Everything to Know about Restaurant Point of Sale Software

» Industry-focused

It’s essential to choose a POS software made specifically for the industry you’re in. You’ll also want to make sure it is a Cloud-based POS in order to increase mobility and improve communication within your restaurant. It also offers added visibility, helping you automate data collection across systems and produce simple reports. This means that you can identify bottlenecks and solve challenges backed by data.

» Online ordering

Online ordering is a must-have amid the global pandemic; it keeps customers safe by reducing face-to-face interactions and helps bring in business lost from capacity limits. Aside from the pandemic, however, online ordering is convenient for customers and allows you to improve marketing efforts with features like automatic upselling and cross-selling prompts.

» Delivery

Delivery offers the same convenience as and is often paired with online ordering. It can help you reach more customers who don’t want to travel to your physical location to pick up their food, especially during the pandemic. Delivery requires the right software, however; choose a delivery solution that works effortlessly with your POS and allows you to manage and track drivers to ensure they have accurate directions and ensure deliveries are on time.

» Loyalty program

Implementing a loyalty program for your customers can keep regulars coming back to your restaurant and turn first-time diners into loyal customers. You should look for software that allows your customers to sign up, review, and manage their loyalty rewards through a mobile app or website; the software should also let you customize your program to fit your needs.

» SMS and email marketing

In the digital age, your POS should be capable of integrating digital marketing with the rest of your technology. Sending automated marketing messages that include special offers to your customers will help re-engage those who haven’t visited in a while. After a promotion ends, you can measure its effectiveness and plan for future promotions.

» Focus on the future

Ultimately, the POS you choose should help your business grow and thrive, not make your operations more complicated. The right POS should allow you to identify your business challenges and deliver the tools you need to solve them.

» Friendly UI and UX

User interface (UI) involves how things look, including factors such as layout, graphics, colors, and font size. User experience (UX) covers the processes involved in how things work: for example, the steps necessary to place an order. Both aspects should be simple, intuitive and easy to learn. A tablet-based system will likely have the advantage of being similar to the interface on the personal devices your employees already use.

» Flexibility

Good restaurant point of sale software will have the flexibility to accommodate different types of ordering (in-house, online, self-service). It will also offer payment flexibility: don’t lose sales by only accepting cash or checks. Look for the latest credit and debit card processing as well as the ability to handle mobile wallet payment methods such as Apple Pay.

» Streamlined Workflow

Improved communication between front-of-house and back-of-house will speed up service and improve customer satisfaction. A good POS system will ideally be integrated with a kitchen display system and can transmit orders directly from the diners’ tables to the kitchen, and then route the order components to the appropriate prep stations. It can then alert wait staff when orders are ready.

» What do I want to accomplish?

Are you looking to add functionality? What do you need to do that you can’t currently? Or do you want to ease pain points? What are your biggest administrative headaches, the tasks that take the most of your time? Defining and prioritizing your goals will help sort your “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves” and guide your search for the system that will best suit you.

» What is my budget?

Keep in mind that there are other variables to take into account besides just the price of the system itself: additional expenses, such as ongoing support and training costs, and ways the new system will save you money, such as reductions in waste, labor costs, or shrinkage. Also give some thought to your ideal time frame for implementing a new solution.

» Is it generic or does it have an industry focus?

Generic POS systems may not have all of the features and capabilities that a restaurant needs. Priorities will vary based on restaurant type (quick service, fast-casual, fine dining, or even more specialized), and one size does not fit all.

» Does the vendor offer support and service?

Your selection of a POS system ideally begins a partnership with the vendor who sells it. Their commitment to you shouldn’t end when you’ve made your purchase and the box of hardware and software hits your doorstep. Look for availability of tech support as well as a vendor who understands your particular business and the challenges you face.

» Mobility

Many restaurants and other businesses are adopting mobile POS systems to boost revenue and productivity. Rather than traveling back into the restaurant to enter the orders at a stationary POS terminal, servers can take orders tableside with a mobile POS and send them directly to the kitchen, speeding up operations and limiting human errors.

» Data Access

Many businesses are switching to cloud-based POS systems software because of its ability to provide access to data when and where you need it while remaining secure. Cloud-based systems are also capable of operating in offline mode in the event of an internet outage; if wi-fi isn’t available, it can run on cellular service.

» Integrations

POS technology is evolving to address new needs as they arise, such as online ordering and delivery options that have become popular amid the global pandemic. POS integrations allow restaurants to scale up without having to overhaul all their technology. They also enable restauranteurs to share data among systems, boosting visibility and cutting down on errors and data re-entry.

» Leveraging the Right Technology

Restaurant owners need to leverage new and innovative technology to stay ahead of the competition. The POS system software you choose should not only be up-to-date, it should also be able to meet evolving customer demands and have features you can use to stay competitive and scale with as your business grows.

» Web-Based Reporting

Centralized, cloud-based access to all of your business data is essential for efficient franchise management. Monitor sales, inventory, and labor at any or all locations, and even do A/B testing of new menu items or promotions. And your data is available at any time, from any place with an Internet connection.

» User-Friendly Interface

Since employee turnover can be high, choose a POS system with an intuitive, easy-to-learn interface to reduce training time and costs. Consistency across locations is also helpful if you need to transfer employees within the chain.

» EMV-Compliant Credit Card Processing

To protect yourself from liability for fraudulent credit card transactions, use a system with EMV (Europay, Mastercard, Visa) “chip” card processing. It’s the most secure and up-to-date payment technology.

» Scalability

Franchises are all about expansion. Whether you want to add new locations or integrate additional processes such as self-service kiosks or online ordering, you’ll need a POS system that can grow easily along with your business.

» Streamlined Restaurant Operations

To calculate the savings incurred from POS implementation, it is crucial to streamline your operations with restaurant technology. Your POS system can help reduce costly human errors and boost profits through solutions like kitchen management systems, marketing tools, and loyalty programs—all of which should be considered when calculating ROI.

» Inventory Tracking

Inventory is one of your most significant expenses; save on costs by improving your inventory tracking with the help of your POS system. By using data from your POS, you can determine areas of waste and forecast your inventory needs. You can even utilize automatic reordering to save your time and improve accuracy.

» Labor Management

Keeping track of labor can be a headache. Your POS system should feature time, attendance, and scheduling functions to make managing employees easier. Time entry is especially important to ensure your employee’s time is accurately accounted for. It is also a good idea to ensure your POS integrates with 3rd party accounting and payroll systems to minimize data re-entry.

» Theft and Shrinkage

Employee theft, when unchecked, can get out of control. If your employees are aware that your POS system tracks every item, theft will be less likely. Your POS can give you detailed reports on real-time, accurate insights into vendor errors, discrepancies, and fraud. Furthermore, you can use integrated surveillance systems for more precise monitoring.

» Bar and Restaurant POS

Age verification is vital when serving alcohol, so integration with a 2D imager for scanning drivers’ licenses is useful. The ability to start a tab at the bar and add it to the restaurant bill improves efficiency. A drink recipe database is handy for bartenders, ensuring consistency and portion accuracy.

» Quick Service POS

Conversational ordering, rather than a process that requires a specific sequence to place an order, is more efficient and accurate. Providing faster, better service is what quick service is all about.

» Café POS

Speed up transactions, especially during the morning and lunch rush hours, and give your employees a user interface that makes it easy to enter even the most complex drink orders.

» Fast-Casual POS

Integration with a kitchen display system is faster and more accurate than printed tickets. Digital signage and customer-facing displays encourage upselling, resulting in greater ticket sizes.

» Food Truck POS

Mobile POS solutions can travel easily with food trucks, enabling operators to take credit and debit card payments and not be limited to cash only. They can also automatically track data and generate sales reports for analysis.

» Self-Service POS

Faster service, labor savings and fewer customers waiting in line are what you can expect from self-service, kiosk POS solutions.

» Frozen Yogurt POS

Since frozen yogurt is usually sold by weight, POS integration with NTEP certified scales will enable faster, more accurate transactions and tighter inventory control.

» Mexican Restaurant POS

A focus on Mexican cuisine means there will be a lot of Spanish on the menu, and both Spanish- and English-speaking customers and staff. Look for POS software with bilingual capability, allowing servers to switch between Spanish and English as necessary to communicate with customers and the kitchen.