Field Audit/Inspection App For Restaurants

A regional fast food chain in Boston hired Scalan Labs to develop a custom field inspection application for analyzing the operations of their three outlets located in the region. Our customer was in need of an inspection tool that would help in conducting regular site audits and generate useful information.

Restaurants are entrusted with delivering exceptional dining experiences to customers. Ensuring that food preparation, service, and overall cleanliness meet high standards is vital to retaining customer trust and loyalty. A manual approach to audits and inspections can be time-consuming, error-prone, and inefficient. This is where a dedicated field audit/inspection app can make a significant difference.

To start with, the Scalan Labs team compiled some standard sets of customizable questions in the form of checklists and inspection forms. These covered aspects like food quality, hygiene, food wastage, staff behavior, response time, customer expectations, restaurant ambience, etc.

All the questions were divided into these categories for the three outlets in order to get a better understanding of location and service-related issues. The app has a responsive and simple UI with easy-to-use widgets for entering details and proper navigation controls for moving between questions and categories.

Other features include graphs, pie charts and bar diagrams that display shades of colors based on varying metrics updated in the app. The tool allows capturing photographs and signatures, and also posts reminders for pending actions/tasks.

Platform: iOS – iPad & Backend Web App.
Technologies:  Swift Programming, iOS SDK, PHP -Yii, MySQL.

1. Consistency: Standardized checklists and procedures ensure that all locations of a restaurant chain adhere to the same high standards.
2. Efficiency: Automated processes reduce the time and effort required for audits and inspections, freeing up resources for other critical tasks.
3. Accuracy: Digital reporting reduces the chances of errors in manual data entry, leading to accurate and reliable audit results.
4. Timeliness: Real-time reporting and communication enable prompt actions to address issues, preventing potential hazards or negative customer experiences.
5. Continuous Improvement: Data analysis and insights from the app can help identify areas that need improvement, leading to enhanced overall operations.

A field audit/inspection app designed for restaurants is a powerful tool that empowers owners and managers to maintain the highest quality standards, ensure compliance with regulations, and provide an exceptional dining experience. By embracing technology, restaurants can streamline their operations, enhance customer satisfaction, and contribute to their long-term success in a competitive industry.

With the field inspection app, the client gained analytical insights that refined business performance and ensured staff accountability. Regular onsite inspections gradually translated to better service for customers.

Digitized checklists and forms also lessened paperwork and improved productivity of managers; they could easily collect data, report field activities and accurately inspect if quality and compliance standards are adhered to or not. All in all, the app helped the client to identify trends and accordingly, plan their future goals. 

“Desperation sometimes drives innovation.”

– Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber