In Part 1 of How Data is Sculpting the Modern Day Restaurant, we outline the significance of knowing the consumer and how this information can impact a restaurant's bottom line. Whether its dining habits, a favorite meal or even a birthday, gathering consumer data can lead to impactful decision making, increased sales and improved operations. Consumers are rapidly embracing new innovations and demanding cutting-edge restaurant technology options, therefore, implementing data-driven tools is non-negotiable to weather this competitive storm. Here are the tools we highlighted in Part 1:
A Recipe for Success
Data can be found in every aspect of a restaurant…down to the carrot! The data in your ingredients and recipes is waiting to be harnessed so you can make better operational decisions. A recipe determines profitability, menu design, margins and is the center point of every kitchen. Every bit of food data should be utilized to drive decision making; however, the manual process is exhausting!
Galley, turns kitchen chaos into a recipe for streamlined operations. Through the platform, operators can simplify production, understand food costs, optimize purchasing, increase revenue, and ship menu updates to all their teams in record time.
Meez, a recipe software for culinary pros, is every chefs dream. The platform allows chef’s to scale ingredients, organize recipes, update costs in real time, train, collaborate, and the tool automates allergen data as you add in ingredients!
Sharpening Your Competitive Edge
Technology has become the root of restaurant growth and operators who are embracing data-driven solutions are unquestionably ahead of the game. However, restauranteurs aren’t the only ones reaping the benefits of data. Distributors, manufacturers and restaurant technology providers are taking a bite out of the competition by acting on insights provided by companies like Brizo Foodmetrics. Brizo collects data from over 1,200,000 restaurants and other foodservice establishments.
Through the platform restaurant technology providers can ….
- Conduct detailed competitive analysis to make better decisions
- Create targeted campaigns
- Shorten research time and optimize resources
- Measure current market activity
Distributors/ Manufacturers can….
- Analyze competitors
- Find new markets
- Discover packaging solutions
- Identify restaurants that offer dishes or drinks that you distribute or manufacture
Bridging the Gap between Distributors and Restaurants
Currently, there is an apparent barrier between buyers and sellers within the industry. The average restaurant orders from four to eight suppliers on a sometimes daily basis, making the process cumbersome and prone to errors. Not only that, but tracking expenses and monitoring spending has turned into spreadsheet hell! Both distributors and operators have the labor intensive task of gathering information to make informed decisions. Done manually, the odds of accuracy are slim to none. Platforms like Simple and Cut + Dry are bridging that gap through their time and cost saving dashboards.
Simple‘s digital restaurant marketplace brings Amazon-like simplicity, insights and efficiency to buying, selling and marketing food service products. Finally, a product that organizes purchasing and supply chain data that benefits the operators and the distributor! The platform connects emerging brands and independent restaurants with distributors while providing actionable data that makes everything .. well.. “simple.” Through the built-in analytics dashboard, operators can monitor pricing trends, track how costs fluctuate over time and help control expenses. Distributors can find data on potential leads making selling, retaining and communicating with clients effortless.
Cut + Dry‘s all in one commerce enablement platform for foodservice distributors brings transparency and efficiency by digitizing the ordering and tracking process. The free app provides a permanent digital ordering record, allowing teams to efficiently submit orders, check-in deliveries, chat with supplier sales representatives, scan invoices, request credits, reconcile with accounting, and track price fluctuations.
What’s Next?
While the vision of what the future holds for restaurants will continue to evolve, what’s certain is that the use of data technology will continue to grow and play a much larger role for the consumer, restauranteur, and distributor. Trends suggests that by 2030, technology and data will be the driving factors for consumer and operational success.