Slack for Restaurants
Restaurants are busy places with lots going on. It is difficult to keep everyone on the same page with so many independent activities happening at the same time. From front of house to back of house and everything in between the challenge is never ending. The restaurant industry needs better ways to manage operations, increase efficiency and streamline processes. By using a software service like Slack for restaurants, owners, operators and managers can simplify how restaurants operate and make everyone on the team calmer and happier.
What is Slack?
Slack is a messaging and communication app that works across multiple platforms. It makes messaging between people, channels and groups easy and engaging. In a use case like Slack for restaurants, it connects people with the organisation and into their separate channels. Slack will work on smartphones and via traditional browsers. Slack is a messaging app on steroids. It helps teams and workplaces communicate in real time and in a way that it is easy to find relevant messages.
Who Owns the Restaurant Customer Relationship?
Don’t let third party apps take your most valuable asset
Why is Slack suitable for Restaurants?
Slack has been widely adopted by startup and tech companies because it provides a platform for entire workplaces to communicate in a fun and engaging way. It is like WhatsApp but with a much more organised cross workplace structure. You will find lots of emojis ❤️ and meme’s as people bring some fun into useful communication. Slack for restaurants is useful for exactly the same reason it is useful for other types of businesses. Restaurants have lots of people working in different departments that need to communicate constantly. If anything, Slack may even be a better fit for restaurants as it works very well across time periods, like restaurant shifts where people are present at different times
Slack helps restaurants work more efficiently
How can restaurants use Slack?
Restaurants have many functions, and each involving different people. Restaurants also often have quite a lot of new and/or temporary staff. Having one place to keep all relevant and important information makes everything else so much easier. Slack allows you to create easy to access channels, that are relevant to each function. For example, restaurants might keep an end of shift log book. This is a perfect use case for a channel on Slack. Instead of writing the end of shift notes into a book, it can be written to Slack where the entire team can view it. No more paper!
Slack use cases for Restaurants
We have listed some potential slack channels for common functions/departments when using Slack for restaurants . You can use these as a template for your restaurant Slack channel. It is very easy to add staff to the various channels in Slack
End of Shift 🌙
#endofshift
Slack channel for all end of shift/end of day reporting and notes
Back of House 👩🏽🍳
#boh
Channel for all matters relating to the back of house team. An easy way to keep your back of house team on the one page
Front of House 👩🏻🔧
#foh
Channel for the front of house team. All front of house team members will have access and can communicate effectively
Specials ⭐️
#specials
A place where the chef can list the specials of the day along with ingredients and allergy information. Never forget a special again
Social Media ❤️
#social
A great channel to share interesting content. The chef could snap some fresh produce or the bartender could take a pic of this evenings cocktail special. Makes it super easy to share on social media
Managers 🙂
#managers 🔒
Private channel for managers only. Easy way to communicate with other about important matters without other staff being part of the conversation
Lost and Found🧣
#lostandfound
Channel for all items that have been left behind. Take a snap and upload with some info on where it was found. Everyone has access to the info when it matters
Maintenance 🛠
#maintenance
See something broken that needs fixed? Take a snap and upload to the maintenance channel. Now the people that need to know, know
Staff Intro’s 👋
#intro
Restaurants are consistently adding new staff. Now you can introduce them on the #intro channel and keep everybody in the loop. No more awkward hellos
Incident Channel 🛑
#incidents
Accidents do happen, and when they do it is important to keep an accurate record of it. Having a dedicated Slack channel with the option to upload images makes sure you have all the relevant information
Payroll ⏰
#payroll
A great place to keep a record of hours worked or any important notes for the payroll team
Ordering 📧
#ordering
A channel to document and manage stock orders
Fun 🎉
#fun
The most important channel of all. A place for all your team to organise fun stuff when the work stuff is finished
Other Possible Slack Channels
🍔 Simplified ordering system
📞 Public channel for guests to make bookings
💵 Refunds
🧢 Merchandise
📅 Holidays
🥘 Menu Updates
Slack as a Connector
Slack is a great tool in its own right, but it also great connected to other mission critical platforms. For example you could connect your booking system to Slack so that all booking appear in a channel. If you capture email on WiFi you could publish all new customer data with a good WiFi hotspot solution. Online Reviews and any other online platforms are likely to have useful Slack integrations.
Slack for Restaurants
Hopefully you can now see how good a tool Slack could be for restaurants. It has all the characteristics of an essential everyday tool and even has the potential to replace a lot of other existing tools. The chaotic and sometimes siloed nature of restaurants is especially suitable for Slack. And the most important thing – everyone has a smartphone, and that is all you really need to get started
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
Can I integrate Slack with my restaurant delivery and ordering system?
If your restaurant delivery and ordering system has an open API then yes, you can integrate with Slack. Some systems will have an integration built into Slack already. Read more on our blog post – Slack for Restaurants
Can I integrate Slack with my restaurant POS?
It depends on the POS, but if it has API functionality then most likely the answer is yes. Most POS systems will have an open API.
How much does Slack cost for restaurants?
Slack is free to use however if restaurants are going to use it as a core part of their business, it would be best to upgrade to the paid plan for approx $7 per month per user.
Why is Slack suitable for restaurants?
Slack is suitable for restaurants because it helps bring all the various restaurant functions together, in a shared digital environment. It helps keep everyone on the same page and restaurants work more efficiently.
What are examples of Slack channels for restaurants?
Examples of Slack channels for restaurants include back of house, front of house, specials, staff intros, social media, lost and found, maintenance, incident channel, payroll, ordering and most important, the #fun channel.
How can restaurants use Slack?
Restaurants can use Slack by creating Slack channels for each business function. Examples of business functions that can be created as channels include, back of house, front of house, specials, staff intros, social media, lost and found and many more.
Is Slack suitable for restaurants?
Yes, Slack is perfectly suited to restaurants. Lots of people, working in different departments, that need to be in constant communication. Everyone can download the app to their phone.
