Any business person worth their salt will tell you that a company is only as good as its people. The restaurant business is no different. And while great management and well-seasoned chefs are crucial, it’s important not to overlook Front of House (FOH) staff—the friendly faces of your business and your best brand champions.
Great FOH staff are like gold dust, so it’s important to keep hold of them—even when shiny, newfangled bits of technology catch your eye and start competing for your hard earned dollars.The Latest Toys in Restaurant Tech
These days there is a stack of fancy new tech taking the restaurant business by storm. In China, KFC is experimenting with facial recognition payment software. Closer to home, restaurant chains like Chili’s have championed self-service tabletop tablets for a few years now—allowing customers to automate their orders, pay when they’re done, and add 20% gratuities (by default). None of this comes cheap, which might be okay for large chains, but what about smaller independent restaurants?
Today, customers are constantly on their phones and tablets, and as a smaller chain or independent restaurant, you don’t want to miss out by not doing something tech-orientated; especially when your FOH staff are asked for the WiFi code at least ten times a day.
At the same time, you don’t want to invest in bells and whistles that won’t directly benefit your business and all of your customers.
Take Baby Boomers for instance. While this big spending demographic is generally welcoming of touchscreen technology, the human touch is still much appreciated.
Meanwhile, younger diners—the Millennials, Gen Zs, and beyond—love their tech, and with the rise in remote working, they tend to hang around during traditionally quieter times of the day; as long as the WiFi’s free and the coffee’s hot.
So can you have your cake and eat it too, by pleasing all of your customers and your FOH team?
Automation and Simplicity: A Recipe For Success
Chances are you’re already working with a POS system that your staff is comfortable and well-trained in using. Introducing software that integrates with your POS system offers more support for your staff and provides diners with a streamlined way to enjoy their experience, pay their bill, and be on their way. No more waiting on busy FOH at peak times.
Choosing a strong POS system is the first step. After that, you must consider scalability and how much you’re willing to invest in your IT infrastructure. Ready offers a solution that tackles both of these issues. It relies simply on restaurants placing a a small digital target on their tables and guests using their phone to pay with when they’re ready.
Ultimately, if the more operational aspects of a dining experience can be automated for both diners and FOH staff, everybody wins. Diners can do their thing in their own time, and staff have more time to create the kind of experience that will encourage repeat visits—making your business more profitable.
Technology can’t serve food or beverages. It can’t flash a welcoming grin on arrival, recognize regular patrons and take them to their favorite booth, explain the finer points of a new menu, or politely tell people where the restrooms are. Plus, it looks terrible in those little black work aprons.
But, it can act as an ally to your best FOH employees.
Are you looking for a simple solution to streamline your operations, increase table turnover times, and provide your customers with a memorable, tell-their-friends-about-it experience? The Ready App integrates seamlessly with existing payment workflows and POS solutions—allowing your FOH staff to spend their time where it matters most. Try Ready for free today.
