It’s vital that professionals in the restaurant industry know how to do more with less. After all, it’s a fast-paced and ever-changing ecosystem. Doing more with less requires a variety of digital solutions and labor saving devices. 

However, it’s just as important that you’re aware of the stressors within your business. If not, you won’t be able to make smart decisions about restaurant tech options. 

With that in mind, we’ll begin by discussing the most stressful aspects of a restaurant business. That way, you’ll be able to recognize different restaurant issues before investing in tech solutions. Then, we’ll discuss various ways to put such tools into practice and finally do more with less.

Stress In the Restaurant Industry: Common Examples 

Stress can be a brutal roadblock to handle. Restaurant operations can lead to many different stressors. Here are several of the most common factors that lead to restaurant stress:

• Work overload amongst the restaurant's labor force. Over time, this can lead to burnout and low employee retention rates. 
• Strict time constraints, primarily in the kitchen. That's why it's so important to use restaurant equipment and gadgets that can automate food preparation. 
• High customer demands can be a major stressor for the chefs and wait staff. From handling allergies to special requests, customers can cause stress levels to skyrocket. 
• An understaffed eatery with a high restaurant seating capacity can be a major stressor. This would be a prime example of when to reduce manual labor, to serve more tables with less waiters.  
• High industry standards are prominent within certain restaurants. Whether you operate a restaurant in a touristy city or one with Michelin Stars, you're probably compared to other options. That's why competitive research is crucial. 
• Pressure from the restaurant manager to perform the job, while implementing upselling and cross selling tactics. This is especially common when there's a labor shortage. It's a stressful situation for everyone. 
• Constant physical demands combined with lack of breaks can become an issue for many people. Everyone's on their feet the whole shift. Plus, the constant moving around can be tiring. And if the staff is physically uncomfortable at work, employee engagement will probably be minimal. 

5 Ways to Do More With Less In the Restaurant Industry 

Any of the stressors mentioned in the previous section sound familiar? If so, know that the ability to do more with less can help eliminate each of them. In fact, the following strategies will help you out. To do more with less, read on:

1. Manage All Off-Premise Orders In One Place 

Utilize an integrated POS system to manage all your orders. When you sell dishes through delivery service providers, restaurants have the potential to reach revenue goals much quicker. However, managing a tablet for each app can be a hassle. 

So, do more with less with a central dashboard for all your off-premise needs. This can make front of house labor can be much simpler, too.

2. Proper Workforce Management Practices

There are many management practices that can help you do more with less. First you want to conduct labor forecasting efforts. This will determine the number of employees you can have to begin with. Then, it comes time to establish staff development initiatives to retain said employees. 

Don’t forget about employee recognition, benefits, and feedback. These are elements that will keep the team motivated, resulting in stronger skill sets. And the better you are at your job, the easier it is to do more with less.

3. Use Self Ordering Kiosks and Tabletop Devices

Customer-facing tech solutions can dramatically help you do more with less. Plus, they’re also capable of bringing down the cost of labor. In restaurant settings, the labor cost can be very high. 

However, when customers are able to transmit orders and process payments on their own, it frees up time for the wait staff. They also speed up table turnover rates, which is essential to steady profits.

4.  Use a Minimal Amount of Hardware 

Restaurant team members are able to do more with less with minimal hardware. This is because cloud technology lets people access the same information and products from one account, despite their physical location. For instance, a cloud based POS system will allow all its features to sync. 

There are actually numerous labor solutions that utilize cloud computing. And considering how much they can reduce labor work and time, they’re worth the investment. 

5. Adequate Staffing and Cross-Training Efforts

To do more with less, you don’t necessarily need to hire more people. Instead, implement staff optimization practices. In other words, cross-train your team so that fewer people can do more. 

Just don’t lose sight of the fact that in these situations, it’s ethical to pay the staff accordingly. If not, it’s time to limit each team member’s list of responsibilities.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Do More WIth Less Concept 

The ability to do more with less can be a life saver. And remember, this idea isn’t limited to just the restaurant industry, of course. We put together a brief FAQ section that covers some of the basics you should know in order to do more with less. The best part about it? It’s not limited to just one niche market. Continue reading to learn more!

How Can I Work More With Less People?

In order to work more with less people, you need to onboard resources that automate different tasks. For example, if you want to operate longer restaurant hours with a smaller team, onboard something like tabletop devices. This way, you’ll be able to get by with a smaller wait staff. 

As you can imagine, ideas for this problem will differ tremendously depending on the industry and business model. Just begin figuring it out by determining what tasks require the most attention. Then, you’ll be able to figure out where you can use automation tools.

How Can I Accomplish More WIth Less?

You can accomplish more with less by finding ways to multitask. Or, you can employ solutions to do the bulk of the work for you.

Can You Do More Work With Less Resources?

Yes, you can do more work even if you have less resources. In this case scenario, it’s just important that the resources you do have are of high quality. In any situation or profession, fewer high-quality resources are better than countless ones that are useless.

How Can I Do a Lot With Little TIme?

Find ways to multitask so that you can do a lot with little time. For instance, use apps and systems that put mundane or routine tasks on autopilot. Then, you’ll be able to accomplish certain duties while the systems you put in place are tackling others.

How Can I Get More Done Each Day?

Business owners and other working professionals can get more done each day by planning ahead. When you have a thought-out schedule on hand during the work day, it becomes much easier to accomplish more in a set amount of time. 

Do More With Less Stress

Learning how to do more can require a certain knack. But once you get a hold of it, you won’t believe the number of stressors you’ll be able to dodge. We know firsthand just how busy and chaotic the restaurant environment can be. So, if you’d like to learn about the ways that Revolution Ordering can help you do more with less, book a demo! Then, we can schedule some time to chat about the many ways that advanced off-premise solutions can free up time for your restaurant’s team.