Technology

8 Apps Every Restaurateur Can’t Live Without

By Jackie Prange

restaurant owner using iPad

From inventory management to restaurant organization, and employee scheduling to social media broadcasting…it seems there’s always ‘an app for that’. But with what’s quickly become a never ending list of “best apps for restaurateurs”, it’s hard to make out the ‘bests’ from the ‘busts’.

With that in mind, we’ve narrowed down our list to eight applications for restaurants that will do their part in making your life easier, your business more lucrative, and most importantly, keep your customers coming back for more.

1. Hootsuite

In today’s digital age, your restaurant needs an active social presence. But how can you manage all of the posting, engagement, and community management required, on top of your day to day? Your solution: Hootsuite. Hootsuite is a simple, yet savvy social media tool that allows you to manage all of your social sites from one easy-to-use platform. You can schedule posts for the day, week, or month, taking some much needed weight off your shoulders.

2. Partender

The app every bar owner has been looking for, and all you need is an iPhone. Partender helps restaurant owners, managers, and bartenders to reduce shrinkage with its intuitive liquor inventory tracking abilities. Just enter your liquor offerings, measure the exact amount in each bottle, and sync the data to the cloud. Along with tracking inventory, this restaurant application also allows you to access consumption analytics to see exactly what’s selling and what’s not.

3. Yelp

Many diners wouldn’t think of visiting a restaurant before checking them out on a user-generated review site like Yelp. These sites are more powerful than any social media feed and have shown to have a large effect on consumer behavior, loyalty, and the purchasing process in general. Yelp allows diners to submit reviews, which businesses can then respond to privately or publicly. With 90 million monthly visitors, it’s in your best interest to start managing your business through the Yelp restaurant application today.

4. TouchBistro

In the past, POS software has required bulky and expensive hardware, but today many owners and managers choose to run their restaurant using a POS app on an iPad. TouchBistro has all the features and functionality of a traditional POS, but with the flexibility and convenience of a mobile app. TouchBistro comes with full order management functionality, a customizable menu, staff scheduling ability, inventory management, and robust reporting capabilities. Ranked as the #1 ranked iPad-based POS app specifically designed for restaurants, TouchBistro allows servers to take payments tableside, managers to monitor sales activities, and accountants and administrators to quickly access valuable performance trends.

5. 7Shifts

Is your restaurant suffering from scheduling drama? 7Shifts, an employee scheduling software designed specifically for restaurants, can help alleviate all your scheduling pain points. Your employees can download the app right to their phone, providing them with access to upcoming shifts, scheduled availability, and time-off requests, right from the 7Shifts home screen. Managers can approve shift swaps, send messages directly to their employees, and control their scheduling calendar all from their phone. As one of the top restaurant applications on the market, 7Shifts integrates with some of the best restaurant technology vendors.

6. Uber Eats

Restaurant delivery apps like Uber Eats provide a whole new sales channel for restaurants that deliver. Delivery apps reduce the chance of error associated with over-the-phone orders and the best apps provide confirmation and accurate order records to both restaurants and customers. Restaurant applications for delivery like Uber Eats (and competitors like DoorDash and Foodora) also offer customers a convenient and user-friendly way to enjoy delivery from their favorite restaurants. Just keep in mind that using these third-party food delivery services comes with a cost, so it may be worth sticking to a direct online ordering system if you’re just offering takeout or you have your own fleet of delivery drivers.

7. NexTable

The best reservation apps allow restaurants to manage bookings and communicate seamlessly with guests. A host or hostess’s dream, NexTable allows you to have complete control over your reservations and table management so you can plan for your busy night ahead. Complete with a unique texting platform and advanced Customer Relationship Management solution, NexTable gives you an avenue to continually communicate and market to your customer base.

8. Waitlist Me

Your customers will never wait in line for a table again. The Waitlist Me app helps alleviate wait time frustrations by providing hungry patrons with insight into the exact wait time at your restaurant and allowing nearby app-users to get in a virtual line. The user will then get an alert as soon as their table is ready. The benefit of this restaurant application is pretty simple; instead of standing aimlessly and uncomfortably in a packed lobby, the customer is at liberty to visit neighboring shops, sit at the bar, or go elsewhere while they wait for their table to be ready. With thousands of customers served, NoWait is the perfect solution for minimizing wait time, and maximizing customer experience at your restaurant.


A better, more efficient restaurant could just be a download away, so test out some of these popular applications for restaurants and see for yourself why so many restaurant owners and operators are loving on these eight restaurants apps.

Photo of Jackie Prange
by Jackie Prange

Jackie was a Content Marketing Specialist and Social Media strategist at TouchBistro before moving into business development role. She covered the latest food, dining, and technology trends for the restaurant industry. A lover of all things coffee, Jackie’s hobbies include breakfast, lunch and dinner.

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