Bar and restaurant operators often face tough dilemmas, ranging from the daily question, “Should we be mixing more drinks or turning more tables?” to strategic decisions such as, “Should we use a patchwork of digital features or one platform?”
But these questions don’t require an either-or answer. With today’s technology, bar and lounge operators can have the best of both worlds. Digital platforms can help time-strapped operators address their historically difficult questions by minimizing operational complexity, giving their crews more time to assist guests, and providing staff with the freedom to accomplish more in both the front and back of the house.
Here are four “tough calls” that tech can turn into easy decisions: I’ll take both.
‘Stay out of the weeds’ or serve more patrons?
“Staying out of the weeds” in the restaurant industry means avoiding overwhelming tasks and staying ahead of demands. This requires effective preparation and clear communication across the house.
A kitchen display system (KDS) helps meet these needs by streamlining back-of-the-house operations. Connecting all staff through a single system, a KDS can help avoid costly mistakes and can help make even the busiest rush periods predictable and manageable.
With KDS screens, staff can monitor orders from almost any location on the premises, which can enhance efficiency and help the bar or lounge serve more customers.
Moreover, a KDS helps prep stations focus on one task at a time, while managers can instantly identify which servers need assistance to turn tables or bar seats faster. It also controls the flow of online orders based on in-house customer volume, helping the kitchen from becoming overwhelmed.
A KDS can enable operators to serve more patrons effectively by keeping staff out of the weeds. Andy Rooney, owner of Cafe 3 Little Figs in Somerville, Mass., shared his thoughts on Toast’s KDS screens: “I love [them] and have them everywhere. My staff can monitor orders from almost any location. Prep stations can fulfill their order items as they go, and our managers can quickly see who is in the weeds at any given moment. We are also able to limit and control how many online orders fire based on the volume of customers ordering in person, so the kitchen never gets (too) overwhelmed.”
Mix more drinks or turn more tables?
This question often stymies operators eager to increase revenues. But with handhelds, bartenders can be in more places at once—connecting with guests on the floor while staying on top of tickets behind the bar. The bartender’s role becomes more holistic, helping out like a server, food runner, or busser while managing their primary duties.
This versatility is one reason why successful bars and restaurants are adopting handhelds. These devices enable bartenders to read customer situations in real time and adapt accordingly, whether by assisting a colleague at a table, offering another round to bar patrons, or even managing inventory on the fly. Seamlessly switching between tasks is designed to enhance service speed and accuracy. It empowers bartenders to take a more proactive role in the overall dining experience, which can help with higher customer satisfaction and potentially increased sales.
Heading into football season, bartenders are akin to quarterbacks. They often set the tone for team dynamics during their shifts and frequently coordinate with servers, kitchen staff, and management to ensure smooth operations. While quarterbacks use earpieces in their helmets and tablets on the sidelines to gather real-time data, bartenders need their handhelds to compete.
Chris Segal, a partner at 101 Concepts, which operates Meehan’s Public House, a bar and restaurant in downtown Atlanta, knows all about controlling the rush. The restaurant is a short walk from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and AmericasMart wholesale trade center, so whether it’s the Super Bowl or an event at the exhibition center, things get hectic very quickly.
“We’re like a bowling alley bar; it’s very long and narrow. I think I logged seven or eight miles on walking up and down this bar one day,” Segal said. “You may have a table in the back, and it’s probably an eighth of a mile from the bar. Handhelds help us so that staff don’t have to keep going back and forth to the stations in a crowded room.”
A mishmash of strong digital features? Or all tools on one platform?
According to a 2024 Toast survey, one of the biggest challenges for restaurant operators is managing the administrative aspects of their business, from juggling multiple service channels and locations to effectively leveraging guest data.
A significant part of the problem is the fragmentation of restaurant tech stacks. Operators often rely on separate software tools for kitchen management, point of sale (POS), marketing efforts like email and SMS, and other operational functions. This patchwork of systems can leave operators feeling more tethered to their outdated tech stack than open to embracing a comprehensive solution.
However, there’s a better way. Restaurants and bars can consolidate all their essential tools into a single platform, seamlessly connecting dozens of integrations on one dashboard. This approach allows operators to enjoy the best-in-class digital features they need, all within a unified, easy-to-use platform.
Automate or keep the human touch?
Some operators worry that digital transformation will lead to less customer engagement, with patrons spending more time on devices and less on conversations with bartenders and servers. But digital tools like handhelds and KDS screens can free up time, allowing more moments for menu recommendations and friendly interactions. It’s not an either-or decision; it’s a win-win for operators and guests.
In recent years, bar and restaurant operators have faced seemingly black-and-white decisions about digital transformation. But with the right level of commitment and investment, today’s technology turns tough choices into an easy answer: I’ll take both—efficiency and engagement, all in one package.
1To help better understand the restaurant industry, Toast conducted a blind survey of 755 vSMB/SMB restaurant decision-makers from May 17, 2024, to June 2, 2024. Respondents were not made aware that Toast was fielding the study. Panel providers granted incentives to restaurant respondents for participation. Using a standard margin of error calculation, at a confidence interval of 95 percent, the margin of error on average is +/- four percent.
