Flashy or Functional? The Hidden Risks of All-in-One Suite Restaurant Solutions | Tbsp

Let’s admit it, for busy restaurant business owners and operators, the concept of an all-in-one application suite to manage your back office has a certain appeal. Inventory management, scheduling, accounting, and reporting—all from one place. What could be easier and more efficient?

Before investing in a snazzy new all-in-one solution, however, you want to look under the hood and kick the tires. In other words, you want to know if you’re getting real value. You need to look at the total cost of ownership—how much will you pay to keep your software up and running over the course of its lifetime?

To honestly answer that question, you need to understand that all-in-one solutions carry two major risks:

1. Lack of flexibility and choice. As you evaluate back-office solutions, an all-in-one suite might be a good fit for your business right now. However, as your restaurant company grows, your needs change, and what works now might not work later. And that means replacing an entire system, not just an individual application. What’s more, the chances of having to invest in a replacement are greater than you might think. Some features of an all-in-one suite tend to be more robust than others, so while you’ve got a great inventory application, your reporting functionality might be minimal at best.

• Costly implementation. Purchasing or replacing your all-in-one suite means disrupting every aspect of your back office operations, driving up the time, cost, and complexity of implementation. Upgrades to application suites are also costly. And what may be promoted as a seamless integration may not be seamless at all. Suites put together with elements from other suppliers or added through corporate acquisition may cause problems with integration, administration, and functionality.

Best-in-class is best for your business. 

Best-in-class software solutions are much more flexible and adaptable to your restaurant company’s changing needs. They are built using cloud architecture and delivered via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, providing smooth integration and cost-effective implementation. Even better, you get to pick and choose the right software for each area of your business—and not let someone else decide for you.

For example, Sage Intacct financial management software integrates seamlessly with the business systems you have in place today, and it is ready to integrate with any new applications you may want to add tomorrow. So you’re free to choose your business applications based on functional fit, not integration concerns. Your costs and risk are therefore much lower.

Ready to road test a best-in-class software solution that’s a perfect fit for your business? Contact the restaurant accounting and technology experts at Tablespoon today.