When it comes to restaurant business management, customer data is something that should not be overlooked. Leveraging the power of Point of Sale (POS) reports can transform a good restaurant into a great one. These restaurant performance reports offer valuable insights into customer preferences, operational efficiency, and financial health.
Below are 10 essential POS reports that every restaurant industry should use to track customer data and pivot your strategy toward restaurant success.
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Sales Summary Report - How Well Did Your Restaurant Perform?
A restaurant's POS system’s sales summary report is a concise overview of how the business performed in total for the day, week, or month in terms of sales. The restaurant sales report shows daily sales, total sales revenue, number of transactions, average transaction value, payment method or card type and sales broken down by specific categories or menu items. These restaurant insights give a quick look at how well the restaurant is doing financially during a given period.
Tips to Use the Sales Summary Report
- Scan for patterns in daily, weekly, or monthly sales data to show which dishes are most popular and when.
- Use the report as a guide to remove low-selling items or to promote top sellers.
- Schedule staff straight from the report to accommodate heavy periods throughout the day.
- Look over this report to manage food costs and improve profitability.
FAQs
Can this report be automatically generated?
Yes, most modern EPOS till systems, such as 3S POS, can automatically track menu sales and generate product reports like this.
Can I see a breakdown of sales by meal period (e.g., lunch, dinner)?
Yes, the report often segments sales data based on different meal times. Depending on the system you use, you can make custom reports to pull this information.
Is it possible to track sales trends over the past year?
Absolutely. The report usually includes historical sales data for analysis which allows you to select a date period.
Inventory Stock Report - What Ingredients Are Running Low?
Managing restaurant inventory effectively can be a daunting task. A restaurant inventory management tool derived from a restaurant's POS reporting system is a detailed list of all items in stock, outlining the status of each. This report offers a snapshot of exactly what ingredients or products are in-house, allowing restaurant management to order efficiently, avoid long-term inventory shortages, and verify accurate invoicing from vendors.
Tips to Use Inventory Stock Reports
- Review the inventory stock report on a regular basis, preferably after each shift or at the end of each day for better restaurant management.
- Assess historical trends to make better future decisions about inventory.
- Keep a close eye on the expiration dates in the report.
- Compare the POS report with regular physical inventory counts to identify inconsistencies.
FAQs
How do I know when to reorder a specific ingredient?
The inventory stock report will show items that have fallen below their reorder points.
Can I see which ingredients have expiration dates approaching?
Yes, the report often includes expiration dates for better inventory management.
Is it possible to track ingredient usage across different recipes?
The report can show how ingredients are used in various dishes. This allows you to plan for the quantity of each time you need for your next stock order.
Labour Cost Report - How Much is it Costing You to Staff Your Restaurant?
A labour cost report details the cost of labour throughout your restaurant. Any wages, benefits, or other labour costs will show up on this report. It’s a detailed look at a portion of your restaurant’s labour expenses. You can use this report to see how much money you need to make on a given day to be profitable. You can also see the cost to run your restaurant on different days depending on your staffing levels.
How to Use the Labour Cost Report
- Identify costly shifts and adjust staffing levels as a strategy for saving money and optimising.
- Evaluate workers on their labour cost efficiency.
- Create accurate budgets based on historical data.
- Analyse staffing trends by looking at trends for labour costs.
- Compare staffing expenses against revenue.
FAQs
How can I monitor labour costs for a specific department?
Use the labour cost report to break down costs by departments such as kitchen or serving staff.
Can I compare labour costs between different locations?
Yes, the report often allows for comparison between branches or areas.
Is it possible to forecast labour costs for upcoming busy seasons?
You can use historical data in the report to help in forecasting future labour needs.
Food Cost Report - What Are Your Food Costs as a Percentage of Sales?
A food cost report is a detailed breakdown of a restaurant’s spending on its food inventory, including the cost of ingredients, supplies, and other items used to prepare menu items over a specified period. It is generated from the restaurant’s point-of-sale (POS) system and offers you an overall picture of how your restaurant is spending on food preparation.
Tips to Use a Food Cost Report
- Look for areas to cut costs.
- Closely monitor actual food costs to budgeted amounts to make adjustments.
- Use the recipe costs or cost per meal to decide what level to set your menu item prices at.
- Analyse cost trends and make changes to your menu prices to optimise profit margins.
FAQs
What is the average food cost percentage for the past quarter?
The food cost report will show the average food cost as a percentage of sales.
Can I see which ingredients contribute most to our overall food costs?
The report often includes breakdowns of food costs for each recipe by ingredient. This allows you to see how much you use of each ingredient per meal and shows the price for that amount.
Is it possible to track fluctuations in food costs due to seasonal changes?
The report can help in identifying seasonal trends in ingredient costs but will need to be preset within the software so the software knows when prices change and by how much.
Table Turnover Report - How Quickly Are Tables Being Turned Over?
A table turnover report is a valuable tool in restaurant management, detailing how quickly tables are being occupied and then vacated within a given time frame. Recording the duration each table remains occupied before being available for the next set of guests. This report is crucial for optimising restaurant efficiency and shows how quickly staff are seating new guests. It provides insights into peak hours, helps identify bottlenecks in service, and assists in staffing decisions.
Tips to Use a Table Turnover Report
- Use the report to identify peak times and plan staff shifts accordingly for smoother operations.
- Analyse turnover rates for specific menu items to focus on popular dishes and adjust offerings.
- Reorganise seating layouts based on turnover data to maximise space and efficiency.
- Highlight issues with your staff so they can focus on turning over tables quicker when possible.
FAQs
What is the average time to turn over a table during peak hours?
There is no specific timeframe and each restaurant will be completely different depending on the dining experience. Generally, peak hours will have a slightly longer turnover time as staff are busy.
Can I identify tables that are consistently slow to turnover?
The report often highlights tables with longer-than-average turnover times. This should be highlighted to staff so they know to attend to that table more often.
Profit Margin Report - What's Your Profitability Per Menu Item?
A profit margin report, also known as a product mix report or product mix and menu report is a financial tool used to analyse the profitability of individual menu items. It calculates the profit margin for each dish by subtracting the cost of ingredients and preparation from the selling price. Understanding the profitability of each menu item helps restaurants identify which dishes contribute most to their bottom-line profits.
How to Use the Profit Margin Report
- Use the profit margin report to optimise menu pricing based on profit margins.
- Highlight high-margin items on the menu to encourage sales.
- Introduce specials or promotions featuring dishes with higher profit margins.
FAQs
Which menu items have the highest profit margins this quarter?
The profit margin report will rank menu items based on their profitability.
Can I see how profit margins have changed since we adjusted menu prices?
Yes, the report includes historical data for comparison.
Waste & Spoilage Report - How Much Food Is Being Wasted?
A waste and spoilage report in a restaurant context is a detailed record of the amount of food discarded or spoiled during operations. It typically includes the type of food, quantity wasted, and reasons for disposal, often gathered from the POS system. This report provides crucial insights into inventory management, operational efficiency, and cost control within a restaurant.
Tips to Use Waste & Spoilage Reports
- Identify patterns in wasted items to adjust purchasing quantities to avoid food waste.
- Educate teams on portion control and proper storage to minimise waste.
- Adjust menu items based on what consistently goes to waste.
FAQs
How can I track the amount of food that is being wasted during our daily operations?
The waste and spoilage report quantifies the amount of food wasted per shift or day, helping identify areas of excess.
Can I pinpoint which menu items are contributing the most to our food waste?
The waste and spoilage report highlights menu items with higher-than-average waste rates, allowing for targeted adjustments.
Is it possible to set goals for reducing food waste based on the insights from this report?
The waste and spoilage report can inform strategies for minimising waste and improving overall efficiency, aligning with sustainability goals.
Promotion Effectiveness Report - How Well Did Your Promotions Perform?
A promotion effectiveness report for a restaurant is a detailed analysis of the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. It assesses which marketing strategy and promotions have the biggest impact on sales. This type of report contains data on the different kinds of promotions offered at your restaurant and measures their effectiveness as assessed by sales.
Tips for Effective Use
- Keep offers customised to customer preferences.
- Adjust promotions to capitalise on peak seasons.
- Stay ahead by analysing competition promotions.
- Use insights to refine promotions for better results and introduce new promotions such as loyalty programs or bundle discount offers.
FAQs
How can I determine the return on investment (ROI) for our recent promotions?
The promotion effectiveness report calculates ROI by comparing promotional costs to the increase in sales attributed to those promotions.
Is it possible to analyse the impact of promotions on customer retention?
The report often includes metrics on repeat customer visits following promotional periods.
Employee Sales Report - Who Are Your Top-Performing Servers?
An employee sales report for a restaurant is a snapshot of a specific server's or employee’s sales performance over a particular time period. It includes total sales, number of transactions, average sales per transaction, and possibly customer ratings or notes about other sales metrics. The main focus is on who’s really pushing dishes and providing the best customer service.
Tips to Use Employee Sales Reports
- Use this report to recognise and reward high-performing servers in real time.
- Optimise your shifts so that top performers are working during your peak times.
- Use the data to design effective incentive programmes for the team.
FAQs
Can I identify which employees consistently achieve high sales targets?
Yes, the employee sales report ranks staff members based on their total sales, helping identify top performers.
How do I track upselling performance among our serving staff?
The employee sales report report includes data on upsells made by each employee, helping to evaluate their upselling skills.
Is it possible to compare the sales performance of full-time versus part-time employees?
The employee sales report can be used to compare sales metrics between different employee statuses, including full-time and part-time employees.
Customer Feedback Report - What Are Customers Saying About Your Food and Service?
A customer feedback report is an insight into exactly what the name says: the opinions of your customers when it comes to your restaurant’s food, service, and overall experience. Compiled from a maze of online reviews, comment cards in-house, and direct feedback using your POS, the customer feedback report reveals which dishes guests enjoyed (and which could do with a rethink), highlights areas where the service is exceeding expectations, and names of the top-performing waitstaff.
Tips to use customer feedback reports effectively
- Leverage customer feedback to tailor ongoing staff training sessions.
- Address negative feedback as fast as possible.
- Incentives loyal customers.
FAQs
How can I access customer feedback from various sources, including online reviews and comment cards?
Depending on the EPOS system you choose, you can use the customer feedback report, which aggregates feedback from multiple sources, including online review platforms and internal comment cards.
Can I track changes in customer satisfaction over time?
Yes, the report includes trends in customer feedback scores, allowing for analysis of customer satisfaction levels.
Closing Thoughts
By harnessing the wealth of information provided by these POS reports, restaurant owners and managers can make data-driven decisions to ultimately drive profitability. In today's competitive dining landscape, the smart use of POS reports isn't just an advantage — it's a recipe for success. Utilise the most of your POS reporting to stay on top on competition.
For almost 20 years, 3S POS has offered one of the most flexible EPOS systems to international brands such as Caffe Concerto, Maroush, Comptoir Libanais, Pepe’s Piri Piri, GDK and thousands more delighted customers.
If you are looking for a Restaurant POS system that will not just help you accept payments but effectively manage your menu, inventory, and much more, speak to our sales for a free demo.