| Many people may think that the tools and | | | | the integration of computerized systems into |
| technology of the restaurant industry is limited to | | | | restaurants. Printers have gotten smaller, utilizing |
| basic kitchen appliances and tools. However, one | | | | rolls of thermal or carbonless paper to be able to |
| may not expect some complex equipment that is | | | | print out orders so that the kitchen can prepare |
| used in the restaurant industry. Many restaurants | | | | them with ease. Some of these printers are even |
| are leading the way in regards to credit card | | | | designed to be able to print in multiple colors to |
| processing and point-of-sale technologies, | | | | put emphasis on specific parts of the ticket, |
| introducing new ways to serve their customers | | | | signifying whether an order is to go or if there |
| and increase the overall convenience of the dining | | | | are special preparation instructions included with |
| experience. If you have never considered how | | | | the order. Some restaurants have elected to |
| hi-tech restaurants can be, here are some of the | | | | eliminate tickets altogether aside from the ones |
| top tools and technologies that are in use in | | | | that are provided to customers; instead they use |
| restaurants today that you might never have | | | | computer monitors in the kitchen to display what |
| expected to see. | | | | different food preparation stations need to make |
| One technology that has been rapidly adopted and | | | | with the same touch-screen technology as the |
| pioneered by the restaurant industry is the | | | | POS system allowing the cooks to interact with |
| point-of-sale or POS system. These systems use | | | | the tickets and clear them with a single touch. |
| a touch-screen display to allow cashiers and | | | | Other advances in restaurant technology have |
| servers to input orders, sending them to the | | | | been integrated into the kitchen itself. Some |
| kitchen for preparation without having to manually | | | | restaurants feature advanced appliances that |
| call the order back and submit a hand-written | | | | have integrated timers and digital temperature |
| dining ticket. As they have become more | | | | gauges, reducing or eliminating the need for |
| common, the POS systems have also become | | | | separate timers or inaccurate temperature dials. |
| much more complex, with modern POS | | | | Even tasks that were once considered menial |
| technology allowing separate tickets to be sent to | | | | have found themselves being influenced by |
| different food preparation stations from a single | | | | technology for the sake of consistency; fryer |
| order being sent back by a server or cashier. As | | | | baskets and serving portions can now be filled by |
| soon as a server types a customer’s order | | | | machines that measure the exact amount needed |
| into a POS terminal, separate tickets can be | | | | every time, reducing waste and making sure that |
| printed out at a salad prep station, a fried foods | | | | the food served by the kitchen meets the same |
| station, and a grill station, all while the server is | | | | standards for each order that is placed. This sort |
| getting back out to check on his/her tables and | | | | of consistency with cooking temperatures, cook |
| make sure that all of there customers are happy. | | | | times, and portion sizes can go a long way |
| Along with the POS system, great advances have | | | | toward making sure that your customers know |
| been made in computerized stock management | | | | exactly what they are going to get each time |
| and time clock management as well. In a number | | | | that they place an order for their favorite menu |
| of restaurants, these two components are | | | | item (which in turn can lead to a lot of repeat |
| integrated directly into the POS system itself, | | | | business.) |
| allowing employees to clock in and out from any | | | | The use of technology in restaurants is only going |
| POS terminal and having the central restaurant | | | | to continue growing as restaurant owners and |
| computer keep track of hours worked. At the | | | | restaurant suppliers find new ways to reduce |
| same time, the computer is also tracking the | | | | waste and streamline the food preparation |
| amount of food and dry stock that is in the store | | | | process. |
| and automatically deducting portions based upon | | | | Each year technology advances more, and with |
| the components of the orders that are coming | | | | these advances come new possibilities that might |
| back through the POS system. Not only does this | | | | have seemed impossible just a few years ago. |
| make keeping track of stock and generating | | | | With more restaurants relying largely on |
| usage statistics much easier, but the POS system | | | | computers for their ordering systems, it is only a |
| can automatically alert servers when one or more | | | | matter of time before software advances make |
| items are out of stock. This also helps to prevent | | | | even the technology of today seem obsolete. |
| them from attempting to place orders for dishes | | | | This new technology is great for the restaurant |
| that are currently out of stock. | | | | business and it makes the process of placing |
| Printer technology has come a long way due to | | | | orders and managing inventory much easier. |