Solid restaurant operations management undoubtedly contributes to restaurant success. Throw multi-site restaurants into the mix? It becomes a necessity.
Multi-site locations have far more variables to contend with. It’s harder to streamline processes, manage the logistics of inventory, and provide consistent quality to diners.
The good news is that there are ways to overcome these challenges! 😎
Keep reading to see how you can improve operational efficiency across multi-site restaurants. But first, let’s clarify why effective multi-site restaurant management is important.
Why is multi-site restaurant management so important?
Here are some of the reasons effective multi-site restaurant management is so important for success:
- Improve resource allocation. Managing different sites involves monitoring performance, which helps you identify the needs of each location. You can ensure every site gets the resources, inventory, and equipment they need to meet customer demand and increase revenue.
- Identify ways to reduce costs and boost profits. With oversight of all locations, you can pinpoint areas to minimise costs across all sites to boost profits. Is productivity low in one location? Step in to provide training on how to increase productivity. Is one location not getting enough foot traffic? Operate a delivery service or reduce opening hours.
- Maximise efficiency. Effectively managing all sites helps you increase efficiency across the business as a whole. You get the bigger picture, meaning you can spot where and how to improve operations to maximise efficiency.
How to improve multi-site restaurant management as you scale and grow
Now, let’s get to the good stuff!
We’ve outlined two of the most important things to consider when managing multi-site restaurants, especially if you’re planning to grow and expand even further. There are other ways to improve your operations (like standardising processes or training staff), but these are the two we think are the most important to consider in the current hospitality climate.
Use the right technology
Having the right restaurant technology in place is arguably the most important aspect of managing multiple restaurant sites. Think about it — it helps you manage your operations, standardise processes, track performance, monitor costs… the list goes on.
So what type of technology should you use?
That’s a good question, and it’s not easy to answer because there’s a lot of software out there to choose from. Here are some of our suggestions to narrow down your search:
- ePOS and ordering software. Give customers a consistent ordering experience and streamline operations across locations with an effective electronic point-of-sale (ePOS) system. A platform like Toast, for example, helps you handle customer payments, manage customer orders, and streamline operations across your business — all from a single location.
- Sales performance. Use software that tracks your sales performance across different locations to see which venues are performing well, what menu items are the most popular, and which items are no longer worth preparing. Then, you can make informed decisions about how to boost sales in different sites (especially if certain menu items are more popular in different areas).
- Workforce management. Implement technology to manage employees from a single platform. This means you can track labour costs and productivity for each site, identifying ways to minimise spending on staff wages and keep profit margins healthy. Depending on the technology you use, you can also create demand-based schedules and manage payroll, too.
- Inventory management. Track all your ingredients and manage supplier relationships with inventory technology. Manage food costs, calculate inventory turnover, and identify ways to reduce food waste across locations to save money.
For a platform that offers all of these features (and integrates with POS platforms), take a look at Nory! Our restaurant management software helps you keep tabs on all your restaurant locations, ensuring everything runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible — even as you grow.
Top tip 💡 When choosing restaurant technology, make sure it’s scalable. You need technology that can support your business if you continue to expand and open new locations! You also want software that provides real-time data so you can make quick and informed decisions about how to boost profits. 🤓
Consider a central production unit (CPU)
A central production unit (or central production kitchen) is a separate kitchen space that prepares ingredients and meals for multi-site restaurants. Chefs at the CPU get the food ready, and it’s distributed to the different restaurant locations for plating and serving.
CPUs are on the rise, and it’s no surprise given the rising costs in the industry at the moment. With a CPU in place, you have one large kitchen space, but the rest of your locations don’t require the same space or equipment. It means you spend less on smaller locations for your dine-in premises and use less staff to prepare the food.
So how can a CPU help you improve multi-site F&B management?
Let’s find out:
- Enhance operational efficiency. With a CPU, everything takes place under one roof. This means you can centralise your inventory management, streamline your quality control, and standardise processes at a single location. This can dramatically improve your operational efficiency. And, it helps you meet escalating customer demands swiftly, so it’s a win-win.
- Increase consistency in processes and quality. A centralised kitchen makes it more manageable to replicate successful models and expand to new locations. All of the food is prepared in the same way by the same people, so opening a new location doesn’t require intensive menu or cookery training. It also makes it easier to provide consistent quality to customers. They know what to expect, and your chefs can prepare all the food efficiently in one go.
- Identify areas of improvement. If you’re tracking performance in different locations, it can be tricky to pinpoint the cause of the problem. With a CPU, you know where the problem originates. Marta Morillas Escobar, Operations Manager at Buns from Home, talks about this in her role at Buns:
“If you have a lot of bakeries around, each with a production operation, it’s difficult to spot the cause of any issues. When everything comes from the CPU, you can easily spot what’s going wrong and put things right.”
Running a CPU is no mean feat. It requires careful planning to ensure it’s efficient, seamless, and profitable. For more information on how to create a CPU, take a look at our blog about how to create a CPU.
Top tip 💡CPUs aren’t right for every business. Before you decide to go down this path, be sure you’re making the right choice for your restaurant by reviewing your finances, processes, and talking to your staff!
Use Nory to streamline restaurant management and operations
Effective multi-site restaurant management is a core pillar of success for any expanding restaurant. It helps you streamline operations, deliver a good dining experience for customers, and (hopefully) increase profit margins in the process.
Want to take a step in the right direction? Give Nory a try to improve your restaurant management. Use our software to track sales performance in real-time, manage your inventory, and improve workforce management across all your venues!
FAQs about multi-site restaurant management
How do you manage two restaurants?
There are a lot of moving parts involved in managing two (or more) restaurants. Typically speaking, it involves standardising processes, training staff consistently, and implementing centralised and scalable technology to successfully manage operations.
What does a restaurant management system do?
A restaurant management system streamlines operations by integrating functions like point of sale, inventory, and staff management, enhancing efficiency and providing valuable data insights.
