Having a great restaurant point of sale system can streamline your business and make it more profitable. When evaluating restaurant POS systems, you need to make sure you find the right fit for your business. While each establishment differs on what they need out of their POS system, there are some features that every business should look for when making a decision.
Easy to use
Not all POS, or point of sales systems, are created equally. For this reason you want to look for something where ease-of-use is a key feature. So many POS systems have a large amount of seemingly great features, however when it comes to using and managing a robust system you may run into issues using it on a day to day basis. Your staff should be able to put in an order, split tickets, and check customers out quickly and easily. This will be pivotal in keeping your customers happy during your busiest times.
Inventory management
Inventory management is one of the largest expenses in the food and restaurant industry. A great inventory management system can save your business a lot of money. Accurate tracking of food items will keep you from running out of a hot commodity, and will keep you from over stocking on perishables that may spoil before you get the chance to use or sell them. This keeps you from having to push “specials” to make sure you sell it before it expires, and you won’t have to tell a customer that their favorite dish is not available. Some POS systems even have the capability of ordering low stock items for you, which is a huge time saver for busy business owners.
Exceptional reporting
It sounds like a no brainer to have a system with a great reporting feature, but not all systems are alike. You need a POS system that is specific to the reports that your small business needs. Your reports can be as broad as over-all sales, and as specific as which hours on which days are the busiest so you know when to have more staff present, and less during the slower times.
Reservation management
If you take reservations and seat customers based off of table numbers than a reservation management feature is vital for you and your staff. This type of system tells you, and your hostess stand, which tables are available, which are occupied, and which need cleared still. This streamlines the seating process and keeps your customers happy with potentially lowered wait times.
Training
When making a POS purchase, make sure training is included in your purchase. Training is essential for this type of purchase so that you are fully able to use your new POS to the best of its abilities. Some dealers offer hands on training, others have online tutorials to teach you the features of your new system. This can be another key decision making factor depending on how you learn.
Not all POS systems are the same in the way of features or in their price tag. Purchasing a new system is a tough decision to make and a huge investment. Here at Quikstone Capital Solutions we can help you get the capital you need to make the purchase that is right for your restaurant.
