Food and beverage is the second biggest utility service that a company provides to its employees and it is imperative that the delivery of these services should be cost and time effective for the company

Tell us if this is a familiar sight at your office cafeteria: you and your cafeteria vendors can never seem to agree upon month-end settlements without a little back and forth, and new vendors take a few months before they understand the demand for different items on their menu. While a lot of time and effort go into making corporate cafeterias function like a well-oiled machine, data can help you see results much faster. Data Analytics today is the bedrock of any business. Most companies are nowadays looking at real-time analytics for decision-making and data will provide them with the required insights for taking such decisions. Here is how

Minimizing food wastage 

Food and beverage is the second biggest utility service that a company provides to its employees and it is imperative that the delivery of these services should be cost and time effective for the company. Food wastage is a global problem. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food, gets lost or wasted. Food waste is a global problem. In companies, it’s usually the second biggest utility service provided to employees. Food is always prepared in excess as it’s difficult to estimate the demand every day and ultimately, it gets wasted.  A digitized cafeteria solution enables an effective solution to curb this issue. Through this technology, employees can see the menu and place an order in advance, all on their mobile app. A quick analysis of the data could reveal what employees like to eat, how many plates of a particular order is likely to be consumed and how much needs to be prepared.

Transparency & Reconciliation 

Technology helps you to track orders, generate revenue reports and gauge vendor performance as well. This gives you a comprehensive view of the working and functions of the cafeteria. You learn exactly how much vendors are earning, and helps create transparency in the operations.

A digitized cafeteria solution is a boon when it comes to keeping an exact count of meals consumed; ensuring bills are settled with vendors accurately. For example, if you have implemented free or subsidized meals at your café, it even avoids any discrepancies in payment to vendors. 

Creating a good experience for employees 

Data can help manage employee and vendor preferences, food choices, and preferred modes of payments as well. The system enables you to implement a feedback process where employees can share their likes and dislikes that makes lunchtime a good experience for employees, along with seamless cafeteria functions. This process creates a good cafeteria experience and makes one a happy customer, making the café a happy place.

Workplace cafeteria is not just a place where employees gather for lunch or breaks, it is a place to unwind and re-energize yourself. Thankfully, technology has made it possible to completely skip queues and eliminate waiting time; a tap on the app, one has placed an order for their food and a notification that it’s ready, simply go and collect it. Further, the insights that flow in from the heaps of data have paved the way for curbing food wastage and bringing transparency to the whole process. Technology and the power of data is truly infinite; disrupting the food and service industry is just the beginning. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article above are those of the authors' and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of this publishing house