Historically, external factors like the weather have been difficult for restaurants to predict. Weather events like rain or snowstorms can easily impact customer behavior and often result in lower-than-expected sales. To remain competitive in today’s quickly changing restaurant industry, it's essential that operators can accurately forecast customer demand, even with the unknown factors of weather.
At Crunchtime, we are committed to providing innovative solutions that help restaurants boost efficiency and increase profitability. Accurate demand planning and forecasting are key to achieving this vision, and today, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of weather-driven AI forecasting.
What is weather-driven AI Forecasting?
Crunchtime’s AI forecasting is now enhanced to utilize weather data as a key input for predicting customer demand for restaurants. Whether the local weather forecast calls for rain, snow, or sunshine, Crunchtime’s AI algorithm will now take this information into account, ultimately producing a more accurate forecast of customer demand.
How does it work?
For restaurants utilizing Crunchtime’s AI forecasting, the weather forecast is now automatically incorporated into their sales forecast, making the entire process easier, faster, and more accurate. Crunchtime’s AI forecasting solution works by analyzing a variety of data points, including the restaurant’s historical sales data and now, the local weather forecast.
The introduction of weather data into Crunchtime's AI forecast is designed to be a seamless experience, as our machine learning algorithm automatically analyzes your restaurant's local weather data, with no extra steps required by the end user. In just a few simple clicks, Crunchtime generates a forecast value that reflects your restaurant’s anticipated amount of sales, number of guests, or number of checks for the given period of time.
Benefits of incorporating weather data into your restaurant's forecast
1. Schedules are Better Aligned with Demand
Weather can have a major impact on how many customers walk through your door, and how many orders get placed. With the inclusion of weather data in the AI forecast, restaurants will be able to plan for demand with greater accuracy. If rain is predicted, you might see fewer customers, meaning less need for a large front-of-house team. On the other hand, sunny weather might lead to a surge in outdoor dining, requiring more servers on the floor. Predicting these changes helps you avoid overstaffing or understaffing, saving on labor costs and ensuring great service.
2. More Optimized Inventory Planning
A shift in weather can easily affect your inventory needs. For example, a sudden snowstorm could quickly drive away customers and leave you with spoiled products and waste. By factoring in the forecast, you can adjust your purchasing to avoid excess waste or running out of essential ingredients. The goal is to always keep your kitchen running smoothly without excess stock.
3. Improved Cost Control
Forecasting isn’t just about anticipating customer demand; it’s also about managing costs. Weather-driven AI forecasting helps you anticipate fluctuations in sales, allowing you to better predict cash flow, the number of guests walking through the door, and the number of orders that will be placed. This allows for smarter budgeting decisions and more accurate financial forecasting, ensuring you’re ready for both good weather days and the more challenging ones.
How Crunchtime makes forecasting easy
Forecasting in Crunchtime is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly. You don’t need to be a meteorologist or data expert to take advantage of this feature–weather data is now seamlessly integrated into our existing AI forecasting algorithm, removing guesswork for restaurant operators.
To simplify the demand planning process even more, Crunchtime provides restaurant managers with actionable recommendations to optimize inventory and labor. This includes ideal hours—a value displayed during schedule creation that indicates the precise number of hours needed per shift to meet demand—and suggested ordering—a value shown when placing vendor orders that tells you exactly how much of each item to order. The result is a more efficient, responsive, and profitable restaurant operation.
The future of restaurant scheduling
Weather-driven AI Forecasting represents the future of restaurant forecasting, where data and technology combine to help you make smarter, faster decisions. With timely weather data and predictive analytics at your fingertips, you can ensure that your restaurant is always prepared for the next weather event—whether it’s a sunny day that’ll bring in a crowd or a rainy week that requires you to adjust your operations accordingly.
At Crunchtime, we’re committed to helping you stay ahead of the competition. Weather-driven AI Forecasting is just one of the many ways we’re pushing the boundaries of innovation in the restaurant industry.
Find out how improved forecasting can transform your restaurant operation.