Founded in 1995, Black Bear Diner is a beloved family dining chain known for its hearty portions and homestyle comfort food. With over 160 locations across the United States, maintaining clear communication and consistent operations was crucial to their success. As the company grew, the need for a more efficient way to manage reporting, schedules, and updates became evident.
Before switching to Restaurant365, Black Bear Diner faced major headaches with their reporting system. Each location operated on a separate platform, meaning managers spent countless hours emailing schedules, updates, and recipe changes back and forth. Even worse, their outdated fax machine was prone to breaking, adding to the frustration. Managing communications felt like a never-ending task, costing both time and money.
With three tiers of leadership – corporate staff, owners, and managers – Black Bear Diner needed a better way to centralize communications and improve reporting. Each team played a vital role in decisions about menu items, labor, and scheduling, so having up-to-date insights in one place was critical.
After exploring their options, Black Bear Diner chose Restaurant365 for its dynamic reporting capabilities and centralized platform. This solution offered flexible reporting options with dashboards, charts, and customizable reports, making it easier for corporate teams, franchisees, and store managers to access the insights they needed.
One of the biggest game-changers was Restaurant365’s Manager Log, which replaced their outdated manual logbooks. This tool became the go-to platform for shift notes, special events, employee updates, and even weather reports. The ability to archive these entries gave management valuable insights and ensured consistency across all locations. Plus, the Manager Log made it easy to share company-wide news, helping teams stay connected.
“Costing out daily and weekly schedules went from painful worksheets emailed out on Excel documents to now having everything we need to run a profitable business in a centralized location with easy web based access,” states Bob Simpson, Director of Training of Black Bear Diner.
He continues, “The Manager Log and comprehensive reporting provided by Restaurant365 allows us to identify any potential problems before they arise, saving us immeasurable time and money.”
Bob simpson, Director of training
Black Bear Diner
By adopting Restaurant365, Black Bear Diner freed its managers from tedious manual tasks, giving them more time to focus on guest experience and revenue-generating activities.
“Restaurant365 allows management to get out of manual activity and back onto the floor where we need to be,” Simpson explained. “It takes care of data collection and analysis, helping us spot potential problems before they arise and make smarter decisions to control costs.”
Black Bear Diner also improved food management with Restaurant365’s financial tools, vendor management, and Accounts Payable module. These features helped streamline operations in several corporate locations, and plans were underway to expand these tools to franchise units as well.
With Restaurant365 handling the data, managers gained real-time visibility into their operations, creating a smoother, more efficient way to manage their business.
Switching to Restaurant365 gave Black Bear Diner the tools they needed to simplify operations and improve communication across all locations. With streamlined reporting, a centralized platform, and improved visibility into daily activities, managers can now spend less time on administrative tasks and more time enhancing the guest experience. By embracing a smarter way to manage their business, Black Bear Diner is well-equipped to continue growing while maintaining the consistency and quality their customers love.
Hours of time saved
on reporting
Improved communication
across all locations
Boosted operational efficiency
for better decision-making
Discover how you can start achieving savings like these for your business
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Restaurant365 bridges the gap between accounting and operations by centralizing all data, helping restaurant operators to become more efficient, accurately forecast, and tackle any challenge or opportunity with speed and accuracy.
