The Background
Located in the vibrant city of Nashville, Tennessee, Bavarian Bierhaus is a 17,000-square-foot German-themed beer hall that can accommodate about 1,000 guests. Founded by a group passionate about German culture and beer, the beer hall quickly became a local favorite. The owners, who at the time were new to the restaurant industry, share a deep love for German culture, German beer, and Oktoberfest. Fueled by this passion, they came together to bring the concept to life.
Chief Operating Officer Joe McCarrol joined the project early, overseeing the opening and initial training. Over time, his role shifted to focus on back of house restaurant management, where he recognized the need for a more efficient operational system.
"It gave me peace of mind to know that things I'm asking to get done every day are getting done. It's also really nice to keep my managers laser-focused on what needs to get done that day.”
The Challenge
Bavarian Bierhaus faced significant operational challenges before implementing R365 Task Management. Managing daily tasks using Excel spreadsheets was both inefficient and error-prone.
“When we first opened, we were definitely that old-school restaurant that had an Excel spreadsheet, and we would just print it off the paper every day and put it on a clipboard on the wall,” McCarrol said. “What we noticed was that we weren’t keeping a great track of our task lists. Some days, it wasn’t filled out at all. And other days, it never even got printed.”
This manual method caused tasks to be overlooked or incompletely executed, affecting service quality and operational reliability. Additionally, the beer hall experienced high manager turnover, which put a strain on how quickly new managers could adapt and perform their duties.
“I was training new managers left and right, and I needed a tool to help,” he said. “I love to train, and I love to be there for my team, but I can’t do it all. With R365, I can quickly and easily say, ‘Hey, this is what you do.’”
The need for a unified system that could streamline task management and improve overall efficiency became increasingly evident.
The Solution
R365 Task Management revolutionized Bavarian Bierhaus’s back-of-house operations, effectively tackling their key challenges.
Within a few hours of implementing the tool, they transitioned all their tasks from Excel to Restaurant365. The intuitive interface made set up easy for leaders and manager adoption quick and seamless. They particularly appreciated the ability to categorize and schedule tasks into categories such as opening, midday, and closing duties, with specific tasks scheduled for certain days.
“It gave me peace of mind to know that things I’m asking to get done every day are getting done,” McCarrol said. “It’s really nice to keep laser-focused on what needs to get done that day.”
The tool also promoted better collaboration and transparency among the management team. Managers could track task progress in real-time, reducing overlap and improving communication.
“Now it’s really easy to go in and delegate who does what, when, where, and why,” he said. “There’s not a question about. when do we turn the dinner lights on? I mean, it seems really silly, but we saved a lot of time and stress of not having to pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, the dinner lights are still off.’”
The Results
Implementing R365 Task Management led to considerable improvements across Bavarian Bierhaus. Managers saved up to an hour each day, totaling seven hours per week, allowing them to focus on more critical tasks. The tool brought much-needed consistency to daily operations, ensuring tasks were completed correctly and reliably.
Training new managers also became easier as they could quickly learn their roles with the standardized system. The ability to track and audit tasks provided greater transparency and accountability, helping identify areas for improvement and ensuring standards were met.
Conclusion
R365 Task Management has revolutionized operations at Bavarian Bierhaus, streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency. As McCarrol looks to expand the use of the tool across the entire team, the future promises even greater benefits in terms of profitability and efficiency.
“I think it would really make a big difference for the whole team,” he said. “Profitability and efficiency wise, if I had it for my whole staff, I guarantee it would save me a good three to five percent on labor, which is huge.”
