You have probably heard the term POS quite a lot if you are running a restaurant. And I’m sure you have wondered what POS stands for? POS stands for Point of Sale.
What is a POS system?
A POS is a system that processes and records transactions between a business and its customers. Or, in more simple words, a Point of sale allows your business to accept payments and track sales.
What is a restaurant POS?
A restaurant POS is much more than a quick checkout experience; it's the heart of your restaurant.
The right restaurant POS will optimize your workflow, enhance your guests' experience, and give you a complete overview of your restaurant. It can do this by integrating with all systems you use, such as takeaway, mobile ordering, staff management, table booking, customer management, loyalty and more.
How can a POS optimize your restaurant's workflow?
A modern restaurant Point of Sale system isn't dependent on a cash register behind the bar where every waiter has to punch in orders. Instead, many restaurants use mobile POS (mPOS) systems. These systems operate on a tablet or iPad and allow the staff to quickly take guests' orders from the tables and send them directly to the bar and kitchen printers. An mPOS is a part of your restaurant POS, meaning all of your sales are registered in the same place.
Improve your guest experience with a POS system
POS systems built exclusively for restaurants, cafes, and bars support essential features such as keeping a tap open for hours and adding more items to it at any point before the bill is paid. In addition, you can assign bills to tables, split bills and move tabs from one table to another, making the guest's experience as pleasant as possible.
POS features and integrations that make your life as a restauranteur easier
Online ordering and takeaway system integration
Online ordering in restaurants is becoming more and more popular. Ensuring that all your dine-in and takeaway orders end up in the same POS system will save you hours and hours on your bookkeeping every month. In addition, when you keep all incoming orders in one place, you lower the chance of missing an order—and you'll limit the possibility of your guests having a bad experience.
Table management
Look for a POS system that integrates with table management systems to keep a complete overview of your table reservations and availability. Another advantage of this integration is that you can get a 2D table overview of your restaurant and assign bills directly to tables.
Customer databases and loyalty programs
To turn one-time visitors into loyal guests, you need a Customer Relationship Management system and a loyalty program. Building relationships with your guests isn't easy. This is why you need a customer database that will keep track of how often people visit your restaurant, what their favourite drinks and dishes are, to mention a few things.
Having a loyalty program integrated with your CRM is beneficial for your business. Loyalty features and rewards keep your guests engaged. The odds of turning a one-time visitor into a regular are now in your favour.
Inventory management
Having a precise overview of your inventory can save you a lot of money. Many restaurant owners find themselves in a situation where they order food without really knowing what they have in stock. This leads to a lot of food waste. With an inventory management system, you can order the food you need in the right amounts, save money and reduce waste.
Punch clock
To keep track of your part-time employees, you need a punch clock system. A punch clock integrated with your POS makes it easy for you to get an overview of your staff's working hours.
Sales reports
Modern POS systems can export your sales reports for the day, week, month or year with just a few clicks. This function saves you many hours of accounting work and keeps all your sales reports in one place.
Integration to your accounting system
Some POS systems offer integrations to your accounting system, where you can export reports in seconds. Having all reports in one place makes it easy for your bookkeeper to handle the financial part of your business.
What software and hardware do you need for your POS?
POS software
Every POS system uses POS software. So what should you look for when it comes to restaurant POS software? It would be best if you tried to find software that is easy-to-use and simple to learn. This would mean fewer mistakes from your staff and easy onboarding of new employees.
Support is crucial when it comes to restaurant POS. Sometimes the simplest things, such as a printer that needs to be rebooted, can be a huge setback for your business. In these situations, you need to reach the company and receive support on how to fix the issue right away. If you are running a restaurant or a bar, choose a POS provider that offers 24/7 support because your business works at full capacity outside of regular office hours.
POS Hardware
POS hardware refers to all the equipment that runs the Point of Sale software.
The minimum hardware you need for any type of business is a computer or a tablet to run the POS software on, a credit card reader, and a receipt printer.
For restaurants, investing in a tablet and kitchen and bar printers is a must. This will enable you to take guests' orders from the table and send them directly to the bar and kitchen, saving you a lot of time running back and forth between tables and the back of your restaurant.
Consider a POS software provider that uses regular hardware instead of special hardware. For example, choose software that runs on any computer or iPad instead of a unique touchscreen made for their software only. This makes it easy and cheap for you to switch software providers if you are not happy with the service you are getting.
Choosing a new POS: What to consider?
When choosing a restaurant POS system, the most important thing is that you choose one that fits your business needs.
Other things to consider are;
- Subscription - how much is the monthly price and the binding period if you want to cancel your subscription?
- Support - Does the provider offer support during your business' peak hours?
- Features - Does the POS system provide the features your business need, such as staff management, customer relationship management, loyalty features, etc.?
- Integrations - Can the POS export data to other systems, such as accounting?
- Data - How is your data stored and secured? Do you have rights over your data, or is it being sold to third parties?
An all-around POS system for restaurants
Quickorder specializes in POS systems designed for the restaurant industry. We provide an all-in-one restaurant management tool where all systems and features you need are integrated into your Point of Sale. From online ordering and staff management to takeaway and loyalty, all integrated with your POS.
Our support team is ready to help you around the clock, all year round. We match your business needs with a nonbinding contract that allows you to upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time. Sign up for a free demo today.