Touch and go: the order management system that’s streamlining operations within the kitchen

With its newly evolved TouchKitchen solution, ICRTouch is revolutionising the way food orders are processed

It’s a scenario every restaurant fears - a customer who’s missing their meal. The front of house team insists the order went through, but the kitchen team have never seen it. Perhaps the ticket didn’t print; perhaps it was thrown away by mistake. Inevitably, there’s a scramble to try and get the food out as quickly as possible, piling more pressure on everyone. And all the while the customer in question is growing more frustrated and disappointed.

In an ever more competitive landscape, where every customer counts and those left dissatisfied are liable to vote with their feet, such a situation could cost your business more than just the price of a meal. Having a digital-first order management system in place is no longer just a solution for the QSR market, which has been a long-time adopter of such tech, it is a necessity for all food-led hospitality businesses to ensure that they are able to meet the needs of their guests and deliver a smooth and successful service. That’s where TouchKitchen comes in.

Developed by ICRTouch, a global leader of EPoS software development, TouchKitchen is an intuitive and fully digital kitchen management system that will revolutionise the way food orders are processed in your restaurant. The era of lost tickets and misread orders is over thanks to TouchKitchen’s kitchen display solution, which removes the need for handwritten orders. From starters through to dessert, customer orders are organised neatly and clearly displayed on a screen within the kitchen for easy ticket management, with no need for paper and print outs.

A solution to transform your kitchen

The newly evolved TouchKitchen management display gives staff complete control over every order from the moment it arrives in the kitchen. This includes the ability to view, sort, condense and peg orders while setting preparation timers to ensure every meal leaves the kitchen on time. Additionally, each order can be accompanied by a summary that gives chefs an itinerary of everything on the list to cook so that they can always keep track of what’s been completed and what still needs to be done.

Unlike previous versions, TouchKitchen’s latest system has been developed with greater optimisation to ensure it’s a solution that can streamline kitchen operations. It’s smarter, simpler to use, and faster than ever before.

Need to categorise orders based on allergy or dietary requirements? TouchKitchen’s in-built colour options allow you to sort orders by any classification. Need to prioritise a certain dish? Easy. Orders are received with unique timers making it easy for chefs to view at a glance and ensure they’re prepared quickly. Need to recall an order? No problem. You can easily and quickly recall finalised orders to check the details or reset the order for repeat preparation when needed. The only thing TouchKitchen can’t do, ultimately, is cook the meal for you.

For those concerned that their touch screen displays will not be compatible with a hot and humid kitchen environment, an easily accessible bump bar can be added, vastly improving efficiency and productivity and allowing chefs to control their devices much easier. The bump bar can be configured to your specification and creates a great option for when large, wall mounted tablet or TouchKitchen TV displays are in use and may be out of reach.

Streamline operations with the ICRTouch ecosystem

What sets ICRTouch apart from the competition is that it builds all of its own software. There’s no reliance on third party tech and no barrier to integrating different software into one cohesive solution. And crucially, every ICRTouch product has been designed with functionality and ease of use in mind.

TouchKitchen integrates seamlessly with not just the TouchPoint till software to process orders efficiently, but also with TouchOffice Web so you can easily view all orders and reports in one place.

Orders taken from any ICRTouch software will be received by TouchKitchen. That could be a TouchPoint till, PocketTouch hand-held waiter pads, SelfService interactive kiosk or even ByTable online ordering app. TouchKitchen can also be linked to CollectionPoint, ICRTouch’s customer-facing order progress displays, to automate ‘ready for collection’ notifications.

The whole system works intuitively and intelligently together to help you speed up service and streamline your operations.

Case study: going above and beyond with Bob & Berts

Having first launched in Portstewart in 2013, café chain Bob & Berts has grown into a national business with sites across Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. And from the beginning, ICRTouch has been there, going above and beyond to provide the business with EPoS solutions.

As the exclusive EPoS provider for Bob & Berts, ICRTouch has been integral to the group as it has grown, and now has EPoS suites installed at nearly 30 venues across all three countries.

“I have confidence in ICRTouch software that allows us to track sales, stock, voids, footfall and much more across our estate spanning Northern Ireland, Scotland and England,” says Colin McClean, founder of Bob & Berts. “Recently, we have implemented TouchKitchen for the chefs to have an easier time in the kitchen managing orders.”

Having been working with ICRTouch since the very beginning, Bob & Berts has a successful, integrated EPoS solution that works across its entire business, giving the staff at every location the tools they need to carry out their day-to-day operations efficiently and productively.

The implementation of TouchKitchen management means mistakes are significantly reduced and chefs have the ability to peg orders, set preparation timers, rearrange and recall orders, improving efficiency and ensuring accuracy. And thanks to the single TouchOffice Web account, real-time insights can be gained at every level - whether that’s across the UK at head office, regionally, or down to individual locations.

TouchOffice Web gives so much flexibility and can be configured so Bob & Berts’ owners have a customised dashboard that shows them what they want to see, where they want to see it. From the 200+ default reports, information is available to them within just a few clicks on every aspect of their business such as profit and loss, transactions, stock levels, product sales, clerk sales and so much more.

There’s more to come too. By building all of its own software inhouse, ICRTouch is always developing new and unique solutions for its clients to meet their demands. Bob & Berts is currently in discussion with how to further evolve the ICRTouch ecosystem in place, including additional software products. It’s planning to install SelfService at the next Northern Ireland location and also considering implementing ByTable to support the full system.

With its easy to use, reliable and fast EPoS ecosystem, ICRTouch offers so much more than point of sale solutions. For more than 20 years it has been developing and innovating to streamline operations for its clients and help them exceed customer expectations. To find out more and revolutionise your business with ICRTouch solutions, click here