Food and Beverage Software Key Terms

You'll be feasting on this food and beverage software terminology

By B. Lumadue

Specialized software can help to manage many aspects of the food and beverage industry -- from inventory management to customer relations to creating a great looking menu. Get to know some of the key terms used by food and beverage software providers to find out what features and functions will work for your business.

Inventory

Food and beverage inventory is one of a restaurant's largest -- and most controllable -- costs. Accounting for used items and maintaining an accurate inventory is important for determining costs and profits. A food and beverage software program often has pre-filled lists and pull-down items to make it easier to take inventory.
Try: The Restaurant Resource Group provides information on getting started with counting inventory, categorizing inventory and computing costs.

Nutritional analysis

Packaged food must meet specific federal labeling requirements, and list information about fats and allergens. Recipes and formulas can be evaluated by food and beverage software or in a laboratory to get content information.
Try: Check out nutraCoster from SWEETware to find out what kind of nutritional analysis is provided with their software. See the United States Food and Drug Administration for food labeling requirements.

Customer tracking

Keeping track of return customers' preferences and dining history allows servers and management to provide top service to loyal patrons. A caller identification feature can save time and produce more accurate orders for restaurants that offer delivery.
Try: View the offerings from Kiwi Operation to get examples of customer relationship and call tracking software features.

Recipe management

Recipe management software can help keep track of the costs and quantities of ingredients, additives and flavorings used in good preparation.
Try: See information about additive tracking available through Flavor-Base from Leffingwell & Associates, which includes regulations and evaluations.

Menu design

An attractive menu is a marketing tool that can increase sales and enforce customers' perceptions of a restaurant. Menus can be designed with specialized software that offers templates in a graphics publishing program or by a professional designer.
Try: SoftCafe is professional menu design software. It offers sample menus for inspiration.

Table management

Table management can make a restaurant more efficient and organized. Floor plans, staff scheduling, wait time estimates and reservation management are some of the functions available in food and beverage software.
Try: Table management software from ReServe Interactive offers many advanced features and provides examples of some of the features to look for in this type of program.