The Benefits of Affordable Restaurant Point of Sale Software

A new POS system can revitalize a restaurant by enhancing all of its operations—from taking reservations online to managing inventory and tracking employees’ shifts. However, a common misconception among restaurant owners is that today’s POS systems cost a small fortune to purchase and implement.

Considering the razor-thin margins that many restaurants have, any substantial investment in restaurant point of sale software or other technology has to pay for itself quickly. Fortunately, modern cloud-based POS systems deliver the automation and efficiency that help restaurants run smarter and meet their customers’ growing expectations without requiring any large upfront hardware or software purchases.

When you’re shopping for a POS system for your restaurant or looking to upgrade its existing point of sale software, consider these features to get the most functionality for your money.

Must-Have Features for Restaurant Point of Sale Software

Restaurants don’t operate the way most other retail businesses do. That’s why a generic retail POS solution can’t offer the functionality that your restaurant needs to keep it running smoothly and efficiently.

 Cloud-based restaurant point of sale software supports all these operations and more while costing as little as $29 per month. The systems also save restaurants money by running on tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices that they may already own.

These are the most important features of today’s restaurant POS solutions:

Mobility

By storing your data in the cloud, the POS system allows you to access up-to-date information about sales, inventory, and other areas at any time from any internet-connected device. Your staff can use mobile devices to take orders and answer customers’ questions about specials, dish ingredients, and other matters quickly and simply.

Table and Staff Management

POS systems get diners seated faster and ensure tables are assigned efficiently. You can track employees as they clock in and out and get a real-time view of their sales performance. This lets you confirm that you’ve got sufficient staff for peak times without overstaffing at slower ones. You can also set and change employees’ permissions remotely as they move from role to role in a shift.

Inventory and Price Tracking

You’ll know at a glance which items are running low and which have been sitting on the shelf for too long. The POS system can be set to send alerts when items reach preset levels and to reorder stock automatically when thresholds are met. You can also adjust the prices of menu items based on which dishes are popular and which may need a promotion.

Payment Options

Your POS software should let servers accept payments tableside and should accept a range of payment types including contactless payments and digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. It should also support split payments, payment by position, running bar tabs and house accounts, and managing tip payouts and cash due when servers carry bank.

Integrated Online and In-House Order Tracking

All pending orders can be managed through a single interface when your restaurant’s POS software includes a branded website and mobile app for taking and fulfilling orders. You can confirm that online orders are complete and accurate before they are delivered and use tablets and smartphones to deliver orders curbside.

Sales Analysis

The systems let you generate real-time reports indicating which menu items are most and least popular, which staff members are generating the most sales, and how profitable your restaurant is, among other topics.

The POS Functions That Take Your Restaurant to the Next Level

The perfect restaurant point of sale software for your business goes beyond keeping orders flowing, inventory filled, and servers and other staff busy. The best solutions are geared to helping you keep your customers happy and your profit rising. 

Choosing a POS solution is your opportunity to thoroughly modernize your operation by adopting productivity-enhancing technologies that are well within your budget. For example, you can pick up the pace of your restaurant’s order processing by using QR codes located on tables, the hostess stand, or other strategic locations.

Customers can use their phones to scan the codes to open an online menu, place a reservation, or simply find out more about the restaurant and its staff. Customers gain a sense of control over the dining experience in addition to the convenience of placing orders and paying their bills when they’re ready to do so.

Another technology your POS system should support is the use of integrated kitchen display systems (KDS) that let you monitor activities in the kitchen in real-time. The systems keep the kitchen staff up to date on pending orders while also reminding them of the precise amounts of ingredients to use in each dish they prepare. This helps your restaurant keep food costs down by reducing waste and improving the efficiency of inventory management.

Let the Right POS Provider Make It Easy

When you improve the quality of the services you provide to your customers, you make your staff more efficient and gain new insights into your restaurant’s sales and growth. Your restaurant point of sale software becomes an investment that pays for itself many times over. 

Working with a knowledgeable POS vendor helps ensure that your POS solution has the features you need today, the flexibility to meet your future needs, and a price that fits comfortably in your budget.

When you partner with talech for your restaurant point of sale software needs, we devote our time to identify your business challenges. We use this information to work with you to apply an innovative POS solution that accommodates your unique business requirements. Reach out to us today to sign up for a demo and to learn more about how talech can be your valued POS partner.