Operations
Operations
Point of Sale (POS) System
- You will need a point of sale system to manage the cash flow of your business. In addition to payment processing, this system may also assist with front of house management and online order processing. Depending on your business size and the type of business you have, here are some POS options to consider:
- Square for restaurants (best for new restaurants)
- Clover (best for quick service restaurants)
- Lightspeed restaurant (best pos for small and medium sized restaurants)
- Touch bistro (best for full service restaurant)
- Toast (best system for Android systems)
- Loyverse (best free post software)
Food system resources
- Food-specific resources and services
- Commercial kitchens
Employment and Human Resources
As you launch and grow your business, you may need to hire employees. This process includes writing a job description, posting the position on various jobs boards, and completing the necessary legal steps to officially hire new staff.
There are many factors and laws to consider when you hire an employee of your business. There are many different State and Federal requirements you'll need to complete when you hire an employee, including obtaining your Federal Employment Identification number (EIN), your state’s Taxpayer Identification number, and workers compensation insurance.
As you hire employees, be sure to follow all wage and employment guidelines.
Employee and Customer Health and Safety
Free training, toolkit, and resources to keep food workers and customers safe and healthy during cold, flu, and Covid-19 surges.
Food Worker COVID-19 Health Safety Toolkit
Food & Society at the Aspen Institute is a working partner with the CDC Foundation to provide this toolkit filled with information, resources, and guidance on topics such as COVID-19 safety best practices, vaccine information, and mental health. The toolkit was created specifically to support frontline food industry managers and workers.
Safety First trainings and guidelines
Safety First features several one-page summaries and infographics that distill the most essential information for restaurants around the country to display for diners and staff. Restaurant managers and employees can take a free 90-minute online training course developed with Rouxbe, and healthcare department professionals also have an online training course developed and hosted by Public Health Foundation.
Safety First was developed by the Food and Society Program at the Aspen Institute, with support from Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, and in collaboration with José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen, the James Beard Foundation, the National Restaurant Association, the IndependentRestaurant Coalition, and One Fair Wage.