6 Key Features to Look for in a Restaurant Management System
This blog is brought to you by our sponsors at Gordon Food Service.
Running a restaurant means juggling a lot of moving parts. While there are many tools out there that tackle specific issues, managing multiple systems that don’t integrate can be inefficient and time-consuming. The good news is that comprehensive, all-in-one Restaurant Management Systems (RMS) can save you both time and money. Here are the 6 key features to look for when choosing the right RMS for your restaurant:
1. Invoice Management & Categorization
Invoices are the backbone of financial management, so your RMS should make processing them as easy as possible. Look for a system that auto-uploads invoices through scanning (e.g., photos) and automatically categorizes items correctly. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures consistency across vendors. Efficient invoice management will also save you valuable time and reduce human error, ultimately keeping your restaurant’s financials in check.
2. Recipe & Plate Cost Management
Managing plate costs is essential to staying profitable, and your RMS should help you do that. The system should connect product prices to recipes in real time and update plate costs automatically when ingredient prices change. This feature helps you stay on top of fluctuating food costs, especially when unexpected price increases (like the recent salmon price spike) happen. Your RMS should also allow you to categorize recipes for easy tracking and minimize manual updates, ensuring your cost calculations are always accurate.
3. POS & Accounting Integration
POS systems track orders, process payments, and monitor labor, but integrating them with your RMS can unlock deeper insights. Your RMS should connect with your POS and accounting software to automate sales data entry, helping you generate up-to-date profit and loss (P&L) reports. By syncing data across platforms, your RMS can also compare actual food usage with theoretical usage based on inventory counts, highlighting any discrepancies and helping you identify waste or inefficiencies early.
4. Labor Management
Efficient labor management is key to controlling costs and maximizing profitability. Look for an RMS that integrates with your payroll and labor systems to give you real-time insights into staffing and labor costs. With daily data pulls from your POS or labor software, you can make adjustments as needed, ensuring you stay on budget throughout the pay period.
Your RMS should also account for salaried employees in your labor budgeting, not just hourly workers. Additionally, it should allow for customizable user permissions, so sensitive payroll
information remains secure. By tracking labor costs in real time, you’ll be able to make data-driven staffing decisions that keep your restaurant running smoothly.
5. Budgets & Performance Management
Without real-time budget tracking, it’s easy to fly blind and only realize financial issues after a period is over. By comparing actual and theoretical performance, you can make informed decisions and avoid surprises. For multi-unit operators, the RMS should allow you to compare budget performance across locations, helping you spot and resolve issues across your business.
6. Inventory Management
Inventory management can be one of the most time-consuming tasks in a restaurant, but the right RMS can make it more efficient. Look for a system that generates customizable inventory count sheets and integrates with your invoicing system to reflect real-time costs based on the most recent purchase prices. This helps you keep track of actual costs without manually adjusting for price fluctuations. The RMS should also support simultaneous counting by multiple users and offer both mobile and print options for flexibility. Additionally, it should integrate inventory data with your ordering system, so you can track when items are running low and reorder as needed.
By investing in an RMS with these essential features, you’ll streamline your operations, reduce manual tasks, and ensure your restaurant is running as efficiently as possible. With the right tools in place, you’ll have more time to focus on what matters most—serving your guests and growing your business!
Sounds interesting? Check out our partners at Gordon Restaurant Pro to discover how they can streamline your daily operations and help you manage your restaurant more efficiently.