What’s the Best CRM for Restaurants? What to Consider When Choosing

Restaurant owners, we know you’re busy! Between managing staff, keeping track of food and drink supplies, and ensuring your guests have a great dining experience, it’s easy to forget about something as important as managing customer relationships.

Without a good customer relationship management (CRM) system, you could miss out on valuable information about customer preferences and habits, as well as the potential for future engagement. If you don’t use a restaurant CRM, it’s harder to give them personalized service and build customer loyalty.

This article will help you understand CRMs and pick the best restaurant CRM for your business.

Key Takeaways

• Want to manage customer data, improve guest experiences, and get people coming back? You need a restaurant CRM.
• The right CRM helps you personalize service, target your marketing, and keep customers returning time and again.
• Look for features like reservation management, customer profiling, and marketing automation.
• When choosing a CRM, consider its ease of use, what it can integrate with, and if it has restaurant-specific features.

Finding the Best CRM for Your Restaurant

Choosing the right restaurant CRM starts with understanding what a CRM system is and what it can do for you. Then, you’ll need to consider your business’ needs and what you want to achieve.

What is a restaurant CRM?

A restaurant customer relationship management (CRM) system is a tool that helps restaurants manage and understand their customers. It’s like a database that keeps track of all aspects of the customer journey, from initial contact to post-dining feedback. The goal is to build stronger customer relationships, keep diners returning, and boost sales.

Among other things, a restaurant CRM lets you:

• Track customer contact information and communication history
• Record dining preferences, allergies, and dietary restrictions
• Monitor visit frequency and spending patterns
• Manage reservations and table assignments
• Record special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries
• Analyze customer feedback and satisfaction levels
• Segment customers for targeted marketing campaigns
• Track loyalty program points and rewards

Why use a CRM in your restaurant?

A restaurant CRM can change how you do business and the way your customers feel. CRMs offer several distinct advantages for restaurants:

Make your customers feel special

A restaurant CRM lets you get to know your customers better. By gathering information about their favorite dishes, dietary needs, and past orders, you can create a more personalized experience for them. This means sending them special offers they’ll love, tailoring your menu to their preferences, and ensuring their dining experience is exactly what they want.

Keep customers coming back

Loyal customers are the heart of any successful restaurant. A restaurant CRM helps you create great customer loyalty programs that reward your regulars and encourage them to visit repeatedly.

You can track what they buy and what they like and offer personalized rewards, exclusive deals, and special promotions that resonate with them. This helps you build stronger relationships and makes them more likely to tell their friends about your restaurant.

Easily access customer information

A restaurant CRM can streamline your restaurant’s operations, from taking reservations to managing orders. With a central database, your staff can easily find and update customer information, which helps to reduce mistakes and the need for manual data entry. Plus, automated tasks like sending reservation reminders and asking for feedback after a meal save time and ensure a smooth customer experience.

Make smart decisions with data

The information you collect with a restaurant CRM can help you make better decisions for your business. You can analyze customer behavior and feedback to determine what’s working well and what could be improved. This might mean tweaking your menu, training your staff differently, or adjusting your marketing strategies.

Data-driven decisions help you stay ahead of the curve in the restaurant industry and adapt to what your customers want.

What should you look for in a restaurant CRM?

When you’re looking at different CRM software solutions, there are some key features to keep in mind:

Customer profiles

A great restaurant CRM lets you create detailed customer profiles that include contact information, dietary preferences, allergies, and past orders. This helps you deliver a personalized service and tailor your offerings to each individual customer, making their dining experience even better.

Reservation management

An integrated reservation system is a must-have. It should let your customers easily book tables online, manage their reservations, and receive automated reminders. This makes the reservation process smoother, reduces no-shows, and helps you maximize your table turnover.

Order management

A restaurant CRM with strong order management capabilities simplifies taking and tracking orders, whether they’re placed in person, online, or through delivery apps. A CRM ensures accurate order processing and fewer mistakes, streamlining your kitchen operations.

Marketing automation

Look for a restaurant CRM that has marketing automation tools. These tools help you create and send targeted marketing campaigns. You can segment your customers, send personalized emails, and track how well your campaigns are working. By automating your marketing efforts, you save time and can effectively engage with your customers, encouraging them to return.

Loyalty program management

A built-in loyalty program management feature is great for building customer loyalty and rewarding repeat customers. Your restaurant CRM should let you create and manage custom loyalty programs, track points or rewards, and offer special perks to your most valuable customers.

Reporting and analytics

A powerful restaurant CRM will provide detailed reports and analytics, giving valuable insights into your business performance. Look for features that let you track important metrics like sales, customer behavior, and how effective your marketing campaigns are. This data helps you choose how to improve your operations and grow your business.

Use your CRM’s data insights to refine your menu by analyzing popular dishes, identifying trends, and adjusting offerings based on customer preferences. This helps to boost sales and reduce food waste.

Integration with POS and other systems

The restaurant CRM you choose should easily connect with your existing point-of-sale (POS) system and other tools. The right integration ensures smooth workflow and real-time data synchronization, eliminating the need for any manual data entry.

Mobile accessibility

If you offer deliveries, choose cloud-based CRM software with mobile apps or responsive web interfaces. This lets your staff access customer information and manage tasks on the go, even during busy times. Such flexibility ensures your team can provide exceptional service, no matter where they are.

How to choose the perfect CRM for your restaurant

Picking the right restaurant CRM is like creating the perfect dish—you need the correct ingredients to make it work! Here’s how to choose your restaurant CRM:

1. Know what you want: First, think about what you hope to achieve with a restaurant CRM. Do you want to keep more customers coming back, make your operations run smoother, or create more effective marketing campaigns? Knowing your goals will help you prioritize the features you need.
2. Take stock of what you have: Look at how you manage your customers now. What’s working well? What could be improved? Maybe your reservation system is a bit clunky, or you’re not collecting enough information about your customers. This will help you understand what you need from a restaurant CRM and what to prioritize.
3. Set a budget: Figure out how much you can spend on a restaurant CRM. Consider the upfront costs, monthly fees, and the potential return on your investment. Remember, CRMs can be a great investment for small and medium businesses and help you make more money in the long run.
4. Make a wishlist: Based on your goals and needs, create a list of essential features you want in your ideal restaurant CRM. Consider customer profiles, reservation management, order tracking, marketing automation, loyalty programs, reports and analytics, integration with other systems, and mobile accessibility.
5. Do your research: Explore different CRM software solutions available online. Read reviews, compare features, and check out CRM pricing and costs. Look for CRMs designed for small businesses or the restaurant industry; they often have features tailored to your needs and more affordable pricing plans.
6. Try before you buy: Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, contact the restaurant CRM providers and ask for a demo or free trial. This lets you experience the software firsthand, see how user-friendly it is, and make sure it fits your business processes. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get clarification on anything that’s unclear.
7. Get your team involved: Talk to your staff about the decision. They’ll be the ones using the customer relationship management system every day. Ask them what features they think are important and consider their feedback when making your final choice. Involving your team early on will ensure the transition is smoother.
8. Plan for success: After you’ve chosen a restaurant CRM, create a plan for implementing it. You need to think about transferring your existing customer data, integrating the system with your other tools, and training your staff. Allotting time and resources for a smooth transition will minimize disruption to your daily operations.
9. Keep track and make adjustments: Once your restaurant CRM is up and running, keep an eye on how it’s performing. Track key metrics like customer retention, sales growth, and operational efficiency. Ask your staff and customers for feedback to help you identify areas for improvement and adjust accordingly.

Top Restaurant CRM Platforms To Consider

Here are some of the top contenders when you’re looking for the best restaurant CRM:

Toast: Toast is a popular choice for restaurants of all sizes. It’s a comprehensive restaurant management system with a powerful CRM module. It offers features like customer profiles, order history, and targeted marketing campaigns.

Eat: Eat is cloud-based CRM software for the restaurant industry. It’s known for its user-friendly interface, reservation management tools, and powerful reporting capabilities.

Lightspeed: Lightspeed is an all-in-one restaurant management platform that includes a feature-rich restaurant CRM. It offers customer data management, marketing automation, and seamless integration with various POS systems, making it a versatile option.

Revel Systems: Revel Systems is a comprehensive cloud-based POS and restaurant CRM solution designed for the unique needs of the restaurant industry. It has customer management, loyalty programs, and advanced reporting features.