Technology solution providers are unveiling countless new restaurant solutions, some of them more valuable than others. They are also unveiling enhancements to existing platform capabilities. And increasingly, restaurant operators are seeking to leverage the benefits of these solutions to their advantage.
According to The 2017 Smart Decision Guide to Restaurant Management and POS Systems, published this month and now available for complimentary access, 79% of restaurant operators believe that advanced technologies are the key to addressing many of their current challenges. Most also believe that these technologies will enable them to catapult their businesses to ever-higher levels of operational performance and guest satisfaction on an ongoing basis.
At the forefront of these technologies are next-generation restaurant management and point-of-sale (POS) systems. These systems have recently evolved by leaps and bounds in terms of functionality.
According to Startfleet Research, there are compelling reasons for wanting to migrate from a legacy system that may be lacking in multiple performance areas to a state-of-the-art system designed to meet an operator’s needs now and into the future.
According to the new research:
- 95% of restaurant operators view the ability to improve guest satisfaction and the quality of the guest experience as one of the biggest benefits one can expect to gain with the right restaurant management and POS system
- 89% restaurant operators cite the need to driving increased operational efficiency, including staff productivity, and reducing inventory waste as a key success factor
- 78% of full-service restaurants, and 62% of quick service and fast casual restaurants, achieved “significant” or “dramatic” improvement in both operations and revenue performance after deploying a next-generation restaurant management and POS system
- Nearly one-quarter (24%) of restaurant operators who have not upgraded their core restaurant management and POS system within the past 3 years plan to do so in the next 12 months.
For most restaurants, the return on investment can be measured in terms of cost reduction, which is largely a function of increased staff productivity and resource utilization. It can also be measured in terms of revenue growth. This is largely a function of improved guest satisfaction and, in some cases, faster table turn times — and, in certain venues, the ability to reach and serve a larger number of guests simultaneously. Additional selling points include the ability to improve financial performance with advanced inventory and labor management tools and better performance reporting capabilities.
The 2017 Smart Decision Guide to Restaurant Management and POS Systems offers a roadmap for success for restaurant operators who may be looking to upgrade their technology capabilities. It includes insights for evaluating different solutions and practical guidance for making the right selection as well as pointers for maximizing the value of the investment over time.
The 2017 Smart Decision Guide to Restaurant Management and POS Systems is the result of primary and secondary research conducted by Starfleet Research, which is the IT market research arm of Starfleet Media and a leader in benchmarking best practices in technology-enabled business initiatives in the hospitality industry. It was independently produced, without editorial involvement from the company underwriters, which include Agilysys, Lavu, Linga POS by Benseron, and TouchBistro. Click here to download the new Smart Decision Guide. Or visit Starfleet Research at www.starfleetresearch.com.
