7 Ways Pizza Restaurant POS Systems Allow for Special Orders

When you run a restaurant famous for offering half-n-half mixtures and a dozen topping options, you have to be ready to accommodate some unique orders. However, making adjustments to that scale can make things difficult for bookkeeping. How do you properly plan for a sudden run on peppers, a bulk party order, or the waste that occurs after a few unexpectedly quiet nights?

The answer is to go digital. The new generation of pizza restaurant POS systems have the flexibility and internet connectivity to bring all your business, inventory, and customer service needs together in a single platform that can account for every special order your kitchen can fill.

Upgrading to a Modern POS Solution

The internet has added an extra dimension to your restaurant’s visibility; between online orders and deliveries, you’re fielding orders from every angle.

That’s too much complexity for a traditional cash register and handwritten order system. The kitchen needs to know which orders have priority, exactly what modifications have been requested, and how to account for their balance of ingredient waste and use.

A modern point of sale (POS) system integrates all those concerns into a single platform. It allows your business to be easily accessed through mobile, internet-connected devices such as iPads, which double as customer-facing payment, register, and analytics tools.

Upgrading to a digital POS system can help your kitchen better cope with special and orders in several ways:

Digitize inventoryInstant pricing flexibilityDigital menus for ordering easeOnline and in-house order integrationMultiple payment options Customer loyalty programsData analytics

Changing Pizza Restaurant POS Systems

The process of upgrading to a digital POS solution is a matter of scaling down your operations. The different sets of books and accounting programs used to track purchase orders, running costs, wages, and more can be consolidated into a single online access point—and you can keep using your accounting favorites when you upgrade. Staff rosters can go online as well, and you can set aside space for tips, training, and timesheets.

The same streamlined process happens on the service side as well. Registers and paper orders get replaced with iPad terminals, discrete kitchen and bar printers, and handheld payment devices that offer no-fuss payment options.

The leading POS providers can customize the network to suit your specific business, and the whole solution can be monitored and operated from a personal phone or laptop making it possible to conduct business whenever and wherever works best.

Best of all, you get to unlock new functionality that maximizes your ability to take and make the special orders that endear a pizza restaurant to its regulars.

1. Digitize Inventory

A digital POS system lets you reduce every purchase order down its practical units. A bulk order of cheese can be accounted for by the handful, perishable ingredients can be tracked through to sale or spoilage, and the pieces added or removed from an order can be accounted for in a final tally. 

The result is a living count of what has been used, what needs to be used quickly, and what needs to be ordered. This kind of rapid and efficient inventory monitoring is only possible when your inventory becomes digital.

2. Instant Pricing Flexibility

When you’ve got digital control over your inventory you can offer front-of-house discounts, meal deals, and party-order specials without losing track of what you’re spending and earning. Every sale can be processed accurately so you continue to profit from your efforts to please your customers.

3. Digital Menus

Customers may know what they want, but there are limitations to what your kitchen can economically and safely provide. Encourage your diners toward profitable choices by designing an online menu that offers definite modification options and suggestions. Making that special order should be fun, not a chore, so make sure your menu is easy to navigate.

4. Online and In-House Order Integration

An online presence is essential in the digital age, but it should enhance your business, not tie your kitchen in knots. The leading POS providers can design a website that funnels orders through the same kitchen terminal that processes special requests. The result is a steady flow of easy-to-understand orders that keep every team member informed. You can also print these orders in a range of languages, depending on the language your pizza chefs speak.

5. Multiple Payment Options

At its heart, your POS system is supposed to make it simple to accept any sort of payment your customer offers. A digital POS solution can accommodate the full range of options from chip and PIN to digital wallets and everything in between. You can build out a collection of hardware to suit your restaurant, including mobile payments to smooth deliveries.

6. Customer Loyalty Programs

The reason for accepting special pizza orders is of course to win customer loyalty. If you make a pie like no one else, you’re going to cultivate regulars. Capitalize on that interest by offering customers rewards programs that incentivize repeat orders. Your POS system should allow you to create fully customized programs, cards, and electronic offers that carry your logo and a personal message that makes it clear you value your diners and their special requests.

7. Data Analytics

Once you go digital you make every purchase order, sale, and special order countable. That means you can analyze every facet of your pizza restaurant and find out exactly how it generates revenue. You can instantly find out the bestselling toppings for a week, month, or year. You can watch sales trends across a day or a season. And, more importantly, you can see how accommodating special orders impacts your business—you will finally know if it is worth your time and effort to put cottage cheese or pineapple on a pie.

Win Loyalty with Pizza Restaurant POS Systems

There’s a practical side to the special-order business, and switching to a modern POS system makes it easier, perhaps even more profitable, to accommodate every wish your regulars command. In today’s business landscape, it is becoming more of a necessity to move into the digital world of modern POS systems to accommodate changing customer preferences—whether it’s their tastes or payment methods.

The pizza restaurant POS systems created by talech are as customizable and flexible as your menu. We can build out features and digital advantages that make it easier for you to deliver the quality and consistency regular diners appreciate.