Management Information Systems in Restaurants

Introduction Restaurants are built of complex systems for buying, storing, preparing and selling food. The well-being of a restaurant depends on its management information systems, which coordinate everything from scheduling personnel to customer service. Restaurant management systems can help to create an ambiance. Restaurant management information systems should make a restaurant more profitable as well as a better place for customers to eat. The manager must be able to determine prices and schedules, make forecasts, perform an ongoing audit of inventory and other company assets, and monitor performance. More and more managers are turning to the computer to provide this information on a timely basis DFD for restaurants The restaurant uses an information system that takes customer orders, sends the orders to the kitchen, monitors goods sold and inventory, and generates reports for management. 0-Level DFD: The Restaurant Management system must consists of the following modules to implement a efficient and reliant MIS. 1. General Ledger The General Ledger module is the center of the accounting system. It is a powerful yet easy to use module that can accommodate a single unit restaurant as well as a large multiple unit operation. The General Ledger is automatically updated from all other modules being operated. Both 12 and 13 period accounting are supported. The Trial Balance Report and General Ledger Report provide the necessary documentation and audit trails required of a professional accounting system. Financial Statements can be designed to your specifications by you within the General Ledger module. The optional Management Report Writer gives you the added ability to print complex financial statements that consolidate or compare multiple time periods and units if necessary. Account budgets may be set up and used in forecasting and comparisons to actual activity. 2. Accounts Payable The Accounts Payable module is designed to allow you to better manage your vendor invoices and payments. Inventory purchases that are entered will be automatically updated to the Inventory, Recipe, and Sales Analysis modules without any additional work. Invoices may be entered in summary, detail, or a combination of the two. By entering invoices, you are creating the capability of accumulating unpaid invoices easily at any time. A purchase history by vendor is also maintained, and check payment can be accomplished easily in a method that is convenient for your operation. This module lets you stay on top of your outstanding invoices so that invoices are never paid for twice. 3. Payroll The Payroll module is designed for time entry, printing payroll checks, general ledger distribution and year-end W-2 forms. It can operate on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly basis with all input verified, copied, and employee records updated during the End-Pay-Period procedure. Other useful options are included such as payroll history inquiry, earnings summary report, employee payroll history, tip allocation, tip reporting and is integrated to the optional Federal Magnetic Media Reporting module. The module is easy to use due to its one-step nature. After set-up with a General Ledger file and initial data entry, payroll tracking becomes relatively easy. Time is entered, then the register is printed. If corrections are necessary, they can be made to the appropriate entries and the register re-printed. After everything balances, checks and reports are printed and then the pay period can be closed. This module is designed to operate in conjunction with other modules that may be installed. Programs are explained as if the General Ledger module were included. Information is transferred to all integrated modules as a function of the End-Pay-Period procedure or is transferred each month through the End-of-Month posting procedure. 4. Bank Reconciliation The Bank Reconciliation module is used to manage your bank accounts. It is automatically updated as checks are written and deposits are entered. A simple method of canceling checks allows you to reconcile the account to the bank statement in very little time. Multiple bank accounts can be maintained simply and easily. A historical check register is maintained for up to five years for your review. 5. Inventory Control The Inventory Control module is designed to allow you a fast and easy way to keep track of your inventory. You are able to track what you have purchased and what prices you are paying from various suppliers for any length of time. In-house batch production items can be processed along with multiple location transfers. Inventory is first categorized into major classifications that you choose such as meat, dairy and produce. Inventory can be kept on a perpetual basis by entering your purchases for those items and taking a physical count monthly or as frequently as desired to get your actual usage on each item. Inventory may also be kept on a periodic basis which does not require entering all your purchases. The periodic method allows for entry of a physical count and last cost at any point in time and will automatically extend the inventory for you. Both methods provide inventory count sheets by specific storage location and fast inventory count entry methods. The two methods can also be combined to allow detailed control of high cost items and less detailed control of less significant items. 6. Recipe Control The Recipe Control module works hand in hand with the Inventory Control module. It provides you with an organized method of entering your recipes. You can take advantage of the ability to monitor your costs at all times before cost increases erode your profit margins. Unlimited levels of sub-recipes can be maintained very easily. Recipes can include a plate cost for items that you may not want to set up. Recipes can be costed in seconds at Last Cost or Average Cost and can be printed or displayed on the screen. Each recipe can also have detailed preparation instructions set up for use as a training manual. 7. Sales Analysis The Sales Analysis module completes the operations triangle. Both Inventory and Recipe Control are related heavily to Sales Analysis. Menu items are set up and defined at this point. A menu item can refer to a recipe or directly to an inventory item. Daily sales can be entered manually or transferred from a point of sale device if one is available. Sales history is maintained on a daily basis for any number of years. Entering your sales will generate your potential or optimal use of each inventory item and will give you an actual versus potential usage variance. Sales trends can be tracked in a wide variety of methods using the Management Report Writer. Sales Analysis gives you the capability to stay on top of your margins and control them before they can hurt you. 8. Management Report Writing The Report Writer module allows the creation of custom reports wanted by individual companies. The flexibility and adaptability of this module allows for seemingly unlimited variations of report types. This module is limited only by your imagination. Thirty-six columns are available for mathematical and statistical computations (only limited by your printer's capability). Data to be printed on these reports can be drawn from a variety of sources. The most common source is General Ledger and the Report Writer is particularly suited to producing complex financial statements. Reports can also be produced based on data from Sales Analysis or from the Statistics section of the Management Report Writer.