Learn how Heather at Traveler Street Hospitality Group is preparing for patio season
How is Traveler Street Hospitality Group preparing for patio season (e.g. any changes to operations, use of technology, etc.?). How will Toast play a role, if at all?
We plan for patio season all year! When patio season ends, we have a meeting to unpack all that we have learned and create punch lists for the restaurants to make sure we are staying on top of everything we will need to hit the ground running when the season is back! We use as much technology as possible to make our patio season successful! Covid allowed us to add a good deal of seats and some of those changes in permitting are a lasting positive change. We use all the obvious tools through Toast like contactless payment and the Toast Go but we are also careful to make sure we are using all of Toast reporting to the fullest. We assign revenue centers to each patio so we can track sales in each area of the restaurant. We run product mixes to make informed decisions about menu engineering for the busy patio season. Toast is very much a part of our planning for the season!
What are the biggest challenges faced transitioning to patio season and how are you solving for them? How will Toast play a role, if at all?
I think the answer to this one is probably the same for everyone? Staffing continues to be a challenge. Patio season presents its own staffing challenges because some folks you hire are seasonal. They do not have a firm grasp on the culture or style of service and may not have enough time to learn. Toast is a very intuitive system and I think if you have experience using any POS you can easily adapt to Toast. The workflow is quick and efficient - it makes sense! Also the reporting tools I mentioned above - we can see how to allocate our resources & staff. Where and when do we need people?
What advice would you give other customers on best ways to prepare for patio season?
Start now! Make sure you are set up for success and plan ahead. Set up your floor plans, set up revenue centers, organize your reservation systems, train staff on floor plans and seat numbers, make sure you have hand-helds set up properly. If you aren't using hand-helds or pay at the table, embrace the technology and use it to help make your business better!