Technology Tools: Order Apps, Inventory, Scheduling

Beyond your mobile POS, you’ll often need tools for orders, inventory, and staff. This guide covers the main categories and how to pick tools that fit your size and workflow. For hardware and POS, see our Equipment Guide and Best POS Systems.

Order Apps and Pre-Orders

Order apps let customers place orders ahead of time—for a food truck stop, a catering event, or a pop-up. Look for: compatibility with your POS, ability to set menus and times, and optional payment collection. For catering, the same or a separate tool may handle event orders and deposits; see Cashless Payment Options for Catering.

Criteria for choosing an order app: sync with your mobile POS so orders flow into the kitchen without re-entry; ability to set different menus or times by location or event; optional payment at checkout (deposit or full) so you're not chasing money later. If you do a lot of events, check whether the app supports event-based ordering and guest counts. Start with one app that fits both truck and catering if possible; add a second only if one size doesn't fit all.

Inventory Management

Inventory software tracks stock levels, often with low-stock alerts and optional link to recipes for food cost. Many POS systems include basic inventory; standalone apps can offer deeper reporting. Start with what your POS provides; add a dedicated tool if you outgrow it. For costing, use our Menu Costing Tool and Menu Costing Guide.

A simple workflow:

1. Enter or import your ingredients and par levels.
2. Update counts when you receive stock and when you use items (or sync from POS if supported).
3. Set low-stock alerts so you reorder before you run out.
4. If the tool supports recipe costing, link recipes to ingredients so you can see food cost per item.

When to add a dedicated inventory system: when you have multiple locations, high SKU count, or need deeper reporting than your POS offers. Until then, POS inventory plus a spreadsheet or simple app is often enough.

Scheduling and Labor

Scheduling tools manage shifts, availability, and often labor cost. They can integrate with payroll as you add staff. For labor cost in the context of profitability, see our Staff Scheduling Tool and Forecasting & Budgeting Guide.

What to track: who's working when, availability and time-off requests, and labor cost as a share of revenue. Even a simple spreadsheet or shared calendar can work for a small team; dedicated scheduling apps add shift templates, swap requests, and payroll export. As you scale, look for integration with your POS (to compare labor cost to sales) and with payroll so you're not re-entering hours. For profitability, aim to keep labor cost within your target range (e.g. 25–35% of revenue for many food operations); use the Staff Scheduling Tool to model different scenarios.

Checklist: Choosing Technology Tools

• Order apps — Integrates with POS; supports your menu and event types; optional payment collection. Test with a trial or demo before committing.
• Inventory — Tracks key ingredients and par levels; low-stock alerts; optional recipe costing. Start with POS inventory; add a dedicated tool when you outgrow it.
• Scheduling — Clear view of shifts and labor cost; fits your team size; optional payroll export. Use our Forecasting Guide to tie labor to revenue.

Summary: Categories at a Glance