Published July 15, 2015

Easy Isn’t Always Better: Automation Can Hurt Restaurants

While automated systems for things like invoicing and payroll management can seem like they make restaurant owners’ lives easier, the automation of such processes can actually end up draining precious resources. This post from FSR Magazine details how automated processes can end up doing more harm than good, for fine dining restaurants in particular. One of the best things about fine restaurants is that their menus often allow for more creativity, and thus, more ingredients from more sources. While this can mean a painful monthly invoicing process for the back of house, automating that process can lead to missed invoices or even duplicates, both of which can cost the restaurant unnecessary money. It’s advised to delegate ownership of systems like these to employees who have the greatest understanding of vendor partnerships, in order to keep details and accuracy in check. The same suggestion applies when it comes to keeping track of inventory and costs involved. Chefs do more than just cook – they know exactly which ingredients are being used for each dish, every day, and can thus assist with inventory control, rather than passing off the task to an automated service that doesn’t understand the inner workings of the individual restaurant, but still charges for its “service.”

Read the full article here: Fine-Dining Restaurants’ Money Drain