How to choose restaurant management software in Australia

A good restaurant system ties bookings, orders, stock and sales reports into one flow. A paper book and a clipboard stocktake do not. This guide covers what to look for, what to check with your accountant, and the costs to work out.

The criteria that matter (short answer)

Check the four core modules: floor-plan bookings, recipe cards, table orders and stock.
Ask how bookings are recorded per table, room and time, so a six-top is not held for two.
Test the whole flow during a busy Friday service, from booking to close.
Ask for reports by day, by dish and by waiter, so you can fix the menu and the rosters.
Work out the total cost, including hardware, training and set-up time.

The essential features

Table bookings on a floor plan, showing reserved and free tables by time.
A QR digital menu linked to recipe cards, with food cost per dish.
Table orders sent to the kitchen.
Ingredient stock levels, tracked in the same application as the menu.
Shift clock-in for the team.
Sales reports by day, by dish and by waiter.

Table: loose tools vs. one system

Many venues start with a paper book, a roster chat and a stock spreadsheet.

Loose tools vs. one restaurant system

Criterion	Loose tools	One restaurant system
Bookings	A book at the host stand and phone messages	A floor plan with the reserved tables
The menu	A printed menu, reprinted after each price change	A QR digital menu, tied to recipe cards
The order	A handwritten docket carried to the kitchen	The order goes from the application to the kitchen
Stock	A stocktake in a spreadsheet, once a month	Ingredient stock levels, in the same application
Reports	Totals added up by hand at close	Sales by day, by dish and by waiter

What the rules say in Australia

Most restaurant and café sales are taxable at the 10% GST rate. Ask your accountant about any GST-free items.
Keep sales and business records for the period the ATO requires, generally five years.
Time and pay records must be kept under the Fair Work Act 2009. Penalty rates depend on the applicable modern award.
State and territory food authorities regulate allergen information for non-prepacked food under the Food Standards Code.
Many food businesses must run a HACCP-based food safety program. Rules vary by state or territory.
Check your BAS obligations with your accountant.
Customer contact details are personal information, handled under the Privacy Act 1988 where it applies.

What matters, by type of venue

Restaurant: floor plan, reserved tables and orders to the kitchen.
Café: a short menu, recipe cards for drinks, and reports by day and dish.
Bar or pub: pour sizes on recipe cards, and stock for spirits, beer and wine.
Pizzeria or bistro: a QR menu, recipe cards for each pizza, kitchen orders.
Catering or food court: recipe cards with portion weights and production cost.

Practical example

Hypothetical example: a 60-seat CBD bistro with eight staff. Bookings lived in a book, and orders were handwritten. On one system, the waiter sends orders from the application, and the close-of-day report shows sales by day, dish and waiter.

Measure it yourself: note how long orders take to reach the kitchen, before and after the switch. Your own figures beat a vendor's claims.

Common mistakes

Buying one tool for bookings and another for orders, then re-keying at close.
Choosing software that cannot record bookings per table and time.
Not entering recipe cards with portion weights, so the food cost stays a guess.
Ignoring shift clock-in, even though wages are one of the largest costs in a restaurant.
Deciding without testing a busy Friday service.

How 4restaurants.net helps

Bookings, floor plan, orders, stock and shift clock-in sit in one application.
The QR digital menu is linked to recipe cards, from which food cost is worked out.
A waiter's order reaches the kitchen from the same application.
Reports by day, by dish and by waiter are built from the recorded sales.
Everything runs in one account, so front of house and kitchen share the same figures.