Mirus Reporter

When a restaurant company originally adopts a restaurant analytics platform like Mirus, the decision usually hinges on one key issue within the company, whether that be:

• Consolidated reporting above store (Operations)
• General Ledger feed (Finance)
• Analysis of promotions or LTOs (Marketing)
• Payroll feed (HR)
• Visibility into franchise stores (C-Level)

Each of these key issues usually impacts a specific department, which can lead to the impression that the platform is only a _{FILL IN THE BLANK} tool; only a Finance tool if you are using it to export to your GL system, or only an Operations tool if you are using it for consolidated above store reporting. However, you are losing out on the inherent value and flexibility of your restaurant analytics platform if you’ve got it siloed away into one area of your company. 

Let’s review each of the key restaurant departments and see how a restaurant analytics platform can be tailored to meet each department's needs.

Increasing Your Awareness

Restaurant companies carefully seek out the smartest ways to manage their everyday operations. Each system they employ (POS, Labor Scheduling, Inventory, Food Cost, Guest Loyalty, Payroll, GL) probably does a decent job of capturing and recording all transactional information and provides some sort of static reporting.

However, these systems are unable to “talk to each other”. In order to try to get greater clarity, many operators must resort to merging all the data from all of these systems into excel spreadsheets. This method is not only often unreliable but extremely time consuming and tedious.

A restaurant’s marketing department might use a slew of strategies to determine where their brand strategy is going in the next few months. Whether that means adding new items to the menu, incorporating new combos, and/or other customer-related experiences, data integration can help restaurants make fact-based decisions using real-time information. Continue reading to find out more about the benefits of utilizing restaurant data to help with marketing tactics.

At Mirus, the job of an Integrations Specialist, is to help restaurants figure out which systems should be integrated immediately and which systems can wait. It’s important to prioritize integration because the process requires a bit of effort and focus. However, if done right, the business will begin to gain reporting insights that will turn into actionable intelligence.

In this article, we will focus on the benefits of integrating financial data. The content presented here is meant to be an introduction piece dedicated to thinking about why it is important to integrate financial data and how restaurants can increase profitability and decrease losses through proper data analysis.

There are several reasons why integrating operational data for your restaurant is an ideal choice. From keeping tabs on sales and labor to essential reporting and more, integrating data is simply a must. For more insight on integrating operational data, we had a moment to catch up with Mirus Integration Specialist Kadiata Diop, better known to friends and colleagues as Jet.

What does integrating data mean and why is it beneficial for your restaurant? With Mirus’ services, it’s all about ease-of-use. “What that means is looking at all the systems a restaurant may have and deciding which data points they want to see, bring in, and integrate into Mirus so that they can run reports of analysis on that data all in one place, “ says Jet. Convenience is the name of the game and with professional data integration, reporting can be achieved all in one place.

If you read the previous entry on ETL basics, you may be thinking "Another blog about ETL? Why?" Good question.

What's with all the mumbo jumbo surrounding new tech terminology and why do we care? Truth be told, we don't. Chances are, you can probably think of better things to do with your time than research the definitions of ETL and ELT  - much less delve into the differences.

Jeff Royal, VP of Operations and Product Development at Mirus, explains why ETL matters to you.

ETL is the heart of Business Intelligence software.  It stands for "Extract, Transform, Load" and is a concept that, for most, is shrouded in mystery.  But ETL is at the heart of the rapidly evolving tech industry, and just because you don't understand how it works, doesn't mean your restaurants don't or won't eventually depend on it.

I asked Jeff Royal, VP of Operations and Product Development at Mirus, to demystify ETL a little for those of us who don't fancy ourselves advanced techies.

What is the most cruial thing restaurant operators need to know about how their data is being Extracted, Transformed, and Loaded?

"The Mirus model allows for operators' data in any format to be loaded and combined.  We're data agnostic. Whether it's your POS, drive thru timers, or labor scheduler, we're not brand specific."

What's the most exciting thing going on in the world of ETL right now?

"The ever increasing sources of information and new technologies like a web-based labor scheduler, customer satisfaction and loyalty programs.  Social media is the next big thing."

The bottom line: as restaurant operating systems become more diverse and specialized, ETL is increasingly crucial for streamlining data, and providing "one version of the truth".  As we continue to spearhead Business Intelligence for restaurants, Mirus remains a step ahead with products that anticipate operators' needs and empower decision makers.   

Do you like receiving a gift card in lieu of something more personal?  An increasing number of Americans do.  The continued popularity of gift cards is on the rise with Starbucks reporting a whopping third of total sales from gift cards in the fourth quarter of 2013.  That's $1.4 billion to be exact.   

With that much profit on the line, the risk gift card fraud poses is greater than ever for retailers and restaurants alike.  Suddenly diners don't have to be so sneaky when an inconspicuous card will "dine and dash" for them.  Raising the stakes even higher, thieves continue to devise increasingly sophisticated methods to perform a very simple objective : ripping you off.  Unfortunately, you don't have to look any further than your own employees when it comes to the majority of gift card theft. 

Market research has gradually become standard operating procedure in the restaurant industry.  With so many moving parts involved in the testing process, the journey a new menu item travels from idea to plate has many stops along the way.  In the tech industry, we test products all the time.  We don't get the perk of taste testing our products, but our developers seem to enjoy the process anyway.  The system for testing new technology is sometimes referred to as "beta testing".  So what exactly does this phrase mean and how does it affect your profit margin?  It seems like new business terminology is popping up all of the time (what's a "value-add" or a "paradigm shift" anyway?) but beta testing has actually been around since the 1950s, originating at IBM.  It describes a product's "readiness for general availability".  Its use has spread to other industries to describe the final stage of market research.  Beta tesing is essentially the "soft opening" in restaurant speak.  It is the method of testing new items, systems and best practices - and implies an opportunity to measure results before your profit margin is on the line.

If you've been to mirus.com lately, chances are you've noticed some major changes. The recently updated website features an enhanced user experience and responsive design that gives everyone the same view on any device they're using.

With this post, we will walk you through various parts of the new website and highlight key pages that make it easier to find information. We hope that by the end you will take your own tour of the new mirus.com! We'd love to hear from you - so check out the contact us page to get the conversation started!