Restaurants and IT: Waiting for the “Tech Plumber”
In the restaurant industry, there’s an amusing—and often frustrating—dynamic that IT consultants know all too well. It goes something like this: A restaurant owner calls their IT guy only when something has already gone horribly wrong. It’s like plumbing. You don’t think about it, don’t maintain it, and only call when the kitchen sinks are overflowing.
Picture this: The restaurant is packed on a Friday night, orders flying in and out, everything running smoothly—until the point-of-sale (POS) system crashes. Panic ensues. The owner is suddenly dialing the IT consultant like they’re dialing 911, as if the fate of the restaurant’s entire weekend rests in their hands (which, at this point, it kind of does). When the tech finally arrives, it’s like the plumber showing up to clear out the kitchen drains: too late to prevent the mess, just in time to fix the disaster.
But here’s the catch: just like with plumbing, all of this chaos could’ve been avoided with a little regular maintenance. An IT consultant, like your friendly neighborhood plumber, is there to prevent problems from spiraling out of control. Unfortunately, many restaurant owners have this deep-seated belief that IT is only needed when things back up—or in this case, when systems go haywire and orders can’t be taken.
“We don’t need to fix it if it ain’t broken,” they say. And while that might work for a chair leg or the back room coffee machine, it’s a dangerous mindset when it comes to the technology that keeps the whole operation afloat.
The truth is, tech consultants—unlike plumbers—can prevent the “backups” from happening in the first place. Regular check-ups, proactive updates, and just a simple conversation with your IT advisor can save your business from those frantic calls on a busy night. It’s like putting in a good water filtration system so the pipes stay clean instead of waiting for the floods.
So, to restaurant owners everywhere: Don’t wait until your IT situation is knee-deep in metaphorical sewage before calling in the experts. Treat your IT consultant like the strategic partner they are. With proper planning and regular check-ins, your tech systems will run smoother than a well-oiled kitchen, and you’ll never have to feel like you’re waiting for the “tech plumber” to bail you out of a mess.
This anecdote plays on the plumbing analogy while stressing the importance of preventive IT care and communication with a tech advisor.