What do guests appreciate when they visit a restaurant? Good food and drinks, a pleasant atmosphere and spending time with friends and family. These points certainly top the list. However, one disruptive factor can reduce satisfaction: long waiting times. The path to efficient processes with digital support is a quick one.
“We’re off then!”
Whether a visit was a success or not depends on various factors. One of these is good service that takes orders quickly, serves them and finally collects the bill. According to the results of the orderbird hospitality study, fast service is the decisive factor for a successful restaurant visit for over 90 per cent of people.
However, staff should not fulfil this wish at all costs. If guests feel rushed and hurried in customer contact, nothing is usually gained in the satisfaction ranking. Service must therefore not suffer as a result of speed, but at the same time it must not be neglected. Lean and efficient processes are therefore recommended in order to fulfil guests and their requirements – from the dining room to the kitchen or bar.
Digital processes and receipts
A look at the exchange between service and kitchen and bar staff reveals initial potential for optimisation. The current state of affairs in many catering establishments is the paper receipt. Orders are taken, printed out and processed in the kitchen. Then it comes to its logical end: the receipt ends up in the waste paper basket. In addition to the time it takes to print it out, hang it up in the kitchen and count up the same dishes, this process also needs to be replaced for sustainable reasons. Kitchen monitors offer numerous advantages here. Digital, automated processes take the place of previous routes (from the guest via the till to the kitchen). Paper receipts are a thing of the past and make way for more sustainable alternatives – at the same time, catering businesses save on paper costs. And orders can be clearly sorted and processed. For this purpose, a screen is installed in the kitchens that displays the entire ordering process.
Kitchen monitor in practice
Various solutions rely on additional features to increase efficiency.Our kitchen monitor from ALVARA | Digital Solutions, which we developed with our subsidiary – it relations GmbH – optimises processes and workflows in the kitchen and bar area by solving current pain points. Changes can be quickly recognised with visual highlighting.If new receipts appear or existing orders have been revised, they appear clearly visible on the kitchen monitor.To reinforce this, an acoustic signal also sounds to immediately register new orders or cancellations. The kitchen monitor creates transparency with regard to customer requests.This is because additional information, such as special requirements for food or drinks, can be easily added. The individually configurable workflows for staff promise maximum efficiency.In addition to processing the entire receipt, individual process steps can be separated out.By displaying the various items, the steps can be processed one after the other in a way that is recognisable to everyone and can be visually ticked off directly on the monitor. The solution also offers a wide range of possible applications. On the one hand, it is possible to connect several cash registers to one kitchen monitor. On the other hand, kitchen monitors can be connected so that they can be used in different areas at one location, such as in the kitchen and at the bar. A receipt can then be displayed on all devices and distributed depending on the task area (drinks, food). However, the benefits of the kitchen monitor do not end with the optimised processes. It can also be used to look at the big picture.For example, it can be used for statistical daily analyses that provide insights into processing and waiting times or enable the use of KPIs, thereby revealing further potential.
Switchover made easy
It is undisputed that digital processes have advantages for work in the catering industry – whether service, kitchen or bar.Nevertheless, widespread adoption is still a long way off. One reason for this could be the fear that the changeover will cost a lot of time and resources.A concern that can be quickly dispelled.In fact, once the hardware and software have been procured and the staff have been briefly trained, operators can benefit directly from the advantages of Kitchen Monitor in terms of increased efficiency, reduced costs and ultimately satisfied guests.
Does the Kitchen Monitor sound tempting to you? Then let us modernise your business! Connection of several cash registers to one kitchen monitor.
