From great to awesome—logbook is better than ever
We created Avero Logbook to give restaurants a better, more effective, and easier to use way to help operators communicate more efficiently, keep everyone on the same page regarding continuity of day-to-day operations, and record important details.
Early in 2020, we upgraded the look and functionality of the logbook to deliver even more value to our customers. Read on to learn more about the latest updates and how regular use of a digital logbook can improve your operations.
What’s the big deal about logbooks?
Good communication is one of the hallmarks of strong restaurant operations. But it’s also one of the most difficult things to achieve in a restaurant setting. The nature of the business makes it likely that managers from one shift only work briefly with managers on the next shift. Employee schedules often change weekly and a high level of staff turnover in restaurants can make it hard to keep everyone on the same page.
A great way to achieve continuity in restaurant operations is through strong processes. Keeping a logbook is a great way to establish a process for effective communications and other important tasks.
The purpose of a logbook is to record daily happenings, important issues, and items for follow up that occur in the restaurant. When managers make an effort to read through the notes at the beginning of a shift and leave notes at the end of the day for the incoming manager, the logbook serves an important role in the continuity of day to day operations.
Operators use Avero Logbook to:
- Communicate across departments to maintain alignment
- Level set for the day with prior shift notes and upcoming weather and events
- Hold all manager conversations and employee performance details in one place
- Keep a searchable, detailed record of equipment service and repair
- See performance across key metrics (sales, labor %, voids, etc.) at-a-glance
- Look at prior week or prior year performance to better plan for today and tomorrow
The advantage of digital logbooks
Using a digital logbook rather than a physical pen and paper can change things for the better. Especially one with features designed specifically for busy restaurants, like Avero Logbook.
One barrier to effectively using a logbook is that managers don’t always have time to make thorough updates. Entries are dashed off quickly, perhaps illegibly, with the bare minimum information at the end of the shift. Likewise, the incoming manager may hit the floor running and not have time to track the logbook down and read through prior entries.
Managers are much more likely to get value out of a logbook if they don’t have to be in the back office away from staff and guests in order to use it. A digital logbook can be carried around in a manager’s pocket via a mobile device so they can make quick entries when issues arise, rather than trying to recall every notable event at the end of the shift.
If the logbook lives in the cloud, even better. Managers can catch up on notes on their way into the restaurant or make updates on their way home. Unlike a hard copy logbook, a digital logbook’s format can be adapted as your operation changes. For example, you can add a field or section if you open up a new meal period or revenue center. Many restaurants have added coronavirus-specific cleaning checklists to their logbooks as well.
Avero Logbook enhancements
After launching Avero Logbook over a decade ago, it immediately became one of our most popular features. And its only gotten better and more popular over time.
Our most recent set of logbook updates and feature enhancements were released in early 2020. Below are some of the key highlights.
Easier to use
- More intuitive interface— All entries are consolidated into a single feed, and you can scroll from logbook to logbook seamlessly.
- Dedicated mobile app—Download the Avero Logbook app, available in app stores, for an optimal experience for an operator on-the-move.
- Enhanced search feature —Easily search for keywords, like mentions of specific menu items, employees, or guests to get a history of their mentions, or find a specific incident.
More conversational
- Multiple entries per user in each field— Now a user can make multiple entries in each field, making it easier to reply to questions and have a more conversational approach. Each entry is marked with the user, date, and time of the comment so you can keep track of conversations in a single thread.
Better for groups & enterprises
- Template-based configuration—Choose from pre-set templates or configure your own to have the exact features you want. Make sure all your restaurants are using the same format and capturing the same notes or create multiple templates to suit a specific concept or location.
- Property and parent-level logbooks—Logbooks aren’t just for individual restaurants anymore. If you’re a hotel or casino F&B operation, you can have one logbook for the entire property. If you’re a group, you can have a separate logbook just for your corporate team. And the Snapshot aggregates performance from every business so you can get performance insights at-a-glance.
- Broader language support—Our logbook now supports entries made in non-Latin character sets, including Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Or even emoji if you’re so inclined. 😊
You can learn more about Avero Logbook here. And stay tuned for a special feature on how to leverage Logbook to help manage new restaurant Covid-19 procedures.
