Taking Your Restaurant POS to the Next Level

Everything You Need to Know

Over the last year and a half, you and your restaurant have probably had to make a lot of adjustments. After all, that’s what the restaurant industry is about: adapting to the needs of your guests in order to better serve them.One thing that hasn’t changed? People love eating food from restaurants, whether they’re dining in or ordering to go. In fact, 60% of Americans order from a restaurant every week.That’s why you need a point of sale system that functions at the highest level and is able to adapt to your changing needs. So whether you’re serving up sizzling fajitas, creamy fall soups, or juicy burgers, check out everything you need to know about taking your restaurant POS to the next level and enhancing your customer service.

What Your POS System Should Prioritize

When it comes to owning and operating a restaurant, managing the unpredictable is part of the job. You often have to be ready to balance high foot traffic, incoming to-go orders, and the general buzz of the hectic atmosphere. Throw in the new challenges of ensuring customer and staff safety while adhering to their shifting needs, and you have all the cause to call the job stressful.Fortunately, the right POS system can make the Herculean challenge of running a restaurant significantly easier. From inventory management to online ordering, restaurant POS systems can help streamline a number of different processes.To take your operations to the next level, your restaurant needs a comprehensive POS system that offers quality:

• Software
• Hardware
• Customer Service

Software

When it comes to operating as a 21st-century restaurant, your POS software should be able to accommodate:

• Customization – Your POS software should be customizable at all levels. The best restaurant POS solution technology will allow you to add and remove a menu item with ease, upload high-quality photos of your food, and even simplify functions, such as calculating tips. All of this can easily be done through a mobile app or software system.
• Ease of use – The easier your restaurant POS solution is to use, the better. For both guests and your front-of-house employees, a streamlined process can eliminate confusion, promote efficiency, and make guests more likely to come back.
• Cloud storage – If we’re talking about the future of the restaurant industry, we would be remiss not to mention cloud storage. In fact, 61% of hospitality executives believe flexibility is one of the main benefits of cloud storage. With a restaurant POS system that offers cloud storage, you can easily access important data anytime and anywhere. That means even when you’re not at the restaurant, you can still issue refunds, answer questions, take an online order, and update menu information.
• Tech integration – Whether you find a POS system that can be integrated with your current software or one that promotes a smooth transition, there’s a great deal of value in finding the POS that makes your life (and the life of your employees) easier.

Hardware

Your POS has to operate continually throughout long shifts and, most likely, for up to seven days a week. That means durable hardware is an absolute must.You also want hardware that looks sleek and inconspicuous (not bulky and outdated like older models) and provides you with the most efficiency without utilizing a significant amount of space. Essentially, the more elements a single POS company can offer your restaurant, the better.Here are a few examples of devices that may be incorporated into a POS system:

• POS station – A POS station could be a place to dock a tablet for FOH employee use, a designated area for traditional payments, or both.
• Network router – Some POS systems use a small router connected to the internet to make printing receipts and other documents a snap.
• Handheld devices – A huge part of the flexibility that goes into restaurant planning these days is the ability to move between tables and from front-of-house to back-of-house seamlessly. Mobile ordering tablets and payment devices can provide the most forward-facing restaurant experience.
• Ordering tablets – An ordering tablet might be carried by a server or positioned at the table for diners to place their orders on their own. Either way, a tablet allows for quicker, more accurate online order placements and even has the benefit of less paper waste.
• Payment devices – Mobile payment devices eliminate the back-and-forth that typically takes place between servers and diners. In the time it usually takes for servers to bring the bill, customers to fish out their card, and servers to return for a signature, more customers can be seated and can begin ordering more quickly. The right restaurant POS solution will be able to handle all payment processing from a mobile app or software.

Customer Service

The great thing about a flexible and modern POS system is that it can cater to all types of customers, including those who are on board with new technologies, as well as those who prefer to take a more traditional route when it comes to ordering their food and paying for it.Because of the pandemic, more people have become used to ordering food online or through digital, contactless payment processing platforms. These guests have already adapted to the restaurant POS systems we’re talking about. If you are a restaurant owner and have not implemented a POS integration system, you may already be falling behind.Still, other guests may look forward to safely dining out while experiencing the type of service that they’re more familiar with. While it may not be a literal pad and pencil approach, the right POS system can allow customers to order their food and pay for it in a simple, easy-to-use manner. That’s because the right POS is, above all, flexible.

How Restaurants Can Benefit from a Quality POS System

When a restaurant offers efficient service, customers are more likely to return—not only to support the business, but also to try out everything the restaurant has to offer. This can lead to:

• Larger order amounts – The ease of use when it comes to ordering on a tablet or a phone allows customers to order more than they might otherwise, especially if they don’t have to rely on a server to upgrade drink sizes, add sides, or request additional appetizers. Plus, with a POS that allows you to showcase images of your restaurant's dishes, customers are more inclined to say yes to those options and take a taste for themselves.
• More repeat customers – If your POS data is stored on the cloud, customers who opt in to receive promotions can easily be informed by email or text of upcoming events and special offers. In fact, a recent study found that 56% of people will stay loyal to companies that offer them rewards.

How Customers Can Benefit from a Quality POS System

Customers in any setting want to feel that they’re receiving quality service and that any concerns they have are addressed in a timely manner. With a modern POS system that can effectively and efficiently handle tableside ordering, interactions with staff, and contactless payment, diners can feel as though they’re getting the VIP treatment at your restaurant.Take a look at some of the benefits diners can receive from an inclusive POS system with contactless payment:

• Higher order accuracy – When people place their own orders, there is far less room for errors to be made based on miscommunication or hearing difficulty. This leads to greater order satisfaction, which positively impacts servers as well.
• Responsive wait staff – While contactless ordering is a phenomenal step in the right direction, some POS systems go even further and allow for easy communication between guests and servers. This means that issues can be resolved in real-time, making for happier customers and fewer negative online reviews.

How Servers Can Benefit from a Quality POS System

The experience of the server is another important aspect to consider when improving your restaurant’s operations. Servers in restaurants using updated and all-inclusive POS systems can benefit by experiencing:

• Higher tips – POS systems allow servers to cater to guests with increased speed, more targeted attention, and higher levels of accuracy. This means greater customer satisfaction and larger tips.
• Less confusion – The contactless ordering and payment of an all-in-one POS system can help limit FOH labor. That means there’s less confusion between hosts and servers when it comes to who’s been seated where and what stage of the meal they’re in.

GoTab’s New POS Offers a Better Way to Order and Pay

If you’re opening a new restaurant or looking to update your current POS system, it’s important to know what to look for. These days, customers expect a streamlined, customizable, and safe dining experience. Plus, when it comes to purchasing new equipment for your restaurant, you want to work with a company that offers readily available tech support, system training, and even the benefit of no contracts or overcomplicated service fees.That’s why GoTab has launched an all-in-one POS that works alongside our QR ordering and payment technology. We’ve been at the forefront of restaurant POS innovation since 2016, and now, we have even more to offer with our new POS system. With a full set-up that includes a display station, ordering tablet, handheld payment terminal, router, and even a cash drawer, GoTab can outfit your restaurant with top-of-the-line software and hardware that ensures your customers leave more satisfied than ever before. If you are a business owner or restaurant manager looking to up your restaurant technology, GoTab is here to help.Sources: 

• Tacit. Twenty Online Food Ordering Statistics That Reveal the Power of Digital Ordering and Delivery. https://tacitcorporation.com/online-food-ordering-statistics/
• Statista. Main Benefits of Cloud Computing in the Restaurant Industry Worldwide in 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1249493/cloud-computing-in-the-restaurant-industry-worldwide/
• Restaurant Technology News. Why Loyalty Matters: How Restaurants Can Leverage Loyalty Programs To Drive Direct Sales. https://restauranttechnologynews.com/2021/05/why-loyalty-matters-how-restaurants-can-leverage-loyalty-programs-to-drive-direct-sales/