Jeremy Julian
Jeremy Julian
The role of Information Technology continues to expand in the restaurant industry. The ability to increase productivity, monitor and analyze data, and effectively manage operations has grown in tandem with the programs that are used to operate restaurants. As the general public’s use for technology has spread, technology has adapted to the public’s tastes, designing and developing applications that are meant to be intuitive and easy to use. This “consumerized” technology has many notable benefits, which can make it easy to ignore their flaws. What is Technology Consumerization? Gartner’s IT Glossary defines the consumerization of technology like this: “Consumerization is the specific impact that consumer-originated technologies can have on enterprises. It reflects how enterprises will be affected by, and can take advantage of, newContinue Reading …
For most restaurant managers, smartphones have become a scourge. Seeing an employee checking her phone usually means that somewhere in the restaurant, work isn’t getting done. As these devices – and restaurant operating systems – have evolved, their place in the restaurant has changed. In addition to online ordering and other customer-centric uses for smartphones, servers can use their handheld devices to send orders directly to the kitchen. Restaurateurs that don’t want to buy tablets for every member of the wait staff have a new, less costly option: a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy that allows team members to connect directly with the restaurant’s POS over a wireless network. This system can improve productivity and give your business a jump on the competition,Continue Reading …
As restaurateurs consider integrating or updating their traditional point of sale (POS) systems with software as a service (SaaS) or cloud-based solutions, keeping track of all of the programs that keep the restaurant functioning becomes a job all its own. Managing multiple sources, services and vendors – what we call “technology sprawl” – can become a burden and reduce efficiency within your operation. So what is the best method for managing technology sprawl? Should restaurants stick with their traditional POS and add features and functions as needed, or make the switch to an all-in-one provider? What is Technology Sprawl? Technology sprawl occurs when information is separated by a variety of applications that don’t always communicate well with each other. Since POS systems have traditionallyContinue Reading …
Choosing a new POS system today requires more than just picking the best program on the market. Restaurateurs have to decide between two different types of technology altogether: a traditional, “on-premise” system, or a cloud-based software solution. Understanding the difference between the two will make the choice easier, and open up new opportunities to make your operations more efficient and profitable. SaaS & On-Premise Software: What’s The Difference? SaaS and on-premise software do the same thing – they make restaurant operations possible by tracking inventory, sales, labor, and other aspects of your business. The difference is where these programs live, and the opportunities they provide. On-premise software runs on computers that stay on site at your restaurant, rather than at a remote facility. In contrast,Continue Reading …
Big Data is a buzzword in the tech industry that is confusing to some and annoying to others. Either way, the opportunities available in Big Data for restaurants have become too big to ignore. What Is Big Data? Ars Technica defines Big Data as “the entire process of gathering and storing tremendous amounts of data, then applying tremendous amounts of computing power and advanced algorithms to the data, in order to pick out trends and connect dots that would otherwise be invisible and un-connectable within the mass.” Kenneth Cukier, data editor for The Economist, explains in a TED Talk what Big Data is and the applications for businesses and the general population. Cukier is optimistic about the future that Big Data can provide but cautious aboutContinue Reading …
Critical EMV Questions Answered by The Restaurant Technology Guys There have been so many questions flooding our inboxes at The Restaurant Technology Guys blog and Custom Business Solutions that we felt it would just be easier to sit down and record a short video to address some of the most common questions. EMV is such a big deal right now and there is so much uncertainty as to what that means for the restaurant industry that we had plenty to talk about. Below are the questions we addressed in the vlog, but if you have any questions we didn’t address on the video, feel free to tweet us at @RestTechGuys or email us to have all of your questions answered… Or you’ll at least get our best effort!Continue Reading …
