If you are in the food service business, then you will need to find food service management software information. A food service management software provider can supply your business with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software package to integrate all aspects of your business from into one neat tool.

Your food service management software provider can help your business whether you are a restaurant, supermarket, a college cafeterias or a multi-site care facility. Although each business runs a food service, the needs differ by specific industry. You can find food service management software information to help meet these challenges:

1. Nutritional analysis and menu planning can be a snap with food service management software geared towards hospitals and long-term care facilities.

2. Campus ID cards that provide door access control and student discounts can be provided by food service management software.

3. Restaurants often need multiple ways of processing orders from kiosk ordering to takeout, catering and drive-thrus, which can be supplied by a food service management software provider.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Investigate any food service management software list

When you find a food service management software list, look at all of the vendors, even if they don't serve your specific industry. You may see a feature that they offer that you think would work well for you and you can ask other vendors if they offer that particular feature. Many vendors can customize solutions for you so go ahead and contact that vendor from another industry to see whether they can accommodate your needs.

I recommend: Forbes.com has a list of over 30 different food service management software providers and you can filter the list by aspects that are important to your decision to purchase. Check out the impressive food service management software list at The CBORD Group. They have a software package for every area of food service.

Control food and labor costs with food service management software

One of the primary reasons every kitchen needs to have management software is to take control over escalating food and labor costs. Look for a software package that includes labor scheduling along with a recipe cost model. The recipe cost modeling program allows you to swap out ingredients to see how that will change your cost.

I recommend: CrunchTime! Information Systems has many report options that includes a ranking of your most expensive to least expensive menu options. Culinary Software Services offers a 60-day money back guarantee on its ChefTec software that includes menu cost analysis. Vision Software Technologies offers packages designed specifically for the health care and corrections industries and offers a menu cost analysis module.

Integrate your back office with food service management software to maximize efficiency

Look for a complete software package that will allow you to integrate your back office for a full food service operation. You will be able to share data with QuickBooks software and payroll operations while maintaining food service issues such as recipe management and nutritional analysis in one package.

I recommend: Barrington Software offers integrated software packages for businesses that specialize in catering, restaurant, food service and retail management. Birch Street Systems comes as an integrated package to facilitate purchase orders and requisitions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you find food service management software you are interested in purchasing, ask to see a demonstration of the product. Seeing the software in action will spur some questions and then you will be able to make an informed decision as to whether or not to purchase the software.