1. Sales per branch and channel
The total sales figure on its own is misleading. Read it split: each branch separately, and each channel (till, online store, QR menu, call center) separately. A 10% drop in the total may be a 40% drop in one channel masked by growth in another. And always compare with the same day last week, because a Tuesday is not comparable to a Friday.
2. Order count and average ticket
Sales = order count × average ticket. When sales change, ask which of the two moved. Fewer orders points to a problem attracting guests or in service, while a lower average ticket means guests are ordering fewer or cheaper items, which is fixed with suggested add-ons, combo offers and menu ordering, not with advertising.
3. Peak hours and days of the week
The orders-by-hour report shows when your restaurant needs an extra pair of hands and when half the team stands idle. Use it to schedule shifts, to time WhatsApp campaigns an hour before the peak, and to find the dead hours that suit happy-hour offers.
4. Best-selling and most profitable items
Start with quantity sold, then add item cost and margin only where inventory recipes and cost coverage are reliable. A high-volume, healthy-margin item is a strong candidate for menu prominence. A high-volume, thin-margin item needs a pricing or recipe review, while a weak seller should be assessed before it is kept or removed.
5. Cash differences, discount rate and refunds
The shift-close report should be read every day: the gap between expected and counted cash, discounts as a share of sales, and the number of orders refunded or cancelled. A small recurring difference with one cashier may matter more than a large one-off. Set your own discount and variance thresholds from policy, margin and campaign plans.
6. New and returning guests
How many guests ordered for the first time this week, and what share of identified orders came from guests who had ordered before? If the returning share changes, review service, menu, pricing and campaign activity together. If new guests are few, investigate visibility and acquisition channels rather than assuming one cause.
7. Food cost and gross margin
This one is monthly rather than daily: ingredient cost as a share of sales and the gross margin after it. It needs reliable recipes, receipts and inventory movements. When that coverage exists, cost-at-sale data helps explain why sales can rise while profit does not.
A five-minute morning routine
- Open the dashboard and read yesterday's sales per branch against the same day last week.
- Review the shift-close reports and any cash difference or unusual discounts.
- Look at order count and average ticket and decide which one moved.
- Weekly: review peak hours and items. Monthly: margins and returning guests.
- Export what your accountant needs in one click instead of retyping it.
The takeaway
Reports are not an end but a decision tool. A short, consistent set of indicators is a strong starting point when each is compared with the right period and tied to an action. Read about the reports and analytics service on the services page, or start a free trial and build your review routine.
