As a business owner or restaurant manager, you know firsthand that operations aren’t always easy. Various pain points are bound to occur, so you must know how to solve conflicts.

As new technology in restaurants emerges and food trends evolve, staff members are always searching for new ways to adapt. And even though you learn from these experiences, it’s never a bad idea to prepare in advance.

With further ado, continue reading to learn all about pain points and solutions within the restaurant industry.

Pain Point Meaning

In business, pain points are specific problems that can occur. It’s also important to note that pain points exist for consumers, too.

Restaurant Pain Points

Within the restaurant industry, there are many pain points to look out for. Whether you’re a new business owner or operate a multi-generational eatery, it’s inevitable to face challenges from time to time.

 It’s wise to plan ahead and be aware of various pain points before they occur. With this said, continue reading to learn about different issues to avoid and the solutions to consider.

1. Food Spoilage

Food spoilage is one of the biggest drivers of restaurant expenses. It’s one of the pain points that also lacks sustainability if you’re striving to operate eco-friendly restaurants.  

More often than not, expired food will be found in kitchens when a restaurant manager orders an excessive amount of stock. To combat this issue, use a restaurant inventory management app like BlueCart to take inventory and plan accordingly.

Planning inventory restocks in advance allows you to acquire just enough of what you need. Then, an exact reorder point will ensure that future deliveries arrive just in time.

Inventory shrinkage is also a result of poor inventory management techniques. This concept refers to accounting errors leading to a lower amount of inventory than what is necessary.  

Book a demo today to learn how BlueCart can help you manage all types of inventory in your restaurant kitchen.

2. Too Many Tablets

It’s profitable for restaurants to be on multiple online ordering apps. However, ensure that it doesn’t complicate things for your staff. Save time and eliminate delivery confusion by decreasing the number of tablets used in your restaurant.

Since 2014, food delivery has grown 300% faster than dine-in services and accounts for over 40% of national restaurant sales. With this in mind, be sure to organize restaurant operations with minimal technology.

Book a demo with Revolution Ordering so that you can integrate all your orders into a single platform. Our products connect to your restaurant POS platform, making operations and order management more seamless than ever.

3. Low Customer Retention

Customer retention is necessary for long-term growth. Differentiate your restaurant from competitors by offering a unique selling proposition.

If the restaurant is in a major city like New York or Los Angeles, consider offering 24 7 food delivery. Or, perhaps a restaurant loyalty program will provoke customers to visit and return.

Regardless of which strategy you choose, execute plans that’ll promote stellar customer service. If people enjoy your business, they’ll likely talk about it. And remember, word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective form of promotion.

4. High Labor Costs

The labor cost of a restaurant can add up rather quickly.  Unfortunately, eateries experience a high turnover rate.

Turnover increases expenses by prompting the hiring and training processes continuously. Onboarding kitchen and wait staff aren’t cheap, so eateries have one of two options:

1. Find innovative ways to retain staff members
2. Figure out ways to operate with a smaller team

Many restaurants combat these costs by participating in delivery apps. The great feature about these apps is that they hire their own freelance drivers. So, restaurant managers can cut back on their team size.

Online ordering for restaurants is becoming increasingly popular for both casual dining and upscale eateries. Don’t miss out on the chance to increase profits with these services.

5. Frequent Menu Updates

Frequently updating your menu can lead to confusion. To avoid this pain point, opt for digital menus.

Digital menus can link to a custom QR code for your restaurant. The best part about this type of software is that you can control it from an app. This means you can make as many edits to a menu as you’d like, and customers will always access the most updated version.

Maybe you suddenly run out of a particular ingredient and can’t make a dish. Or, perhaps it’s a holiday, so you want to create a limited menu. With digital menus, there’s no hassle of printing out new copies.

Book a demo with SproutQR to get a sleek and professional QR code for your restaurant.

6. Minimal Restaurant Staff

Restaurant tech devices are ideal for when you’re understaffed. It can be an expensive and time-consuming process to hire new waiters, hosts, and various types of chefs. So, use innovative restaurant technology to do most of the work for you.

Digital menus and QR codes allow customers to order food without a server present. Self ordering kiosks can also lessen the number of duties of a quick service restaurant.  

If you want to alleviate work overload, use pay at table devices. One of the best perks of pay at table restaurants is that servers can dedicate more time to dire situations.

People can pay the check, order food, and leave customer reviews in one place. Plus, such devices speed up table turnover, boost cart values, and ensure order accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pain Point Meaning

Pain points can cover a wide variety of issues. The pain point meaning refers to the different struggles that a business can face. With this said, there is a lot to discuss. Continue reading to learn more.

What Are Pain Points For Restaurants?

Popular pain points that occur in restaurants include:

• Too many tablets
• High labor costs
• Customer acquisition
• Inventory spoilage
• Out-of-stock ingredients
• Malfunctioning payment processing devices

If you’re experiencing any of these pain points, your restaurant may suffer. Reevaluate your current strategy to find ways to simplify processes.

What Are Examples Of Pain Points?

A few examples of pain points that your business might face include:

• Rising food costs resulting in a shorter menu
• A high employee turnover rate, resulting in increased labor costs
• Miscommunication amongst staff, resulting in scheduling conflicts

Many pain points can arise in professional settings. However, these are a few of the most popular ones.

What Are Common Business Pain Points?

Common business pain points include:

• Rising costs
• Poor communication
• Complicated solutions
• Payroll issues
• High employee turnover
• Corporate culture
• Lack of innovation

By avoiding these pain points, businesses can streamline operations and productivity.

What Are the Four Types Of Customer Pain Points?

The four major customer pain points are:

1. Productivity: Customers who wish to be more efficient and save time.
2. Financial: Customers who strive to spend less money.
3. Process: Customers who are in search of simpler processes and systems.
4. Support: Customers who are not receiving the appropriate help and support when necessary.

As a business owner, regardless of your industry, it’s imperative to tend to these pain points to boost customer service. If not, there’s a major risk of decreasing profits.

What Are the Four Major Challenges For Restaurant Operations?

Four of the biggest challenges that restaurants face are:

1. Retaining high-quality staff: High turnover rates can cost restaurants a small fortune. From training expenses to hiring processes, constantly hiring new kitchen and wait staff can become an issue.
2. Growing operational costs: It can be expensive to run a successful restaurant. As these costs grow, it can become challenging to sustain existing efforts that work.
3. Reaching new customers: Customer acquisition takes time and money. Figuring out strategies to attract more business will also differ from one eatery to the next.
4. Avoid rising food costs: Compare prices when restocking inventory. Inflation can be a tough challenge to dodge, so finding the right deals is key.

Working hard to avoid challenges in the restaurant business is critical for steady growth. But once there’s traction, many more opportunities will become accessible.

Restaurant Operations Can Be A Real Pain

Running a business can be quite a challenge. There are many complexities within the food and beverage industry, so constantly learning is key.  

By keeping up with industry trends and business practices, you’ll be sure to succeed at operations. A successful restaurant takes time and effort, but it’ll be worth it in the end.