Restaurant Operations Automation Software

Orders from your POS, online ordering platform (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat, your own web ordering site), and phone channels merge into a single confirmed queue and push directly to your kitchen display system -- eliminating the verbal relay step that loses tickets during busy services. Integration with POS systems via API (Square, Toast, Lightspeed, Clover, Tevalis) or webhook where the POS fires an event on new order, using the POS's order schema to extract items, modifiers, allergen flags, seat or table number, and cover count. Order aggregation normalises the different item ID and modifier formats used by each online ordering platform into your kitchen's canonical dish naming before the ticket reaches the KDS, so a "Large Flat White, Oat Milk, Extra Shot" from three different platforms appears identically on the barista screen. Modifier and allergen flags displayed on the KDS in a configurable format: allergen flags in red with full text (not abbreviated), modifiers in a separate section below the item name, and any notes from the customer (e.g., "no sauce") visually highlighted rather than buried in a list. Order modification and cancellation propagation: when a modification comes in from the online channel or from FOH, the KDS ticket updates and an alert flags the change to the kitchen team -- not a new ticket that the kitchen fulfils in full while the original is also in flight. Audit trail per order: every order timestamped at receipt, acknowledged, started, and completed, with the channel, table, cover count, and items logged -- the data that drives reporting on ticket times, channel mix, and service bottlenecks per shift.

Reservation data from your booking system (OpenTable, ResDiary, SevenRooms, Resy, or your own booking page) feeding automatically into cover counts for kitchen prep planning and staffing decisions -- so the kitchen team's prep list for a Friday dinner service reflects actual bookings rather than a manager's estimate at morning briefing. Automated cover briefing: a daily summary pushed to the manager and head chef at a configured time (e.g., 10:00 AM for the lunch service) showing confirmed covers by time slot, dietary requirements flagged on reservations, and VIP or notes flagged by the front-of-house team during the booking -- the briefing that used to require a manual export from the booking system and a round of WhatsApp messages. Waitlist management automation: when a cancellation creates availability, the next waitlisted party receives an automated SMS or WhatsApp message with a time-limited confirmation link -- they confirm within 15 minutes or the slot moves to the next party. Guest communication at each stage: booking confirmation, day-before reminder with the ability to add dietary requirements or special requests, and a post-visit message 30 minutes after the bill is settled requesting a Google or TripAdvisor review. No-show and late cancellation tracking: guests who cancel within a configurable window or who no-show are flagged in the system, with configurable policy enforcement (deposit held automatically via Stripe, or blacklisted from future reservations above party size X). Covers-to-prep synchronisation: the confirmed cover count at the 4-hour and 1-hour mark fed into the prep calculation for the evening's kitchen team -- no manual handoff between front-of-house and kitchen on prep volumes.

Ingredient levels update as items are used -- driven by recipe-level bill-of-materials mapping that deducts the ingredient quantities for each menu item sold from the live inventory balance rather than requiring manual stock counts between services. Recipe configuration: each menu item mapped to its ingredient quantities (400g beef, 2 brioche buns, 30ml sauce per burger) so POS sales data automatically drives inventory depletion at the recipe level -- the only accurate way to track ingredient consumption without manual counting. Automatic reorder trigger: when an ingredient's balance drops below a configured par level, a draft purchase order is created and either sent automatically to the supplier (for trusted items with high consumption predictability) or held for manager review before sending. Supplier order delivery options: EDI message for suppliers with EDI capability, structured email with a PDF or CSV attachment in the format the supplier requests, or a form submission to the supplier's ordering portal via API if one is available -- the right delivery mechanism matched to each supplier. Delivery vs. order reconciliation: when a supplier delivery is received, the operator logs what actually arrived (or uses a mobile app scan if barcoded items); the system compares received quantities against the purchase order and flags discrepancies for credit note follow-up -- the step that catches short deliveries before the invoice is approved. Weekly stock take support: a physical count form generated per storage area showing current system balance alongside the counted balance, with discrepancies flagged for investigation. Variance reporting identifies the highest-waste ingredients and highlights potential theft, spoilage, or recipe adherence issues across locations.

Schedules generated from historical cover data, current booking forecasts, and your defined staffing ratios -- replacing the weekly spreadsheet build that takes a manager 2-3 hours and still produces a rota that doesn't account for the booking load correctly. Demand-based scheduling logic: the booking count per time slot for the next week fed into a staffing calculator that applies your configured ratios (e.g., 1 front-of-house staff per 20 covers in the dining room, 2 chefs per 60 covers in a standard kitchen service) to generate a minimum staffing requirement per shift. Staff availability and contracted hours enforcement: the schedule generator works within each staff member's declared availability and contracted weekly hours, flagging conflicts and overtime breaches before publication rather than after. Published schedule pushed to staff mobile via WhatsApp, SMS, or the operator's existing staff app (Deputy, Planday, Rota Cloud, or a custom interface) for explicit shift confirmation -- managers see outstanding confirmations and chase unresponded shifts before the week starts. Shift swap workflow: a staff member requests a swap via the app, the system identifies eligible colleagues available for that shift, the covering colleague accepts, and the manager approves in a single notification rather than managing a three-way conversation over WhatsApp. Absence and last-minute cover: when a staff member calls in sick, the system identifies available colleagues and pushes a cover request message to them in priority order (by proximity to the shift time, by previous cover history) until the shift is filled. Actual hours recorded against the confirmed schedule and available for payroll export at week end -- the closing step that removes the timesheet collection step from the manager's week.

Your KDS receives tickets directly from the order management layer, with each ticket routed to the correct kitchen station based on item category -- grill tickets to the grill screen, pastry to the pastry section, expo screen receiving the composite ticket once all stations have marked their items done. Station routing rules configured per menu item: a burger with a side salad routes the patty to the grill screen and the salad build to the cold prep screen simultaneously, with the expo screen showing the table ticket as "waiting for grill" until both are marked complete. KDS hardware integration with major systems: Lightspeed Kitchen, Lightspeed Restaurant KDS, Oracle MICROS Kitchen Display, Square KDS, and Bump bar-controlled custom KDS hardware -- connected via the KDS's API or a direct network integration where API is not available. Ticket timing on the KDS screen: each ticket shows the time since it was placed, with configurable colour escalation (green under 8 minutes, amber 8-12 minutes, red over 12 minutes) so the kitchen team prioritises ageing tickets without a separate process. Item 86 management: when an item runs out mid-service, a kitchen team member marks it as unavailable on the KDS; the order management layer immediately removes it from the online ordering menu and from the FOH ordering capability, and any orders currently containing that item are flagged for modification -- preventing the table from ordering something that cannot be served. Course timing coordination: for multi-course services, the KDS shows the current course and the next course for each table, with a configurable hold on firing the main course ticket until the starters are marked up and a configurable buffer time is set -- eliminating the runner/expo communication step for course timing.

Daily sales reports compiled automatically from POS data and delivered to the management team's inbox before they arrive at the site -- showing covers served, average spend per cover, sales by category, and variance against the same day last week and last year, without anyone opening a spreadsheet. POS data extraction via the POS API at end-of-day or continuously via webhook, normalised across sites to a consistent reporting schema even when different sites run different POS systems. Loyalty points calculated at the point of payment directly from the POS transaction data: the customer's transaction total multiplied by the earn rate for their tier, applied to their account without a staff member entering a code or scanning a card -- the step that fails when it requires manual action. Points redemption handled as a discount applied in the POS at the customer's request, with the loyalty balance updated in real time and confirmation sent to the customer's registered phone or email. Review request messages sent via SMS or email 30-45 minutes after the payment is settled (the moment the guest is back home or in transit, not immediately at the table): customisable message templates with a direct link to your Google Business Profile or TripAdvisor page -- the automated step that doubles review acquisition rates compared to relying on staff to mention it. Payroll export: approved hours from the schedule and time-tracking system exported as a structured CSV in the format your payroll provider (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, or HMRC RTI) imports -- eliminating the timesheet-to-payroll re-entry step that takes an hour per site per pay period. Multi-site consolidated reporting: a single dashboard showing sales, staff costs, and operational metrics across all locations, updated daily from each site's POS and scheduling data.