Think about this question for a moment:
If you have no idea how many guests are going to be in your restaurant for lunch next Tuesday, how can you possibly forecast sales or effectively schedule staff?
Let’s put that question another way:
What if we could show you meal and liquor counts down to 15-minute intervals for every section of your restaurant so you would know exactly what’s happening at your bar this Thursday at 5:45 pm?
How would that impact the number of staff you have on and your ability to meet your labour targets?
What we’re trying to say is, forecasting shouldn’t be an afterthought, and now it doesn’t need to be imprecise either.
We know why forecasts aren’t getting done
When it comes to forecasting labour and scheduling accordingly, there are, generally, two types of scheduling managers:
- The ones that don’t forecast, and build a schedule based on how the floor will typically ‘feel’ at certain times of day;
- The ones who know forecasting is important, and really, really want to find the time to do it, but end up copying last week’s forecast week after week with a few minor changes.
We know what it’s like. Almost everyone on our team is a former restaurant operator, so we know how much work forecasting takes (or used to take), and we also know what an incredible difference it can make to your bottom line when you’re forecasting accurately and scheduling accurately.
And although we’ve become known for our restaurant scheduling software, Ameego does a heck of a lot more than that for your business.
Perhaps out of all of our features, the one that you truly need, the one that will deliver a pretty big return year after year, is forecasting.
We’re talking about the kind of forecasting that’s so accurate it’s almost scary.
How Ameego predicts the future
We knew that if our clients wanted to save on labour costs and have just the right people on the floor at all times, scheduling managers needed to have an entirely different level of forecasting.
We believe forecasting is the most important tool for accurate scheduling, and an accurate schedule is the most important tool to hit your labour costs. So, kind of a big deal.
It was with this belief that we created our advanced forecasting technology.
Here’s how it works:
1. We integrate
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Ameego integrates with your POS system, allowing us to pull every metric you’ve got, including:
- Guest, Meal and Liquor Counts
- Gross, Net, Department and Item Sales
- Employee Punch Times
- 52 Weeks of Historical Data
2. We dive deep
Our advanced labour forecasting uses those counts and shows you exactly what you can expect sales to look like, right down to:
- 15-minute increments
- Broken down into each section of the restaurant
- Even down to specific items
All you have to do is click on the date for your weekly forecast and all the numbers you could need to then scroll over, create the perfect schedule, and see how your labour targets are measuring up with the your forecast.
3. We save
When you’re able to accurately align sales traffic with your labour spending, you can save 0.5-3% of your annual spend on labour.
Let’s say you’re spending $500,000 a year on labour. You could be saving up to $15,000.
And right now, we’re only talking about labour savings.
The ability to forecast and create perfect schedules at the click of a button takes managers at least a few hours every week. AMEEGO CREATES BOTH THE FORECAST AND SCHEDULE IN SECONDS.
Yes, sales-directed automated scheduling is a godsend. Learn more about how you can be more competitive with our post Six advantages of automating your staff schedules.
Do you have a but?
But I don’t believe it.
But I’m no good with computers.
But it’s too expensive.
We love showing restaurant operators how fast and easy it us to use Ameego. We love to see the look on people’s faces when we sync into their POS to create an accurate forecast and schedule, and show them how Ameego would have scheduled last week.
We love knowing our advanced labour forecasting technology works so well, we’re going to deliver a pretty impressive return on their investment.
We love that we don’t have to ask clients to sign contracts.
Still don’t believe it?
