I’ll never forget one of the most hectic and stressful nights at my parents’ restaurant. My dad decided it was time to embrace technology and update the order management system used by the kitchen and the servers. This was quite the update considering the old system consisted of paper, a microphone, and an intercom. After investing time and money into finding and buying the “perfect system” it crashed on the first night: a busy Friday when restaurants can’t afford errors. The crash was bad enough, but the real problem was that most of the employees didn’t understand the new system. With more time and training the software may have revolutionized Tambellini’s, but by the end of the night it was clear that new software would never have a second chance.
My dad learned a hard lesson that night: he should have involved other people in the decision. The employees who would actually be using the software should have been key in the research process. If he could do it all over again, my dad would have asked them to try the demos and visualize what else would need to change to accommodate the new software. For example, would the new kitchen software also affect the way servers should time appetizers? Even the best chefs sometimes need to consult with their sous-chefs while they are creating a new dish, so when you are coming up with new plans don’t be afraid to talk to “sous-chefs” in your company too!
