Recommendations

     Often information silos are a problem in a company. An information silo occurs when information management systems do not communicate and share information with each other. As a result, different departments in the same company may not share the same information and therefore, one department may not know what the other one is doing. For Baker’s American, information silos are not a big problem since the Revel POS system allows each sector in the restaurant to know about an issue with the other and can react accordingly. However, with regard to the parent company, Chef’s International, information silos can be a problem from the aspect of customer complaints.

         If a customer does not feel their complaint was handled to their satisfaction with the manager of the individual restaurant, there have been times they take it up with customer service within Chef’s International. There is no central system between all fourteen restaurants to handle customer complaints, therefore, the department at Chef’s International will not have real time information about the customer’s complaint unless a manager from the restaurant called to give them notice. A way to fix this is a centralized application, such as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application between all fourteen restaurants.

        Any interactions with a customer, whether positive or negative, can be sent from management at the restaurants to customer service at Chef’s International with the data about the customer. This can be used to proactively reach out to those customers. They could also cross-reference the data from the individual restaurant’s websites to see if the customer had signed up for email notifications. If so, they could assume they are a repeat customer and do what is necessary to keep them as a loyal customer.

        Another issue uncovered is with the Point of Service (POS) and software used by the restaurant. The Revel POS and Digital Dining software are becoming obsolete. The problem the restaurant runs into is an incompatibility issue between orders submitted directly to the restaurant as opposed to third party apps such as DoorDash. The Revel POS handles all dine-in and to-go orders made directly to the restaurant. However, to-go orders made through third party apps are monitored and dealt with through a different system. There is a new software, Futurant, which allows the two systems to interface so the third-party app orders can be monitored on one system along with the dine-in and to-go orders. Baker’s American should implement this new software in order to streamline their sales process in this regard.

        The restaurant would also benefit from a POS software that supports Excel imports. The POS software allows the servers and managers to run end of shift or daily/weekly sales reports. Managers then have to integrate the information from the sales reports into Excel spreadsheets to share with the other restaurants as well as Chef’s International. This information is important to see how well the restaurant is doing with regard to sales. It helps them spot sales trends either good or bad and to react to them. There is an increased chance of human error when moving information from the POS system into Excel. Therefore, a software that also integrates the data into Excel would help eliminate the human error issue. The restaurant should research whether Futurant allows for this feature before deciding on a new POS software.

        In addition, the software used presently, Digital Dining, is proprietary software of DBS POS and it is licensed to Chef’s International. Therefore, the restaurant does not control the source code, this is controlled by DBS POS which is the company that installed and services the POS system and the software for Baker’s American and it also works as their external IT department. However, this means, if the restaurant wants to change their customization of the software they have to go through DBS. Therefore, they should consider purchasing software directly, so they have control over the customization. In addition, Chef’s International should create an in-house IT department to make it easier to handle this aspect for all fourteen restaurants instead of outsourcing this to have more control.

        One last recommendation dealing with the sales process is a new technology that would benefit all aspects of the sales process. Digital kitchen boards allow the front and back of the restaurant to communicate with each other real time. It improves the communication and workflow between servers and the kitchen staff and also links the POS system. When an order is entered it is displayed immediately in the kitchen. It also tracks the meal and notifies the server when it is ready. This improves the timing of the delivery of the food. The board also works with the inventory system within the POS to monitor inventory and signals when an item is no longer available. All of this adds up to a more enjoyable experience for the customer.

        With regard to the restaurant’s marketing strategy, they seem to be losing out on potential customers because they are not using their Social Media Information Systems (SMIS) to its fullest potential. This is a result of the weak social media policy as well as a lack of uniformity with regard to the SMIS. The primary marketing information system is social media and each restaurant has the ability to decide which social media platforms to use to advertise and market as well as when and how often they choose to post.

        Baker’s American uses Facebook and Instagram as their primary social media platforms to market the restaurant. The last time Baker’s American posted on their Instagram account to market the restaurant was August. And, out of the thirty-one days in that month, they only posted seven times. The last time they posted to Facebook was also August, however, they only made one post in the month.

        This weak social media presence is a direct result of the lack of formal social media policy and lack of uniformity of their SMIS across the fourteen restaurants. Chef’s International should create a written, formal social media policy requiring daily posts as well as encouraging feedback from customers in order to build and grow their social media presence.

        Additionally, the restaurant should use the SMIS to push popular favorites as well as daily specials to entice new and returning customers. They should also use their social media platforms to enhance the customer experience. They can do this by highlighting special events, happy hour, and anything else that makes for a more enjoyable experience for their customers.