Restaurant vs. Hospitality POS Software: How Are They Different?

Although similar in many ways, including the mission of providing guests with an experience they won’t forget, the restaurant business focuses on events built around meals while hospitality covers a range of experiences. This difference is reflected in the software needs of the teams that cater to these different customers.

Those in the restaurant industry need software that can wring every dollar from the dishes and drinks and turn it into profit. Hospitality POS software must integrate, automate, and simplify a range of service and management functions into a single hub to ensure consistent customer service. Consider these differences when deciding which POS solution will work best for your business.

Restaurant POS Software Requirements

As revenue streams are finite and emerge almost exclusively from the kitchen, maximizing the potential profit of a restaurant requires a precise set of POS functions. Restaurants tend to thrive with a system that:

Offers responsive and comprehensive table managementHas online ordering and booking capacityProvides clear digital communication between staff terminalsAllows menu and bar modifications to accommodate taste, diet, and healthEnables staff responsibility for roster and trainingPermits live inventory countsPerforms rapid and in-depth sales analysis

Data analysis is becoming more and more important for businesses of all shapes and sizes. The ability to effectively see how a business makes money, what its most profitable sales items are, and how current trends and marketing efforts impact the bottom line is crucial to maximizing the growth potential of any restaurant. 

Hospitality POS Software Requirements

Hospitality encompasses four parts—dining, accommodation, travel, and tourism. The sheer breadth of experiences this includes demonstrates the need for a modern and well-equipped POS system. Only a cloud-based network can combine all the moving pieces into a single platform that can be as efficient as it is sweeping.

This POS system needs to include:

Comprehensive and integrated digital inventory across sites and teamsFlexible, safe, and discrete payment optionsElectronic marketing and customer loyalty programsMultimedia customer-facing sales and POS hardwareThird-party integrations for accounting, taxation, and regulation complianceAn extensive network of staff and team communications

Like an internet all of its own, hospitality POS software must link all the varied functions of the business into a single point so that every action can be focused on the bottom line. The cost of the food and beverage team has to be balanced against the profit of the accommodation wing, and the discounts of the customer loyalty effort have to be held against the rewards of the transport sector. 

Custom POS for Every Business

All of the specific POS functions required by either restaurant management or hospitality systems can be met within the same powerful framework. This also applies to any industry and any individual business within an industry. You don’t need to find a POS provider that is clearly labeled “restaurant management” or “salon solutions” or “mobile business systems;” you need a comprehensive solution that can be customized to promote world-class features that will help your business grow.

All businesses need the following core POS functions:

Flexible, safe, and mobile payment optionsIntegrated online and in-store sales platformsDigital, automated inventoryDiscreet, mobile hardwareProduct management featuresStaff and human resources functionalityLoyalty programsData and sales analytics

These core functions can then be shaped to fit a specific business model. This comprehensive approach grows alongside a business, adding functionality where needed and gathering and utilizing data at every stage of development.

The leading POS solutions are broad, powerful tools that grant every business affordable access to the best in business software and hardware and give them the flexibility to create a system unique to their needs.

The comprehensive business solutions offered by talech can be completely customized to suit the way you do business. Like our cloud-based hospitality POS software, which comes with precision programs to handle everything from inventory to online revenue.