Essential Digital Tools for Restaurateurs

Digital technology has permeated most sectors, and the restaurant industry is no exception. In recent years, there has been a growing awareness among restaurateurs, alongside the emergence of digital solutions that address their needs, both front-of-house and back-of-house.

Although this sector is not destined to be 100% digitized, as human contact remains essential, digital technology has its place and is even becoming necessary for developing and retaining clientele. Most customers themselves use the internet or applications to choose, book, and review restaurants, as they are increasingly demanding about their in-dining experience.

We have therefore chosen to provide an overview of essential digital tools for restaurateurs, focusing on 6 key stages in their daily operations.

Recruitment

To recruit their team, restaurateurs can use traditional online recruitment sites, but these are not always suited to their specific needs. Due to high turnover and strong seasonality, restaurateurs' staffing requirements are often urgent and temporary. During certain holiday weekends, summer vacations, or even when a server is ill, restaurateurs may require immediate staff reinforcement.

However, simply posting an announcement on their door or burying it on a job board does not facilitate rapid recruitment.

To address this, Brigad and Extracadrabra have launched a platform that connects restaurateurs with temporary staff (servers, cooks, etc.). Brigad even promises restaurants to provide extra personnel within the hour!

HR Management

Beyond recruitment, restaurant teams are often quite large and require effective management. The hospitality industry operates on a different work rhythm than standard office hours, covering very broad time slots. Therefore, it's essential to manage staff attendance schedules and consider each individual's constraints and availabilities. Schedules often vary from week to week, and constantly re-editing them consumes a significant amount of managers' time.

Several startups have entered this niche, notably Skello, which enables online management of schedules and staff. Their software allows for automatic schedule creation in just a few clicks, taking into account specific staff rules and contract constraints.

Reservations

Bookings, once made by phone, are now primarily done online. It's worth noting that one in two French diners book a restaurant online. Conversely, one in two restaurants now offer an online booking service.* Therefore, having an internet-based reservation system has become a necessity.

Furthermore, this enables restaurateurs to secure more bookings and save time by centralizing all reservations, ensuring no bookings are missed and allowing for better advance planning of table allocation.

Several companies offer reservation systems to restaurateurs, and ZenChef is among them. This startup provides a very comprehensive service, offering to create websites for restaurateurs if they don't already have one, and integrating a booking system. This reservation system also enables restaurateurs to build customer loyalty by collecting client information, allowing them to better understand their needs and communicate effectively.

Point-of-Sale and Payment Solutions

Always with the aim of saving time and enhancing customer satisfaction, digital point-of-sale and payment solutions are becoming essential for restaurateurs. Digitizing this step enables faster order processing, without omissions (orders for tables of 12 are not always straightforward), and quicker payment, notably with features allowing for bill splitting, among others.

Finally, this type of tool generally simplifies accounting, as all data is recorded within the same system, and provides valuable analysis of financial performance.

This type of tool has been developed by several players, and we have highlighted two: Tiller Systems and L’addition, both specialized in the restaurant sector.

Their functionalities are very comprehensive and constantly evolving. For instance, Tiller Systems has additionally developed an ordering and delivery module connected to the POS system, allowing restaurateurs to offer an easy-to-manage online ordering option. L’Addition, on the other hand, provides an inventory management option within its tool, enabling real-time tracking of dish availability in the kitchen and items requiring reordering.

Restaurant Management

Beyond payment processing, it is essential to monitor overall inventory management, deliveries, dish cost prices, and more. This entire process is time-consuming and demands excellent organization to maintain profit margins and ensure all necessary ingredients are available daily.

This management can significantly improve productivity through digital restaurant operational tools. We can first highlight Easilys, which enables control over every step of the process, from procurement to service. This encompasses managing supplier orders with a few clicks, recipe card management, inventory tracking and stocktaking to enhance product traceability, and monthly expense and revenue management.

This is a very comprehensive solution that centralizes the entire process, thereby increasing its productivity and profitability. It also enables the management of multiple establishments simultaneously.

Similarly, FoodMeUp is a more specialized tool: it's a technical data sheet management system for restaurateurs, enabling them to reference all information related to ingredients used and their application via recipe cards. The team plans to enhance their solution with additional options, such as one-click ordering of item lists.

Sourcing

Restaurateurs often prefer to source directly from producers or, at a minimum, procure high-quality products to ensure excellent cuisine. However, this is very time-consuming, both in finding suitable suppliers given the vast and diverse market, and in managing relationships for reordering and staying informed about product availability.

86%* of restaurateurs even express a desire for an application to purchase directly from local producers. FoodTech players have recognized this need and developed solutions. By centralizing supply and reducing intermediaries, restaurateurs can consistently find quality products at competitive prices while simultaneously saving time.

For sourcing kitchen products, we have identified two startups with distinct approaches:

• Califrais: This startup lists various Rungis suppliers on an online platform, allowing restaurateurs to select the products they require. All products are delivered simultaneously with a single invoice, even if sourced from different suppliers, thereby simplifying the procurement process.
• Pourdebon: This marketplace connects restaurateurs with French producers through short supply chains. It features over 700 artisans selected based on strict quality criteria, offers 24-hour delivery across France, and provides centralized invoicing. A dedicated B2B offer for professionals is available at pro.pourdebon.com.

Another crucial sourcing aspect, distinct from ingredients but equally important, is wine procurement.

Finding quality wines at a good price is achievable, and ideally, this involves sourcing directly from the producer. However, this quickly becomes complicated, as a restaurateur will typically want to offer wines from various regions and thus from different estates. This therefore necessitates ordering from numerous estates and/or suppliers to build a comprehensive wine list.

Here again, digital solutions have found their place, notably with Les Grappes PRO, which offers hospitality professionals direct-from-producer wine sourcing through its platform. This also saves time, as producers are centralized on a single platform, and invoicing is unified, even when an order combines wines from multiple producers.

Discover Les Grappes Pro

You now have all the tools at your disposal to digitize your establishment, thereby saving time, money, and maximizing customer satisfaction!

* Source: FoodServiceVision study “Digital Restaurant 2018: Voices of Restaurateurs and Diners”