Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry: The Final Word

Food costs, supply chain, employee management, inventory management, and the list goes on. How can you keep tabs on everything? One option is extensive hiring, which would shoot the costs out of the roof. The other option; searching for the best software for food and beverage industry.

However, stacking software solutions for each task is not feasible either. And with the growing pool of technology solutions, choosing can become another task on your list.

So let us relieve you of hours of research. Uncover the best software for food and beverage industry. This article will be your ultimate guide from inventory management and shift scheduling to extensive ERP solutions.

No Need To Break the Bank: Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry Free

If you’re searching for the best software for food and beverage industry, you’re hoping to see some free options. So let’s discuss those first to take some burden off your shoulders. Free options depend on what you are looking for. There are solutions that tackle different areas of business operations.

Small restaurant owners often go for index cards which aren’t illogical until they start giving you a hard time. Index cards can easily get wet or misplaced. They are also hard to update. Hence Trello would be a good choice.

It is a digital bulletin board where you can organize and keep track of your tasks and work with others. It helps plan menus, create recipes, manage supplies, and work as a team. And the best part? It has a basic plan that is free forever!

Next, we have Odoo, which helps track inventory, sell products, buy raw materials, and manage money.

Like Trello, it has a free plan with additional options once you upgrade your restaurant.

Moreover, money management can seem overwhelming when you’re starting any business, but not when you have GnuCash. It is a program for keeping track of your money and generating reports for better decisions.

Another useful software solution is a restaurant POS system. Start with eHopper for the best software for food and beverage industry with free options. It helps restaurants take orders, customize menus, organize tables, and get basic reports.

However, let’s keep sight of the fact that POS systems rely on hardware. You would have to spend a bit of money on the devices.

From Ingredients to Insights: Best Restaurant Inventory Management Software

Now that you know some free options, it’s time to get real with the best restaurant inventory management software. Did you know that almost 30% of restaurants’ revenue goes into food costs?

This percentage only increases when you ignore inventory management. Doing it manually can lead to errors, not to mention the time and resources it will consume. So why not go for software that can help you control food costs in your restaurant?

The frontrunner on this list is Posist. It is the best software for food and beverage industry to streamline operations. Ease of use, responsive customer support, and efficient order display are some of its plus points.

However, it falls short regarding a free trial, customizable report formatting, and automatic calculation. For pricing, visit their website for a custom quote.

Next, there is MarketMan, which can work with most POS systems. Moreover, it informs you when you’re running low on ingredients, helps with ordering, and calculates food value. While it costs between $179 and $339 per month, the perks it delivers are worth the price.

For the added benefit of barcode scanning, go for Shopventory, which is a real-time inventory software. It doesn’t have a POS, but it can work with other popular ones like Square and Clover. Its collective features include tracking orders, scanning barcodes, and reminding you when food expires.

The price ranges from $79 to $799 monthly, depending on how many locations you have and what features you need. Therefore, you get a perfect balance between what you need and how much you can spend.

However, remember that restaurant inventory management is not only about the software. It is also about procedures and rules.

Restaurant Shift Scheduling Software To Make Allocation a Piece of Cake

Managing a restaurant, particularly employee management, has become an uphill battle after the Covid-19 pandemic. Long and uncertain shifts have caused people to leave the food industry and look for other jobs.

Hence, restaurant shift scheduling software has emerged as one of the most crucial software systems for food. But to choose the best one, you need to know the ins and outs of each. Here’s a list of the best software for food and beverage industry for shift scheduling to help you decide.

1. 7Shifts allows you to schedule shifts by dragging and dropping easily. But that’s not even the best part. It adjusts your schedule based on employee availability! This also helps you analyze attendance trends. However, you can’t edit a report after publishing and may not get customer support on weekends.
2. Next, we have Sling by Toast, which helps you easily plan shifts, track time, and manage payroll. While its features are useful, they can be tricky to use. It has three plans; free, $1.70 monthly, and $3.40 per month, respectively.
3. Lastly, let’s discuss Restaurant365. It offers a scheduling app as part of its product bundles. Choose this if you want access control and good support. However, it requires extensive training before use, and the mobile app has issues. Its pricing ranges between $435 and $635 monthly.

No matter what software you choose, it will help manage your restaurant. Therefore, pick one that suits your needs and start working smarter.

Is There a Need for Reputation Management Software for Restaurants?

Until now, you’ve discovered the best software for the food and beverage industry to schedule shifts and manage inventory. Now it’s time to talk about reputation management. This type of software and apps for restaurant owners are critical for succeeding.

It uses strategies and methods to manage how people think and talk about your restaurant. The best way to do this is by providing exceptional customer service. However, it won’t always be rainbows and sunshine. You might still get negative reviews. That’s where hospitality and restaurant reputation management jumps into the picture.

But do you need software for that? Well, 90% of diners use reviews as a judge when choosing a restaurant. And with the overflowing amount of reviews, it would be hard to manage your reputation manually.

Besides, reputation management software for restaurants provides other perks too that can help you improve your overall business.

Firstly, it gives you valuable insights into how your online presence is performing. Using the reports this software generates, you can spot areas of improvement.

Moreover, you can automate Google reviews with this software. Occasional negative and fake reviews won’t make much difference when actively seeking reviews. This is phenomenal for Google Reviews’ reputation management.

Furthermore, you can craft professional and effective responses to reviews. Remember, you must reply to all positive, negative, or fake reviews. Some WiFi marketing solutions also allow you to manage reviews on the main local review sites.

So which software should you go for? Here are a few options:

• BirdEye
• BrandWatch
• ReviewTrackers
• Podium
• Yext
• Brand24

Do your research and choose the one that best fits your needs.

4 Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry That Business Owners Should Use

If you think you can always manage and operate your restaurant manually, you’ve got another thing coming. From customer engagement and HACCP plan to getting your restaurant into the spotlight, things can become overwhelming without technology.

So the following sections will discuss the four best software for food and beverage industry that you should use. Let’s jump right in.

Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry To Drive Customer Engagement

Why do some restaurants always have queues of customers while others struggle to get even a small group? One of the reasons is free WiFi! It helps them engage with your business and vice versa.

But WiFi marketing isn’t just about giving your password to customers who ask for it. You need proper software to help make the most out of your free WiFi.

This software can help you build an email list to use later to promote your offers. Moreover, your marketing team can gain insightful data about your customers’ preferences.

But the real question is, which is the best software for food and beverage industry for WiFi marketing?

There are many options, and it depends on what you need. Some software offers too many features that most small and medium businesses don’t need. Moreover, you might encounter hidden fees and hardware expenses.

Therefore, ensure to understand what your WiFi marketing software of choice offers before subscribing.

Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry to Meet HACCP Compliance

With marketing and management, you must also pay attention to health and safety. So, after customer engagement, let’s talk about the best software for food and beverage industry for HACCP.

It stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points. It’s a system that helps make sure that the food we eat is safe. The food and beverage industry uses it to prevent diseases and other hygiene problems.

One of the best HACCP plan software is SafetyChain. It brings together different teams like production and quality control. Moreover, it helps you track if suppliers follow the rules and automatically fix problems.

Another option you can try is 3iVerify by Primority. It helps you manage suppliers, control processes, and organize important documents. You can also create reports to show you are meeting the requirements.

Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry That Acts Like an Assistant

After WiFi marketing and safety, it’s time to move on to two types of software that can become your assistants. These are Point of Sale and online ordering and delivery systems. Let’s discuss each one individually.

POS systems help with order taking, menu management, and payment processing.

Toast is one of the best POS systems for restaurants. In addition to all the routine POS tasks, Toast offers staff management tools and customer loyalty programs.

Another option is Square, a versatile POS platform that integrates with online ordering and offers helpful services for restaurants.

Speaking of online delivery, ChowNow is one of the best software for the food and beverage industry for this task. It allows customers to order from restaurant apps or websites easily. This clears the path for convenience and quick service. Other popular options are DoorDash and Uber Eats.

Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry To Get Your Restaurant In the Spotlight

The best software for food and beverage industry to increase your online presence wraps this list up. What’s a better way to do that than social media?

Managing your restaurant’s social media presence can help build a strong brand and attract customers. Here are some software solutions to assist you.

• Hootsuite: A social media management tool allows you to schedule and publish posts across multiple platforms. It also helps streamline social media efforts and maintain an active presence. Remember, a consistent social media presence goes a long way for customer acquisition.
• Sprout Social: It provides social media scheduling, engagement, and analytics tools. It helps you monitor your online presence and engage with your audience effectively.

Which ERP Is the Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry?

While the above software solutions are best in what they do, ERP software claims the throne. It stands for Enterprise Resource Planning. You can achieve many of the mentioned operations with this single software.

However, this is not an “in the price of one” deal because ERP software is undoubtedly more expensive. Now let’s answer, “Which ERP is the best software for the food and beverage industry?”

Oracle NetSuite is one of the most popular food and beverage ERP software. It’s all online, so you can access it from anywhere. It helps keep track of inventory, process orders, plan for customer demand, and manage finances. Moreover, it gives a clear view of everything happening in the business and controls things.

Next, we have Acumatica, which KFC uses! It helps keep track of your finances and helps manage customer relationships with a CRM. Moreover, it operates on the cloud and connects with other programs.

Should You Rely on a Single Best Software for Food and Beverage Industry?

When it comes to choosing software, it’s all down to what you have to do. Therefore, identify your requirements and plan a budget.

The best software for the food and beverage industry is the one that suits your need, and you can afford it. If you want to:

• Collect valuable customer data
• Automate marketing initiatives
• Improve customer engagement
• Personalize marketing campaigns
• Enhance customer loyalty
• Grow online reputation
• Increase foot traffic

Then a WiFi marketing solution like Beambox is what you need. Start your free trial today!

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