How to Manage Costs and Automate Systems to Get Time Back
Smarter Systems Matter More Than Flashy Tech
How to Manage Costs and Automate Systems to Get Time Back
In hospitality, time is our most valuable resource—but many managers feel like there’s never enough. Between rising costs, staffing pressures, and the day-to-day grind of administrative tasks, the work never seems to slow. A common answer? Investing in new technology. But here’s the caveat: the latest tech doesn’t always solve the right problems. What truly drives efficiency and frees up time is a strong operational system, backed by tools that deliver real-time clarity on how the business is performing.
1. Start With the System, Not the Screen
Before selecting a flashy platform, refine your base systems. Ask yourself: are tasks clearly defined? Are the workflows consistent? When your processes are reliable, technology becomes a force multiplier rather than another burden.
2. Solve Your Big Time Drains
What activities are consuming your managers’ time? Is it inventory, scheduling, data reconciliation, or cost tracking? Choose technology that specifically addresses the pain point. The right tool used well outperforms a sophisticated system used partially.
3. Automate Repetitive, Low-Value Tasks
Once your systems are stable, automate the tasks that drain time:
Inventory counts and variance tracking
Purchase order triggers when stock is low
Automated labor forecasting and scheduling
Dashboards and reports sent daily so managers know what to review
This shifts the time burden away from analysis and manual work toward action and leadership.
4. Make Cost Controls Continuous & Real-Time
Operating in real time is the difference between reacting and leading. With the right systems, you can monitor shifts in waste, labor, menu performance, and guest revenue daily. This gives your team time to adjust before issues become major problems.
5. Integrate, Don’t Multiply
Too often, teams end up with six dashboards, eight logins, and multiple reports. Aim for tools and systems that speak to each other and deliver a single pane of truth. Fewer platforms, clearer data, less time wasted.
6. Retain the Human Connection
Technology saves time—but it doesn’t replace people. When managers have time back, they can be on the floor with guests, coach the team, mentor talent, and reinforce culture. That human connection is what creates memorable service and repeat business.
Two Systems That Work
To illustrate what a smart tech stack looks like, consider these two solutions:
Ingest.AI
This platform consolidates data across scheduling, POS, inventory, and more into a single source of truth. It automates report generation, delivers custom dashboards, and gives managers clear visualizations on what’s working and what isn’t in real time. We use it for almost all clients to help them better-understand their business, with custom reporting built for us.
Craftable
Craftable focuses on purchasing, inventory control, and back-office automation for restaurants and hotels. It centralizes cost control, reduces “rogue spend,” and gives leaders direct visibility into spend, labor, and margins—all in one integrated platform.
Both of these tools deliver efficient workflows and real-time health on operations—so your team can shift from “managing tasks” to “leading the guest experience.”
Our Perspective
We believe that technology should free up time, not create more of it. That means:
Establishing clear systems first
Choosing tools that support your unique operation
Ensuring real-time visibility into the business
Giving managers the time they need to focus on people, not paperwork
Because at the end of the day, what truly makes hospitality great isn’t the dashboard—it’s the team, the guests, and the connections they create. With the right systems in place, you can get time back, control costs, and bring more of the magic back into your business.
