Automated notifications for out-of-stock menu items

Purpose

1. Automates alerting relevant staff/customers when Pan-Asian menu items go out-of-stock, preventing guest dissatisfaction and enabling fast menu or procurement adjustment.

2. Ensures no outdated menu items are ordered, delivers real-time inventory status, and automates communication to minimize service disruption.

3. Centralizes automated notification delivery across email, SMS, chat, and digital signage for operational continuity.

Trigger Conditions

1. Inventory value for any menu item drops to zero or below minimum stock threshold.

2. Menu item manually marked “out-of-stock” in POS, ERP, or inventory management system.

3. Discrepancy flagged between real and expected stock after reconciliation.

4. Automatedly triggered via nightly batch or real-time inventory scan API event.

Platform Variants

1. Twilio SMS

• Feature/Setting: Twilio Programmable SMS API; configure automated message with menu item name and timestamp to chef, manager, floor staff. Example: Webhook triggers POST /Messages API.
  

2. SendGrid

• Feature/Setting: SendGrid Mail Send API automates out-of-stock notification emails to configurable distribution lists. Example: Triggered POST /mail/send with dynamic template.
  

3. Slack

• Feature/Setting: Incoming Webhook; configure automated JSON payload to alert inventory or kitchen channel.
  

4. Microsoft Teams

• Feature/Setting: Incoming webhook URL; send automated adaptive card with out-of-stock facts to F&B operational team.
  

5. WhatsApp Business API

• Feature/Setting: Automated template message sent to operations or procurement group chat when trigger met.
  

6. PagerDuty

• Feature/Setting: Events API v2 triggers real-time stock alert as incident to inventory/on-call person.
  

7. Zapier

• Feature/Setting: Scheduler + Webhook automation; automate multi-platform notification upon inventory webhook fire.
  

8. Google Chat

• Feature/Setting: Webhook bot automates notification message to predefined chat room.
  

9. Facebook Messenger

• Feature/Setting: Messenger Send API for automated notification to internal staff group chat.
  

10. Pushover

• Feature/Setting: /messages API automates push notifications to staff’s Pushover app on mobile.
  

11. Shopify

• Feature/Setting: Inventory Level webhook with automated notification to F&B inventory admin.
  

12. Zapier Email Parser

• Feature/Setting: Extracts out-of-stock triggers from auto-generated emails, automating notification flow.
  

13. Trello

• Feature/Setting: Automated card creation in “Inventory Alert” board with HTTP Request to Trello API.
  

14. Discord

• Feature/Setting: Webhook to automates notification to kitchen team’s Discord server channel.
  

15. SysAid

• Feature/Setting: REST API automates incident ticket with automated notification to inventory support.
  

16. ServiceNow

• Feature/Setting: Create Incident API; automated ticket/notification triggered by inventory event.
  

17. HubSpot

• Feature/Setting: Workflow automation emails or SMS on out-of-stock trigger using Contact Lists & API.
  

18. G Suite Gmail

• Feature/Setting: Gmail API to automate dispatch of out-of-stock emails to custom labels or groups.
  

19. Outlook 365

• Feature/Setting: Graph API to send out-of-stock notification emails or post in Teams.
  

20. Zoho Inventory

• Feature/Setting: Webhook triggers or automation rules to send alerts via email/SMS on item shortage.
  

Benefits

1. Automates communication—minimizes missed updates, reduces manual check-ins, speeds response.

2. Prevents orders for unavailable menu items—lessens guest disappointment, maintains experience.

3. Centralizes out-of-stock info—synchronizes teams, avoids duplicate effort, optimizes procurement.

4. Enables multi-channel automated notification—reaches staff wherever they are, on any device.

5. Reduces operational downtime—automatedly triggers restock or substitute workflows rapidly.