Choosing the Right POS for a Growing Restaurant

A good POS system becomes the backbone of an organization. It saves the business owner’s time, keeps a close check on inventory and ensures that the business is performing optimally. It won’t be wrong to say that a capable POS system works like magic for SMEs. For restaurants during this COVID-19 period, a restaurant POS software helps in meeting the needs of this overly demanding time. It’s slowly and gradually becoming the necessity of every business. 

There are two categories that POS systems fall into- legacy and modern. Both these systems are immensely helpful in handling the sales of a business, its inventory, customer database, and much more. Legacy systems, however, are tied to physical locations and thus, don’t offer any portability. They also pose a challenge for expanding the system. Every business’s aim is to grow and thus, many businesses like to have omnichannel for their business. For the restaurant industry, especially, the cloud-based POS systems are a popular choice. 

Whether you are thinking of upgrading your system or modifying an existing POS, choosing the right one for your business is a necessity. Small cafes often start up with legacy systems because they have a limited set of needs but if you operate online and physically, a modern POS is an optimal choice. There are certain things you need to make sure when you look for the right POS: 

Streamline your Orders in physically and online: 

If you want to boost sales online and physically, you should be able to utilize all your resources efficiently and offer your customers the best service possible. Thus, you need to have a POS that is, overall, great. All your physical and online orders need to be displayed to you in one place and you should be able to change their status in real-time. . 

Manage your Inventory Efficiently: 

Restaurants often have multiple inventory catalogues and managing them can be extremely difficult. A modern POS system has features that let you manage all your inventories easily and in one place. If you have warehouses in various locations, for example, then inventory needs to be maintained of each location. A modern POS can do that for you

You can’t promise customers dishes for which you don’t have the ingredients in stock. And having something on the menu but not being able to deliver it to the customer results in disappointed customers. A modern POS will help you keep an eye on your inventory, flag certain items in stock for certain dishes exclusively and help in order fulfilment. 

Generate Informative Reports: 

You should be able to have a bird’s eye view of your business with a POS’s involvement. A good POS generates multiple reports for you that let you know how each of your department and operations is doing. Reports about your sales, item report, menu report, rejected orders report and much more can help you make intelligent, efficient and profitable decisions about your POS. 

Which POS is Right for You?

First and foremost, you need to set your goal for using the POS. If you use a legacy system and are currently a brick and mortar restaurant that is moving towards online sales, switching to a modern POS is a good move for you. But, keep in mind that a modern POS, initially, can be more costly than an old, legacy system. 

Before updating your system, make sure that the company from which you are purchasing the POS specializes in your niche and is known to provide good customer service. 24/7 customer service is necessary for the restaurant industry. Lastly, make sure that POS manufacturer is a well-established company that serves quite a few clients. You don’t want to invest in a company with no prior experience of service.