failure.

• Integration Effort: Especially in established, long-acting gastronomy businesses, the business processes are often very ingrained. Restaurant software can improve a lot here. However, it is difficult to break and realign the usual patterns. In general, setting up and learning gastronomy software involves a lot of work for the employees involved. In the beginning, there may even be significant process delays and other problems that restrict the operation of the venue.

How to choose the right software for your restaurant?

Each gastronomy business is different and has its specific needs regarding digitization. Therefore, restaurant software must be selected to precisely suit each business. In doing so, those in charge should primarily keep the following tips in mind.

All-in-One Solution Those in charge should look for a system that allows as many related processes as possible to be centrally managed. It is, therefore, advisable to choose a solution that can accept, organize, communicate to the kitchen, and settle orders. If there are breaks in such logical sequences, the susceptibility to errors is high.

In general, a gastronomy program in which many or all threads of the digitization of specific restaurant processes come together, helps to streamline operations. For instance, those in charge can see at a single point whether they have enough ingredients, what larger events are coming up in the near future, or what the personnel planning is. The service has an overview of the occupied tables, knows which orders must go where, and can record reservations accurately.

If several separate components are used for such processes that perhaps do not work perfectly together, the efficiency potential is much lower. With a central system for "everything," there is a higher probability that all integrated features will be used.

Hardware Compatibility It is not uncommon for modern cash register systems to already be in use in gastronomy businesses. This should, of course, be compatible with the intended restaurant software.

If this is not the case, the solutions must work separately from each other. This leads to inefficiency and an increased risk of errors.

User-friendliness The next essential feature of well-fitting restaurant management software is user-friendliness. If a program or app is easy to use, it can quickly unleash its full potential in day-to-day work.

Then it won't take long for managers and service staff to master it completely. Ideally, no time and money need to be spent on training employees to use the new tool package.

Support Even the most user-friendly and reliable restaurant software can sometimes cause problems. Also, questions about certain features and processes regularly arise, especially during the introduction phase. Since such a gastro program always concerns central business processes, quick professional advice is necessary in such cases.

Therefore, those in charge should ensure that the gastronomy software provider of their choice offers a direct and easily accessible customer service. This should be available not only during the day and weekdays but also during many restaurants' main business hours, namely in the (late) evening and on the weekend. Chat support and a hotline are standard.

What does a gastronomy program cost – is there free gastronomy software?

The costs for restaurant management software can vary greatly depending on the functionalities and possibilities of the respective solution.

Generally, well-equipped software packages are between 50 and 200 euros per month. Alternatively, one-time license fees of around 1,000 euros are possible. More comprehensive suites can easily start from 1,000 euros upwards.

On the other hand, there is indeed some gastronomy software for free. Those who want to use restaurant software for free, however, can only expect a limited range of functions. Gastronomy software freeware is therefore suitable at best for smaller restaurants.

In addition to the acquisition costs for the software, interested parties should consider the installation fees and ongoing support efforts potentially associated with the chosen package. In addition, it may be necessary to acquire new - or at least digitally compatible – cash register hardware. This involves additional costs of several hundred or even well over a thousand euros.