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Introduction
Chapter 1 : Fundamentals of Restaurant Operations
Chapter 2 : Ingredients and Yield Loss
Chapter 3 : Cost analysis and ingredient valuation
Chapter 4 : Inventory management
Chapter 5 : Technology, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence in Kitchen Operations
Chapter 6 : Pricing, Contribution Margin and Cost Control
Chapter 7 : Sales, Marketing and the Psychology of the Menu
Chapter 8 : Inventory Management, Internal Controls and Food Safety
Chapter 9: Standardisation and Description of Ingredients and Dishes
Chapter 10 : Service, service processes, and service quality Service as the foundation of the guest experience
Chapter 11 : Digital reviews and online visibility
Chapter 12 : From Concept to Operation
Chapter 13 : Operational Metrics and Performance Management
13.1 Key operational metrics (KPIs)13.2 Interpreting operational data (POS/ERP)13.3 Profit, contribution margin and EBITDA13.4 Visual representation13.5 Exercises and examples13.6 References
Chapter 14 : Process Design and Service Flow
Chapter 15 : The future of restaurant operations: challenges and opportunities
Chapter 16 : Glossary
Closing worda

13.2 Interpreting operational data (POS/ERP)

With the emergence of modern POS (Point of Sale) and ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems, access to real-time data has become a fundamental part of restaurant operational control (Walker, 2021). Official platform descriptions from Lightspeed, Toast, and IRIS all emphasise real-time oversight, reporting, and operational management as core functions of their systems.

Through these systems, managers can access detailed information on daily revenue and sales peaks, which can be used to identify temporary ordering patterns for menus and staffing. The systems also provide an overview of the most popular dishes and beverages, offering insight into customer preferences and changes in taste. This information can then be used to prioritise ingredient purchasing and marketing efforts.

Inventory status and order history can also be used to improve cash-flow management, minimise stockouts, and strengthen purchasing discounts through more consistent ordering patterns. Furthermore, it is important to monitor write-offs and ingredient waste, since such data can reveal whether staff procedures for handling and storage need to be adjusted (Posist, 2022).

Examples of widely used software solutions that support these functions include Lightspeed, Toast, and Staffology by IRIS, all of which support real-time monitoring and flexible reporting to meet the needs of a wide range of restaurant operators.

RevPASH

Watch these 3 numbers if you want to know whether you’re actually making money