In this article, we’ll show you how a “Performance Optimiser” can bridge the gap between these two areas to improve profitability and customer satisfaction.
Collaboration is the key to running a successful restaurant. However, miscommunication between the front-of-house and back office operations can have a significant impact on a restaurant’s success. In this article, we’ll show you how a “Performance Optimiser” can bridge the gap between these two areas to improve profitability and customer satisfaction. By utilising technology like Syrve, this new role can streamline operations, exploit real-time data, and provide innovative solutions.
Just like a football team, a restaurant relies on its players to work together. The chef directs the kitchen staff like defenders, while the front-of-house team acts as midfielders and strikers. But if everyone isn’t working together, the game is lost. In a restaurant, the front-of-house and back office teams must collaborate to succeed. The Performance Optimiser role fills this crucial gap. This specialised position communicates with both teams, streamlines collaboration, and handles unexpected situations.
The Performance Optimiser is not your average Restaurant Operations Director. While they share some responsibilities, it is a specialised and focused position that tackles (excuse the pun!) the unique challenge of aligning the front-of-house and back office. They streamline communication and collaboration between these two areas and are the go-to person for creative solutions and handling unexpected situations. This requires effective communication and collaboration with both teams, the ability to think creatively to drive profitability and customer satisfaction, and the capacity to handle unexpected situations quickly and effectively. Think of them as the attacking coordinator in football, responsible for designing plays and ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
Sure, some skeptics may argue that this new role is unnecessary or too costly, but in today’s data-driven world, it could be the key to success.
Imagine using next-generation technology to track and interpret sales demand, customer preferences, popular menu items, ingredient movements, performance, and more all in one place, real-time. A 360 degree view of your operations in-the-moment along with self-driving process automation. Now combine that with the human intuition required to fully interpret the power of this data and develop creative solutions to drive profitability and customer satisfaction.
One of the biggest challenges in restaurant operations is that key events such as stock checks, inter-store transfers, purchases, consignment receipting, batch updates, kitchen production, wastage etc. are often accounted for in a separate system from where they actually happen. This creates delays, errors, and duplication resulting in operational blind-spots and a lack of control over the many small details that impact a restaurant’s performance and margins. Unfortunately, legacy POS applications do little to address this gap, if anything they accentuate it, leaving operators struggling to manage these critical aspects of their business.
Utilising next-gen Restaurant Control technology like Syrve the Performance Optimiser can be made more efficient by re-writing the rules of work on how data is captured, processes are automated, and insights are used. This eliminates the need for spreadsheets, paperwork, or message passing, making the process entirely digital. Syrve can unify front-of-house and back-office processes and keep all aspects of a restaurant business in sync. Also, many processes including demand forecasting, prep plans, purchasing, alerts and notifications can be self-driving.
Technology, AI, and data analytics tools like Syrve can provide a wealth of data for restaurant performance optimisation. Sales data can help identify peak business hours and predict future sales trends. Inventory data can assist in managing food costs by tracking food usage and waste. Ingredients data can help to ensure consistency in dishes across multiple locations and monitor supplier performance. Menu data can highlight which menu items are most profitable and which items need to be removed or modified. Labour data can identify staffing needs, optimise employee schedules, and monitor employee performance etc. However, interpreting and acting on these findings still requires human intuition. For example, the Performance Optimiser must consider cultural nuances and preferences when selecting ingredients and menu items, and understand customer feedback and ratings beyond numerical scores to personalise the customer experience. They must also address staff performance issues and balance employee needs and business needs while fostering a positive workplace culture.
Let’s take it up a notch:
What if the Performance Optimiser and enabling technology are more than just a solution, but the secret sauce to a restaurant’s success? As this role gains more momentum, it’s possible that we may witness it becoming the industry standard, distinguishing the successful ones from the rest.
And what if the Performance Optimiser role grows so crucial that it supersedes the traditional front-of-house and back office positions altogether; where the role oversees all aspects of the restaurant’s operations, from staffing and inventory management to menu planning and customer service? Could restaurants start to resemble tech companies, with agile methodologies and cross-functional teams driving innovation?
But with great power comes great responsibility. Will restaurant employees be open to this new way of working? Only time will tell.
The possibilities are endless, and it’s up to restaurant owners and managers to determine whether they want to hop on board. And who knows, maybe the football analogy only scratches the surface. Perhaps we need to take a holistic approach, considering every team member, supplier and investor as part of the winning formula for a thriving restaurant.
In conclusion, without the Performance Optimiser role and innovative technology like Syrve, restaurants will continue to struggle with miscommunication, blind-spots and lack of control, leading to decreased profitability and customer dissatisfaction. By embracing this modern approach and taking proactive steps to tackle operational disconnects, restaurants can stay ahead of the game and thrive in a highly competitive industry. The time to act is now.
