Summer has officially arrived, which means it’s the peak season for your bustling venue. The summer months bring their fair share of ups and downs. Diners travel and eat out more, bringing more sales for your business. However, increased traffic exacerbates existing challenges, including short staffing, over-complicated tech, and not enough resources to keep up with demand.

But merchants, we have great news. Tech solutions are out there to help you better navigate the busy season and make it through with high profits and happy staff.

Looking for a full breakdown of the top tech on the market? Check out the 2022 comparison guide.

How to manage your business through the busy season and peak periods

The busy season in the hospitality industry brings new challenges and intensifies problems an overworked merchant already faces. The industry worldwide is facing one of the worst labor and staffing shortages. This shortage is a challenge in and of itself. But, it also contributes to other difficulties for operators. With limited staff, the high influx of orders merchants expect over the summer can be hard to manage. Additionally, operators must ensure their staff aren’t overworked and stay motivated.

So, how can operators make the most of the busy season?

How to make your restaurant a competitive place to work

Great employees make your venue operate at its best. So whether you’re looking for killer kitchen staff or personable front-of-house employees, it’s essential to establish your business as a great place to work to attract new talent and retain and reward your current employees.

Check out our webinar for more tips on attracting and retaining top talent.

When hiring new workers, look for candidates that fit your venue's culture and environment. For example, if you place a high value on integrity and optimism in your employees, be sure to ask questions during your interview process that help distinguish those qualities in a candidate. By establishing those criteria up front, you’re more likely to attract a high-quality candidate that will stick with you for the long haul.

It’s essential to differentiate your business to both potential and current employees. Highlight training and growth opportunities within your venue; consider offering benefits like a 401K and insurance. These differentiators give you an advantage over competitors, making it easier to attract and keep top talent.

How to ensure your team doesn’t get swamped with incoming delivery requests

Even when operating with the perfect team of employees, tech can be a lifesaver for the busy merchant. Whether you’re short-staffed, facing an unexpectedly high order volume, or both, tech enables your venue to manage better order intake and improve work flow.

Using tech to your advantage benefits both your staff and your guests. Tech eases the pressure on your employees and saves them from burnout. It ensures you don’t accept more orders than staff can manage and helps keep the focus on ensuring all orders fulfilled are top quality. And when orders are made to perfection and served on time, you’ll leave your guests satisfied, more likely to tip, and eager to return.

How Bbot can support your venue during the busy season

Bbot’s Order & Pay is the perfect solution for managing your busy season. Features like order throttling, printer routing, and load balancing enable you and your staff to manage incoming orders when you’re short on staff, overwhelmed, or experiencing an unexpected influx of orders.

Order Throttling

The order throttling feature helps manage an influx of orders. Setting limits on when a diner can place an order through your site during peak times ensures your staff can fulfill all orders at the highest quality.

Additionally, this feature allows you to manually hit “pause” on incoming orders to give your kitchen a break to prevent overworked staff and burnout.

Printer Routing

Printer load balancing splits incoming orders between multiple locations in your venue. If you have two prep stations that can prepare similar things or even two bars within your venue, you can divide orders evenly between the two areas.

Enabling this feature is particularly beneficial during peak hours when order volumes are at their highest. It disperses the workload, so the staff at one prep station or bar aren’t overwhelmed with a high influx of orders while another station doesn’t have anything to do.

Want to get started with these essential staff-saving features at your venue? Fill out the form below to get in touch with one of our experts today and better manage your busy season.