Mobile order is an inseparable concept of contemporary restaurants. Due to the emergence of smartphones and application-driven services, the customers will be more likely to order their stuff remotely prior to their visit to the restaurant. Such transition is revolutionizing the way kitchens control their working pattern as well as receiving the orders. Mobile ordering offers benefits to the kitchen efficiency of any restaurant whose goal is to enhance fast and accurate service delivery and customer satisfaction.
Mobile ordering systems connect straight to the kitchen activity, and influence every aspect of how it functions, with an emphasis on how the orders are made and the way the people communicate with each other. They have a definite set of benefits but present brand new problems that the restaurants will have to deal with. This article is about how mobile ordering can affect the kitchen workflow in several ways and what can be done by managers to make this process optimal.
Effect on Order Volume and Timing
Considering that mobile ordering has many effects in-kitchen workflow, one of the most obvious ones is that the volume and time of orders have changed. Mobile platforms enable customers to book orders a day before and this may translate into an increased number of orders submitted at a time. This may strain the personnel at the kitchen during the peak hours, which needs better schedules and preparation methods.
Nevertheless, the option of ordering in advance is more predictable to the kitchen too. Having mobile orders placed earlier allows the employees to set up the preparations more tactically so that there are not so many bottlenecks during peak work hours. This predictability is opposed to conventional ways of ordering where orders arrive randomly when the guests arrive and give their requests.
Integration with Kitchen Display Systems
Mobile ordering is common with the integration of the kitchen display systems (KDS), which use it as a replacement or complement of handwritten tickets. Mobile apps also boost communication between front-of-house and back-of-house workers because orders go directly on the screens in the kitchen. This on-line computerized method permits minimization of mistakes that occur due to misinterpretation or loss of paper tickets.
A KDS will also enhance the rate at which orders are being filled because the details of precise orders are displayed in front of the cooks. Mobile orders can be tagged or prioritized depending on the time or the drive thru system so that the staff prepares them effectively along with orders that are made physically. This integration will enable any part of the restaurant to keep working in unison as fewer hindrances will be experienced in the workflow.
Changes to Food Preparation Processes
Mobile ordering influences how kitchen staff approach food preparation. Orders can be placed ahead of time so kitchens may arrange the prep work to better prepare bulk, or batch cooked dishes. To illustrate, in case a number of mobile orders are placed on the same dish, the kitchen will be able to prepare the components in bulk, which will save time.
Meanwhile, kitchens should be adaptable to last-minute orders or requests, including some with particular conditions that may be gathered during mobile ordering. This needs to have adequate preparation and flexibility. Creating the effective workflow is determined by the constitution of measures that help to integrate mobile orders into the general rhythm of the kitchen without interference.
Impact on Staff Roles and Training
Switching to mobile ordering rearranges the duties and tasks of the kitchen employees. The staff will need to learn to engage with systems where they are being ordered digitally and adapt to the rhythm and pace of mobile orders. This might need extra training on how to cope with multiple digital and physical orders.
Moreover, the drive thru system used along with mobile ordering requires a significant degree of coordination between the kitchen and front-of-house. To keep the pace and precision, employees should make sure that orders are prepared in conjunction with the arrival of the vehicles. It is important to train your staff to manage this concomitant flow of orders to be able to keep the kitchen management process running efficiently.
Challenges of Mobile Ordering
As much as mobile ordering is beneficial, it has its drawback that may interfere with fire operations when not handled effectively. The possibility of order surge which overwhelms the kitchen capacity is one of the frequent problems. Customers can make several orders at the same time, which places a strain on kitchens as they always encounter unanticipated office hours.
Another challenge is ensuring order accuracy and clear communication. There are occasions where mobile platforms have certain customization which may be confusing to the kitchen staff unless visibly shown or communicated in the right way. A misinterpretation may result in wrong orders, which generate a lot of wastes and customer disappointment. To beat these setbacks, it is necessary to have a lean system of managing mobile orders.
Opportunities for Efficiency Gains
Mobile ordering also opens the prospect of improving the kitchen workflow with data collection and analysis. Restaurants have the ability to monitor the trends of ordering, their peak hours and on which items they mainly order, thus the managers are able to strategize on staffing and their stocks. The above insights can be used to enrich kitchen management, cut wastage, and enhance service speeds.
In addition to that, mobile ordering may be combined with the drive thru system to guarantee a smooth customer experience. Orders made through the mobile apps and coupled with drive thru pick up would allow kitchens to have better control of the preparation time and less customer waiting time. This consolidation allows to streamline the work process and optimize the throughput at rush hours.
The successful restaurants with their adaptation to mobile ordering can enjoy the improved predictability, the acceleration of their service, and the optimum utilization of the resources of the kitchen. The training should be well-considered and straightforward, the guidelines should be correctly provided, and the data analysis requires constant efforts to use mobile ordering as the means of balancing the functioning of the kitchen in the context of current restaurant chaos.