How to boost hospitality efficiency and profits

Due to coronavirus and rising energy costs, recent years have been some the toughest yet for the hospitality industry. Forced closures, distancing measures and changes in consumer behaviour have heavily impacted on footfall and revenue in recent years.

Despite this, the hospitality industry has shown a fighting spirit, proving that it can operate despite the challenges they face. Restaurants, bars, cafés and pubs have all had to think on their feet and get creative with new ways of working.

While restrictions have been lifted, the need for efficiency has never been greater as businesses look to recover from losses and make the most of the change in consumer preferences. 

A host of companies have used the unwanted downtime to improve their processes and become more efficient. At the heart of many of these changes is a move towards digital. Now more than ever, people are going online to order food, pay, make bookings and to leave all-important reviews – so there’s never been a more advantageous time for businesses to step up their online functions.  

Here, Flogas Britain looks at some of the ways to boost hospitality efficiency and boosting profits. 

Online Booking Systems for hospitality efficiency

Eateries obviously want to attract as many customers as possible. This is where online booking systems come into play. They look after every part of the reservation process, helping businesses maximise hospitality efficiency and revenue. 

Using an online booking system means operators can manage enquiries in one place, and it allows quick and easy reservations for customers. Integrated booking systems can enhance efficiencies further, linking bookings to table management software so staff can optimise space in venues. 

Kitchen management systems 

With high demand for tables and only a set amount of time allowed, kitchen management systems (KMS) are helping to streamline operations and improve hospitality efficiency. Not only do they speed up service, but they improve accuracy and heighten efficiency across orders. 

With the use of kitchen screens, chefs can also see which meals they should be preparing and how long is needed to cook each dish. This helps them serve whole tables at the same time, and at speed. Orders sent through by staff or through delivery platforms are sent to the KMS and alerts make sure that tickets don’t ever get lost. Changes to orders also get fed through, removing any room for error. They can even include recipe and preparation information to assist members of kitchen staff.  

Energy efficiency

It’s not all about online tools though. By reducing energy costs, businesses can increase revenue without having to increase sales, so it pays to make sure establishments are running as efficiently as possible. 

Lighting is an area where big savings can be made. Implementing lighting controls and more efficient bulbs can see lighting energy costs reduced by up to 50%, improving hospitality efficiency greatly. 

According to the Carbon Trust, heating can use than 40% of energy in a commercial building, so efficiencies here are vital. In fact, it’s possible to save up to 20% on heating costs just through simple energy saving measures, such as setting thermostats to recommended ranges, servicing boilers and turning heat off in unused areas. 
For off-grid businesses relying on more polluting fuels like oil, carbon footprints can be reduced by switching to a cleaner, greener fuel. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has a 20% lower carbon intensity than oil and has delivered cost savings of up to 22%.  It provides reliable heating and hot water, a controllable, easy-lighting flame for commercial kitchens and a portable option for mobile caterers. Auto-Ordering technology also means businesses never run out of gas, as it’s automatically topped up.