With a strong integration, TouchBistro inventory management is a rewarding process that can bring a lot of benefits to your bar or restaurant. If you’re currently using this POS software and are looking for ways to efficiently manage inventory, you’ve come to the right place.
But first, what is TouchBistro? It’s a popular iPad-based point of sale system designed to help bar and restaurant managers generate more sales, provide better service, and make their employees’ jobs easier. It also offers business intelligence, customer information, and more features to help you make informed decisions about the future of your business.
What about WISK? WISK is a full-service bar inventory management system. It works with your POS system to provide data analytics, instant variance reports, automated purchase orders, and more.
When used together, these two systems provide powerful automation and insight to build a more successful business. In this article, we’ll provide more details about how TouchBistro inventory management can be simple and profitable with WISK.
Let’s start from the very beginning.
How do restaurants control inventory?
Restaurant inventory processes differ from location to location and vary based on the available technology, personal preferences, and more. Basically, liquor inventory control consists of counting each bottle in the bar, back room and any additional store rooms. As part of the process, managers not only count whole bottles, but they also use methods such as eyeballing or a bar inventory scale to measure partially-full bottles. They repeat this process every week, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on their bar’s needs. In between inventory sessions, they track sales and all stock used. Then, they take this data into consideration the next time they do inventory in order to determine usage.
When taken together, it provides a complete picture of a bar’s most valuable asset, inventory, as well as a wealth of information about sales.This makes having a TouchBistro Inventory and WISK integration very beneficial. By having access to a comprehensive POS system like TouchBistro, it makes the process of using and analyzing sales data easier. When integrated with an inventory tool like WISK, even more can be automated and simplified.
Additionally, there are some consistent benefits that explain why restaurants take inventory:
- With the information gained during inventory management, you can make all kinds of useful decisions such as how much to order, what products sell the best, and where waste is occurring.
- When combined with sales and invoice data, restaurant inventory management becomes an even more powerful tool. It can help you maintain consistent supply for everything on your menu so you never run out or over stock.
- With information about product use and what sells best, bar and restaurant managers can learn how to optimize recipes, which brands are the most cost-effective, how to set menu prices.
- Beverage management also helps you implement better bar practices to control spillage, overselling free drinks, and theft.
Above, we touched on how a POS system can help make inventory control easier but let’s review what a POS system is and why restaurants use them.
What is a restaurant POS system?
At their core, a POS system is responsible for managing all customer transactions at an eatery. They integrate with payment service providers to process orders and help manage finances. While POS systems have been used for decades, they continue to innovate and change.
Today, most POS systems often offer physical hardware, like iPads for placing orders, in-depth sales analytics, loyalty program and gift card management, human resources tools, and more. When it comes to TouchBistro, inventory management is an additional perk. All these capabilities help bars and restaurants offer better customer service and increase sales.
How exactly do restaurants use POS systems to improve their bottom line? We’re glad to answer this question! Savvy bar and restaurant owners use their POS systems to streamline their processes, take advantage of customer data, and provide exceptional experiences. Here are some examples:
Scenario #1
The owner of a fast casual restaurant uses a POS system to offer automatic ordering right from a tablet, in addition to employees. This cuts down on wait time, especially during peak hours, and creates happier customers.
Scenario #2
A high-end bar and restaurant in the local business district uses POS software to display orders in kitchen and prep areas, cutting down on preparation time and improving accuracy. That means orders can be delivered to the table more quickly and with fewer errors.
Scenario #3
A new neighborhood bar uses a point of sale system to create a loyalty program, encouraging customers to come back and build up points. The loyalty program is critical to building a strong customer base and boosting their bottom line during their first months of operation.
Scenario #4
A chain of restaurants, that include a bar at each location, use their POS to keep track of sales across all locations. They also integrate with bar inventory software to ensure they effectively use their liquor inventory and split resources across locations.
These are just a few examples of how POS systems come in handy. Though, there are dozens more. The point is that they’re a critical tool for restaurant managers, especially when they integrate with inventory software.
Why should you integrate with WISK for TouchBistro inventory management?
Integrating your POS system and bar inventory app isn’t just smart business, it’s a huge relief for any busy bar manager! It will increase your profits while saving you time and headaches. Let’s look specifically at the benefits of conducting inventory when you integrate with WISK.
1) Get instant variance reports
Variance reports are one of the main goals of both POS and inventory systems. Variance, aka knowing the difference between what was sold and what was poured in the bar, is a critical measure so you can catch instances of over-pouring, theft, and more. With a TouchBistro and WISK integration, you’ll be able to generate variance reports instantly. You won’t have to wait for a third-party service to provide you with an update or manually download information from multiple sources to compare. Instead, the technology does all the legwork for you, as it should.
2) Find out estimated stock between inventories
Don’t wait until your next inventory period to find out how much you have in stock and what else you need. If you’re hit with an unexpected busy period or any other unforeseen circumstance, the ability to get stock estimates is critical.
3) Know the state of your finances
With a TouchBistro and WISK integration, you’ll not only have access to easy-to-read raw sales and inventory data, but you’ll also have real insights into the financial health of your business. For example, the integration can help you find out your liquor pour cost, top selling drinks, most cost-effective liquor brands to order, and more.
4) Stop wasting time and money with manual work
All humans make mistakes. It’s unavoidable. That’s why manual inventory is rarely a good idea. Though inventory software has a price, it’s less than the cost you’ll pay from normal human error during manual processes. Inventory software and POS system integrations cut down on these errors even more. When your technology works well together, you’ll have to do less work and you’ll see a boost in profits from greater efficiency.
5) Take advantage of big data
Big data in the hospitality industry is a growing trend. So, make sure you’re taking advantage of it! When you use WISK for TouchBistro inventory management, you’ll get analytics on absolutely every aspect of your business. This will allow you to make big decisions about menu items, pricing, hiring, promotions, and more.
Convinced? You should be! POS partnerships will only become more important as margins in the food and beverage industry shrink. Stay up-to-date with the trends so you can not only thrive as a business, but also spend your time on connecting with customers instead.
Why You Should Choose WISK For TouchBistro Inventory Management
There are dozens of different inventory tracking apps you can choose from to integrate with TouchBistro. So, why choose WISK? If you’re already a TouchBistro user, WISK offers the same attention to detail and customer support. Like TouchBistro, WISK was created by fellow bar and restaurant owners who wanted a better solution. It features an easy-to-use interface and the ability to access it from any device, even without an internet connection. Inventory should happen on your schedule, and WISK makes that’s possible.
Beyond doing the basics better than the competition, WISK also offers unbeatable analytics and reporting. Our software allows you to use artificial intelligence to predict future sales based on your previous performance, customer preferences, and more. With WISK, you’ll always be one step ahead.
On top of all of that, we offer 24/7 customer support, flexible plans, and pricing that won’t break the bank.
Ready to get started? Here’s how.
Don’t waste another minute of your precious time and money. Follow the steps below to enable WISK on TouchBistro and take advantage of all of the benefits described above.
- Log into your Cloud Portal site and click Partners.
- Choose WISK in the list and click Enable.
- In the pop-up box, click Enable again to allow data sharing.
- On the next page, you may be required to input your TouchBistro ID into WISK.
That’s it! Not even 5 minutes later, your data will begin sharing and you’re ready to go.
The TouchBistro and WISK integration is more than a partnership; it's a catalyst for your restaurant's growth. See your ROI climb as you harness the power of these tools.
If you want to save time and money, increase your profits, and manage your business more effectively, than the TouchBistro and WISK integration is right for you. All these benefits come with no extra cost once you start using each platform, and will catapult your bar or restaurant to the next level. Sign up for your 2-months free here to test the POS integration.
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