Your menu is your on-campus restaurant’s most important sales and marketing tool—it affects everything from revenue to the student experience. Building and editing this critical document can be a time-consuming process, especially if you run a large campus dining system. That’s where menu management software comes in; these programs provide a quick and convenient way to keep all your menus up-to-date.
What is menu management software?
Menu management software programs create a central hub for building, editing, and publishing menus. They enable you to make a change in one place and push it out to your POS system, digital menu board, QR code contactless menu, website menu, online ordering website and more. That way, you can streamline menu administration and ensure every channel is current.
Do your dining locations use different menus for in-house dining, catering, mobile orders, and delivery? Do you offer daily specials or seasonal offerings? Most programs support multiple menus to accommodate a range of dining operations.
Common features of menu management software include:
- Menu builders. These user-friendly tools help you create new menu items, either from scratch or by cloning an existing item.
- Menu design tools. Create the look and feel of your digital menus by adjusting the layout, colors, fonts, and imagery.
- Allergen and dietary modifiers. This feature enables you to mark dishes that contain specific allergens and note which items are safe for people with certain dietary restrictions.
- Nutrition calculators. Enter ingredient quantities for each dish to estimate the calorie and macronutrient counts.
- Upselling options. Some systems can make recommendations or generate pop-ups to help upsell specific dishes and increase order value.
- Discounts and promotions. These tools enable you to mark down items or run limited-time deals.
- POS integrations. When menu management software integrates with your POS system, you can push upsell suggestions and adapt to changing inventory levels in real-time.
- Data analytics and reporting. Certain software programs can collect data about each order and streamline the reporting process to help you make better decisions regarding pricing, menu engineering, and item selection.
Benefits of a menu management system
If you run a complex campus dining operation, the right menu management system provides the control and visibility you need. It also offers a few key benefits for your business:
- Fast menu administration. With menu management software, there’s no need to edit multiple menus. You can make a change once and know it’s reflected across every menu. With tools that streamline the menu-building process, you can get new promotions or seasonal menus up and running quickly.
- Quick menu adjustments. Many software programs create a database of dishes, giving your chefs a high-level view into each item. That information makes it easier to adjust ingredients or portion sizes and forecast the impact on food preparation, pricing, inventory, and nutritional content.
- Improved student experience. When all your menus are updated and consistent, it sets realistic expectations for students.
- Greater business insights. A menu management system’s built-in analytics provide visibility into your dining operation. They help you identify high-performing dishes, spot problem areas for food waste, and monitor the cost of goods sold and profit margins for each dish.
- Easier financial management. With the data from menu management software and your POS system, you can find opportunities to save money and tighten up your operations.
If you’re actively looking for ways to make your campus systems more efficient, menu management software can be a useful tool. The right program can help you maintain multiple menus across a range of digital platforms, all while reducing the administrative workload.
To create an even more streamlined operation, turn to Grubhub On Site for a seamless mobile ordering solution. With Grubhub, students can order takeout or delivery from your on-campus restaurants using the Grubhub app—no need to wait in line for a cashier. The digital menu is a breeze to update, whether or not you’re using menu management software, so you can make changes on the fly as supply levels shift. To find out how this technology can improve the student experience and boost sales, contact us today.
