Siva Prasanna
Big data is driving business decisions than ever before. Many restaurants are showing interest in big data for enhancing their business. But some major brands like A&W which is 100 years old don’t see the benefits of certain tools.
For restaurant operations, you don’t have to go with the bulk amount of data containing employee data, sales data. The operators must have a keen goal in mind before digging into the data collected. Different sources of data should be triangulated by the operator in order to achieve the conclusion. In case of loss in business, you have to look at different points of data like the speed of service, cleanliness of employee record, the taste of the food etc.,
Without the right tools, it is difficult to collect and analyze the big data. Few notable characteristics of big data are veracity, velocity, volume and variety. Big data contains both structured and unstructured data both from digital and traditional sources. The use cases of big data include Integrating social media reviews into branding image, identifying the waste of kitchen, analyzing the money which is lost due to misused coupons.
Restaurant operators only have large lists filled with sales data, employee data and much more, it can be very difficult to get insight, and panelists say operators need to have a primary goal before digging data. if certain locations lose business, look at various data points such as employee hygiene records, service speed, and other points to develop a picture of what the problem is.
Here are 5 real ways for restaurants using Big Data:
1.Using External Data For Increasing Sales:
Every day a lot of data is collected from payroll data, scheduling data, inventory data and sales. Even outside the restaurant tons of data is to be collected which is equally important. Outside restaurant ecosystem data includes recent reviews from Yelp, Social media hourly brand sentiment, traffic report and latest weather report.
There will be an explicit connection between near-shore and in-store data. The combination of these two will help to gain insights which directly impacts the bottom line.
2.Personalize Guest Experience Is Provided:
With the increase in customer demand, restaurants are trying hard on every single department for operations to enrich. Perception of food got changed, many people are looking at the food and the restaurant they choose as the reflection of their personality and class. Operators are gaining a competitive edge. Consistent loyalty leads to dinner pocketbooks. Improving the technology, personalizing the dining experience, marketing and providing feel-good food will result in gaining loyalty.
3.Getting customized insights and configuration:
Restaurants have different revenue models, different internal systems, compensation team members and working with suppliers. Every operation had a unique way of doing business. The operations are to be combined with the help of big data for industry measurements with the help of their unique models to receive customized insights and configure reports.
4.Increasing Efficiency With Integrated Systems:
A lot of different systems are used by restaurants. Larger franchises even maintain 10 or more software vendors with their payroll. There will be scheduling software, HRMS, POS system, payroll etc., Data for the specific arm of the business is to be collected and provide valuable insights independently. Restaurants will connect with existing assets, uncover digital analytics, looking for new opportunities, data models for exposing potential opportunities or pitfall.
5.Automation and Actionable Data:
Restaurants need to run at the speed of light. Staff should server in a matter of minutes for one customer to a long line of customers. With the change in the pace, operators need to assess the data. This data helps to predict what should be done next. Big data helps to collect the data, analyzing and creating a list of actions to be done by managers and staff. Big data helps to provide required insights for the managers for managing the restaurant.
To boost up the profits and marketing ROI, big data helps a lot for restaurants.Big data helps to collect payroll expenses, sales transactions, POS systems, employee schedules for future prediction and scheduling. Guest manager software helps to gather keen information like a menu, table preferences, customer data and allergies, special request which helps to gain personalize program offering. Sources like Instagram, facebook, twitter, yelp, foursquare are beneficial in building a restaurant big data program.
Social listening,Emails and insights from guest manager software can also help restaurants get to know their customers better. Some important points to learn about the target audience include demographics, age, income level, food preferences, and other favourite places to eat. One of the big data applications in the restaurant industry is using restaurant technology to improve customer experience.The national restaurant association conducted a survey in which four in five restaurant owners trusted that growth of the business is possible with the help of technology, and one-third of the owners worried about their lagging in this effort.
