How Automation Can Help Free Your Time
Authored by: Kim Wegner — Partner, CPA, CVA, CGMA | Date Published: January 27, 2026
It’s Saturday night, and the dinner rush is in full swing, and your newest shift manager is doing great. She is handling “Welcome to Culver’s!” greetings with a big smile, smoothly running the kitchen, and custard is moving faster than you can keep up with. You watch her handle a tricky guest request with ease and think, “She is a natural. I need to sit down with her next week and start her on the path to becoming an Assistant Manager.”
Then Monday hits, and your focus shifts from the floor to the desk.
You want to coach your new manager, but paperwork keeps piling up. One day it’s a missing deposit, the next it’s a payroll question, and before you know it, you’re fixing timecards instead of guiding your team.
By the time you look up, your chance for training has slipped away yet again.
As your team grows, the stack of paper on your desk tends to grow with it. While you’re buried in data entry, your team is out on the floor making big choices without your mentorship. That is a tough way to run a kitchen.
You no longer have to choose between clean books and a strong team. Modern tools keep pace with the demands of restaurant life. This isn’t about adding more tech for the sake of it. It’s about clearing office clutter so you can focus on the reasons why you started this business and spend your time building a team that delivers the “Delicious Difference” every shift.
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How Does Manual Data Entry Impact Restaurant Management?
Studies reveal a productivity crisis among owners who lose several hours each week to administrative chores that could be handled by a computer. That represents a massive gap in your week, during which you could be on the floor for several full shifts. Time would be better spent helping your new manager master the kitchen or being a visible leader for your guests when the dining room is at its busiest.
The real cost isn’t just your time. Mistakes happen when you move data by hand, and those mistakes add up.
- Numbers that refuse to match between your POS and accounting software.
- Payroll hours were entered incorrectly because someone misread the timesheet.
- Inventory gaps that you don’t notice until food costs start to climb.
- Tax reporting errors create a massive headache during reviews.
All these setbacks steal time from what really matters: helping your team and caring for guests.
What Happens When Restaurant Management Systems Are Connected?
When your POS, accounting, and payroll are linked, you avoid the need to enter the same numbers repeatedly. Sales and hours appear where they belong with less hassle. This allows you to watch food costs as things change.
Data from the 2025 State of Digital Restaurant Report shows that most leading brands are now moving to these unified systems. By removing manual steps, you can improve accuracy and reduce the time it takes to run a kitchen. These tools help you reclaim hours of management time every week. Those are not just empty numbers; that is real time back in your day.
17 percent of operators made back-office and POS upgrades their top priority in 2025 and will continue to do so in 2026 to stay ahead of rising costs. Today, these connected tools are the standard for any kitchen that wants to stay profitable without sacrificing quality.
Think about what you can do when you aren’t constantly checking if numbers match:
- Holding morning meetings to discuss yesterday’s performance instead of yesterday’s data entry.
- Taking afternoon walks through your kitchen to offer guidance and catch small issues before they become bigger problems.
- Setting aside time to sit with new managers and show them how to read food cost reports.
- Having the chance to notice when someone on your team shows leadership.
How Do You Spot and Fix Issues Early?
When your reports update often, you spot problems early and can handle them before they grow. Owners who see these patterns sooner can make better choices for their teams.
Waste doesn’t announce itself. It creeps in through small spots. Portion sizes that get too big, prep habits that drift from your standards, or schedules that cost too much in labor. You can only fix these things if you see them fast enough.
Automatic reporting gives you that insight. You can check your food costs over coffee each morning, compare this week’s labor to last week’s before making next week’s schedule, and see which parts of the day are lagging and adjust your plan. Most importantly, you can teach your managers how to do the same.
How Can Restaurant Owners Use Saved Time?
When you’re not spending 15 hours a week on manual work, you can use that time towards building a stronger team. That might include:
- Holding weekly check-ins with your key people to talk about their future.
- Leading hands-on training sessions while things are quiet.
- Writing down the steps so your standards stay high, no matter who is on shift.
- Making space to celebrate when someone does a great job.
Your team knows when you’re present and when you’re distracted by office issues. They notice the difference between a quick check-in and a real conversation about their progress. Owners who build strong teams may not work fewer hours; they just spend their time differently.
How Do You Begin Improving Restaurant Processes?
Start with the area that takes up most of your time right now. For some Culver’s owners, that’s daily sales. For others, it’s payroll or inventory. Choose one area and get it running well before adding more.
You don’t have to change everything overnight. Shift your attention from fixing old data back to growing your team. As each system starts working, you’ll find extra hours in your day. Make the most of them by scheduling training. Be present during service and watch how your team handles things.
Your restaurant depends on the choices your people make. Well-trained teams make better decisions. You can’t train your team if you’re busy fixing typos or searching for missing information.
Ready to Get Back on the Floor?
At MBE CPAs, we help Culver’s owners make their financial systems work for them, not against them. We’ll help you find tools that free up your time and get everything set up. If you want to spend your evenings supporting your team instead of sorting paperwork, let’s connect. We’re here to help you focus on building a team that makes every guest feel at home.