If you want to achieve the maximum functionality and efficiency of your restaurant, then it’s a must to have a restaurant management system (RMS).
An RMS handles all time-consuming menial tasks and addresses restaurant-specific needs, such as inventory, floor plans, orders, and delivery. In addition to this, it also improves employee productivity and enhances the overall experience of your guests.
But with all the choices out there, which one should you pick? This article will list the best restaurant management apps for your business in 2021.
Toast
Toast is a cloud-based restaurant management app that gives you all the control, visibility, and support that you need to make your restaurant function more efficiently.
Aside from being a POS app, Toast also offers helpful features such as inventory and labor management, an online ordering system, and a kitchen display system. It also allows integration to third-party apps that handle loyalty points and accounting, among other things. Due to the pandemic, Toast has also started including contactless ordering in its list of features.
Prices start at $200 with the Starter Kit, which you can further enhance by availing add-ons. If you need something more robust, you can also request a quote for the Growth and Enterprise tiers.
Menumiz
Convenience is the name of the game for Menumiz. Committed to enhancing operations through efficient processes, Memumiz is a fully integrated restaurant management system that offers reliable features such as table-side order management, floor management, and other POS functions.
One of its standout features is a special digital menu that you can customize to your liking. Guests can access this through the Menumiz app, where they can also order and have their food delivered straight to their doorstep. Payment can be made on the app for a hassle-free and convenient transaction.
There are five tiers to Menumiz’s pricing. Four are paid, though they do come with a one-month free trial. All plans have the same features and only vary based on the number of tables and concurrent scans they support. For instance, the free plan supports only ten tables and ten scans simultaneously; while the most expensive plan, at $199 per month, supports an unlimited number of tables and scans.
7Shifts
Primarily an employee management app, 7Shifts keeps your restaurant running smoothly with sophisticated cloud-based scheduling and clocking technology, built-in team communication and engagement features, and 24/7 support availability.
The interface is also very easy to learn and use for both management and ground-level employees, keeping everyone satisfied and saving you time and money at the same time.
7Shifts has five different plans available. The free plan already includes scheduling and clock functions, but it does lack many other features. If you want more sophisticated tools like POS integration and SMS notifications, the set plans cost $17.99 to $69.99 monthly. The most expensive plan is customized to your needs and has variable pricing. All plans offer a one-month free trial when you sign up.
Sapaad
As a cloud-based POS, Sapaad distinguishes itself from other restaurant management apps by also being a top-notch delivery management system.
In addition to this, Sapaad takes pride in its versatility and user-friendliness. It can be used by businesses of any size and works with different types of orders. It also offers inventory management, kitchen display systems, and integration with food ordering platforms, logistics platforms, and accounting platforms.
Sapaad has a scalable price model that changes based on how many branches your restaurant has. For example, it costs $53.99 monthly for one branch and $214.99 for five branches. You can also avail of optional add-ons for orders, built-in loyalty programs, and unlimited CRM services. If you want to try it out for yourself, just sign up to get a 14-day free trial.
CAKE
CAKE is a restaurant POS system whose main goal is to enhance your guests’ dining experience.
Built specifically for restaurant needs, CAKE has simple and easy-to-use systems, customized workflows, and on-the-spot adjustments for your table and menu offerings. CAKE also offers add-ons, such as an online ordering system called Online Ordering that can be fully integrated into your POS system, and a guest management system called Guest Manager that enables curbside orders, reservations, waitlisting, and analytics.
Pricing for CAKE Point of Sale starts at $69 monthly and already includes the POS system, 24/7 support, a training portal, and even security monitoring. The Guest Manager, on the other hand, costs $79 monthly for all features and unlimited usage. If you don’t have any hardware yet, CAKE also offers packages. Prices vary depending on the number of units you want to avail.
Upserve
Committed to improving efficiency and increasing your profit margins, Upserve is an all-in-one solution to restaurant management.
From POS systems to analytics to shift schedulers and online ordering, Upserve has it all. The app is compatible with all your devices, including phones and tablets. As a one-stop shop for your management needs, Upserve makes managing your restaurant so much easier. It can manage your employees, inventory, kitchen, menu, and more. It even comes with additional features when you avail of the higher tiers.
Plans start with the Core tier at $59.00 monthly and another $60.00 per terminal. Next is the Pro tier, which costs $199.00 monthly plus $50.00 per terminal. Finally, the Enterprise tier costs $359.00 and an additional $40 per terminal. All tiers come with various paid add-ons.
When I Work
When I Work is a restaurant management app designed to make both restaurant workers and managers happy while streamlining restaurant operations at the same time.
With its robust scheduling and coordinating app, plotting out your workers’ slots and tracking their daily schedules have never been easier. When I Work allows you to neatly organize a schedule that everyone can see in real-time, integrate scheduling with time trackers, and communicate within a team platform. It also has one of the cleanest and easiest-to-use interfaces among other restaurant management apps.
Pricing starts at $2 a month per user for the Small Business plan, with a maximum of 100 users. Beyond that, you need to get the Enterprise plan, which has variable pricing and additional features. There’s also a 14-day free trial that you can access by scheduling a demo.
Lightspeed
With pleasing aesthetics and lightning-fast service, Lightspeed makes managing your restaurant more efficient so that you can focus on growing your business.
A cloud-based restaurant management app, Lightspeed allows you to manage your floor plan and inventory, consolidate online orders, and create and manage a customizable menu from anywhere, anytime. You can also avail of other software modules that include ordering management, staff management, customer management, and multi-store management.
Prices start at $59 a month (billed annually) for the POS system alone. Basic add-ons like the kitchen display system and the customer-facing display start at $12 monthly, while premium add-ons like the loyalty app and the self-order kiosk start at $39 monthly. You can also schedule a demo for free if you want to try it out first.
Jolt
Jolt is a restaurant management app that uses cutting-edge technology to automate as many processes as it can.
It has a team accountability feature that allows you to build custom checklists and forms, track employees’ tasks with accountability verification, and study productivity trends with analytics. Inventory management is also quick and easy with digital food safety features, while employee management is made easier with built-in training, communication, and shift hubs.
Jolt offers a variable pricing model that will evaluate your business first in order to come up with a custom package that fits exactly what you need. Simply request a demo to get started.
Craver
Committed to helping you run your restaurant more efficiently, Craver is a mobile-based restaurant management app that can help you with orders, loyalty and rewards, and delivery management.
As part of its service, Craver will also help you create and launch your restaurant’s own mobile app within four weeks–all you have to do is to send in your logo and other details. This mobile app includes features such as push notifications, POS and payment integration, and curbside pickup, among many others.
Craver has three price tiers. The first tier, Starter, is priced at $199.00 monthly and is good for single-branched restaurants. The second tier, Standard, is priced at $299.00 monthly for two branches and an additional $100 per branch, as well as more features than the first tier. Lastly, Premium has variable pricing and includes all features.
Picking the Best Restaurant Management App
And that’s it for the best restaurant management apps that you can use for your business in 2021.
Having a restaurant management app to help you in your daily operations is becoming increasingly important in this day and age. After all, streamlining your processes isn’t just the practical thing to do–it’s also in your best interest to make both your employees and your guests happy and satisfied at all times.