POS System Can Boost Back of House Workflow Efficiency

“Quick summary” For years, we have focused a lot on the front of house management to streamline restaurant operations.

And we have neglected back-of-house management. But, believe me, focusing on your back-end operations is as important as front-end operations - and can generate magnificent returns for your restaurant business. 

For the majority of restaurant owners, efficiency comes first. You would want your consumer to enter, take a seat, order food, and leave as soon as possible after receiving and eating it. It keeps business moving in your restaurant, improving customer satisfaction and hastening table turnover, which raises sales. 

It happens when you have a strong correlation and management between both your front house & back-house teams. 

Now this is where the restaurant POS system comes in place! 

A point of service (POS) system is an excellent tool for increasing productivity. These are typically used in the front of the house for various duties and make the lives of staff members easier by facilitating clear communication, hastening the process between receiving orders and preparing food, and decreasing the possibility of any errors. 

Why not apply this cutting-edge technology to back-of-house activities to ensure improved management and collaboration? Do you agree? 

If you're still wondering, then let's go through how your POS system can boost back-of-house workflow efficiency. 

How Does a POS System Improve Efficiency? 

The back-of-house (BOH) department in a restaurant typically includes all the kitchen staff, including the chef, sous chef, line cooks, prep cooks, and dishwashers. Their main duties are focused on preparing and cooking the food, cleaning and maintaining the kitchen area, and ensuring that all food safety and hygiene standards are met.

But, for effective management and a strong correlation between the back house and front house - you need to have robust technology in place. 

In many small and medium-sized restaurants, BOH activities are managed using simple systems such as paper checklists and manual inventory tracking. 

However, as restaurants grow and become more complex, technology can become increasingly important in managing BOH activities. For example, efficient POS system can streamline work and inventory tracking, automate ordering and purchasing, and monitor food costs. It can save time and reduce the likelihood of errors or waste.

1. Better cooperation with the Front house team!

One of the crucial things to consider when we are talking about how To boost back of house efficiency in your restaurant - is how they collaborate and communicate with each other - leading to a better overall process and results.

To simplify things between both of these departments, the POS system comes to the rescue with its out-of-the-box functionality. 

Here's how the POS system Improves Efficiency by streamlining communication:

Selecting the right restaurant POS system can boost your back-of-house workflow efficiency and can have a significant impact on your restaurant's overall productivity. 

(A) End-To-End Management

A good POS system can help streamline your restaurant's back-end operations by managing inventory, tracking orders, managing employee schedules, and simplifying accounting and bookkeeping tasks. And when your back-house operations run smoothly, it creates a ripple effect throughout your restaurant, leading to better cooperation with your front-of-house operations.

(B) Faster Delivery

Through the restaurant POS system, your servers will be able to take orders more efficiently, your kitchen staff will be able to prepare food quickly and accurately, and your customers will be able to enjoy a seamless dining experience.

(C) Analytics and Decision Making

A good POS system can also provide valuable insights into your restaurant's performance by generating detailed reports on sales, inventory, labor costs, and customer data. The information collected through the POS system can help you make data-driven decisions to improve your restaurant's profitability and customer satisfaction.

Therefore, investing in a high-quality POS system is a wise decision for any restaurant owner. POS systems can boost your back-of-house workflow efficiency by increasing cooperation with their front-of-house operations.

2. Bump Screens: Lesser Time, Better Management!

Having a restaurant POS system with a bump screen saves you a lot of time as a restaurant owner. All of the time you used to spend looking for devices or seeking paper, pens, and other equipment to keep track of an order is now gone, thanks to bump screens. 

The bump screen keeps everything in one central spot, making operations quicker and more effective. It saves your restaurant a good deal of time. You might also use this time to improve your customer service or make your cuisine a little higher quality. 

These systems are rapid and reactive, and once an order is placed, it is routed directly to where it is needed, speeding up the entire process.

To get better results and leverage the power of these bumper screens, you can integrate them with your restaurant POS system, which helps in tracking and analyzing the data. 

A POS system can keep track of how quickly meals are delivered to customers on average or how many orders are placed for a single dish. It might help you identify meals that require a bit more time to prepare and how to speed up the process in the back of the house. 

It even keeps you updated about popular meals that require special attention to save time. As a result, the kitchen can run more quickly overall, increasing the restaurant's success.   

3. Group Orders 

Even still, all these advancements might not be sufficient. There could yet be a little gap for an order to slip through.

Don't get confused; we are talking about group orders. We have seen so many restaurants killing it out there with their customer experience, but they usually struggle when it comes to group orders. 

It mainly happens because the back house is updated (Just on time when they receive an order), and they have less time to prepare & deliver, leading to delays. The order is also disorganized, confusing the team to get started and operate properly. 

But, the restaurant POS system can solve this problem as well. 

Let's find out how a POS system improves efficiency & speed…

POS systems have in-built functionality to take orders and update the back-of-the-house team(in a proper manner). 

The front-of-house team can use this built-in functionality to aggregate a table's orders altogether and send them to the kitchen as a single order rather than as individual dockets, but only when the full order is prepared to be served.

You'll receive one that is automatically categorized per item, and the combined order will be stacked for your convenience. It's simple to read through and begin preparing appropriately. There was only simple stacking and delivery, no back-and-forth or extensive research. 

4. Leverage POS System for Waste Management! 

There are a lot of things going on in the kitchen. And it's not unusual for objects to get knocked over, cross-contaminated, or anything else to happen in such situations. It frequently occurs. 

Your cooks have created a delectable recipe that is so ideal, so delightfully straightforward, and so basic. Customers can't stop ordering it because they love it so much. 

But then comes a pause. 

Now your customers are no longer interested in this dish, and you are left with lots of ingredients that you longer need. But you need to move on. Then it occurs once again. 

So, what should you do now?

As you may have suspected, the answer is your POS software. POS software assists you in data analysis and inventory management in a way that prevents overstocking. 

Your restaurant POS system can help you calculate how much of each stock is needed per meal by letting you input your current stock and inventory. 

This method may then keep track of just how much stock you are using up each day, keeping you updated on your inventory and when products might need replacement. As this approach will remind you and keep track of the products you may have forgotten about, it reduces the likelihood that food will go to waste. 

This system consequently alerts you when products are due to expire and what needs to be used without requiring you to check each item individually, saving you time and money and enabling you to be more stable. 

5. Skip the Traditionals and Incorporate Sophisticated Tech!

If you are tired of juggling a clipboard and pen while managing the inventory for your restaurant? It's time to upgrade your system and streamline your back-house management with an end-to-end solution.

With the latest POS technology and its integration facilities, you can manage your restaurant inventory from your smartphone, tablet, or even computer. Say goodbye to the days of manually tracking inventory and hello to real-time updates that help you make informed decisions.

With your tech-driven restaurant POS system, you can easily track every aspect of your restaurant's inventory. This way, you can avoid running out of crucial items and ensure that you always have what you need to keep your business running smoothly.

But the benefits of an end-to-end inventory management system don't stop there. You can also track your costs, monitor waste and spoilage, and even predict demand based on historical data. By understanding your inventory on a deeper level, you can make informed decisions about how to improve your restaurant's profitability.

Plus, with the cloud-based POS technology, you can access your inventory management system from anywhere, at any time. 

So what are you waiting for? Ditch the clipboard and upgrade to an end-to-end inventory management system for your restaurant. Your back-house management will thank you!

Conclusion

Here's a wrap on how your POS system can boost not only your front-house activities but back-of-house activities as well. 

You might have been using the POS System for your restaurant's front-of-house operations but unable to gauge its effectiveness for back-of-house.

And, if you are not using a restaurant POS system at all, you are losing out on many capabilities that will simplify your restaurant operations in so many different ways. 

Here's a quick tip: Whether you need advanced reporting features, mobile ordering, or inventory management, finding the right POS system that can boost back-of-house workflow operations is quite important. So, do your research and find the right one from the available alternatives. 

Staying ahead of the curve is crucial in today's competitive restaurant landscape. But now, you can do it seamlessly with the added advantages of a sophisticated benefit-driven POS system. You can differentiate your restaurant from the competition and elevate your operations to the next level. 

If you are looking for a feature-rich POS system for your business needs, check out how OVVI's efficient POS system can streamline work and your restaurant operations as a whole.