You didn't start owning and operating a restaurant to manage dozens of separate systems (I've seen as many as 51 suggested). You entered this work to make great food and serve people. That's why you only need one system: The Restaurant System.

Now, to be fair, the interconnected parts of a system can be classified as subsystems, so one could argue that you manage multiple systems. But each of these subsystems, or processes, exist to serve the larger whole.

We also don't call our POS a point of sale software. We usually call it a point-of-sale system. But your POS, like any technology or tool, exists to relieve a specific paint point within the restaurant system. All components–processes, technologies, etc–are parts of one system working toward a common objective.

You run one system. And every part of your restaurant serves the system's primary objective. Managing it begins by understanding the flow of food through your restaurant. This is what you are ultimately responsible for.

You improve this system by identifying and managing the constraint–the ultimate factor limiting its performance. You don't need to fix a hundred small issues at once. Often, your first constraint is simply the absence of a standardized system. Once that's in place, you can systematically remove whatever next restricts the flow of food.

This focused, integrated approach will reduce stress, increase clarity, and helps you build the best system with the resources you already have. Most importantly, it helps you return to what matters most–getting back to the family table.