Restaurant POS systems, otherwise known as “Point of Sale” or “checkout” systems, have become a commodity in the restaurant industry, while the constant evolution of these systems is changing the way restaurants do business. Modern day systems, such as Maitre’D POS , have nearly rendered cash registers nothing more than an obsolete technology of the past. If you are not convinced, consider the advantages that a POS system can offer to enhance your restaurant business.

Easy to Use

A system has four basic parts: the credit card reader, an iPad/tablet/terminal (some form of screen interface), a cash drawer, and a receipt printer. The touch screen interface is easy to use, and provides a means to enter orders and send them to the kitchen. When the order is complete, all that is left to do is swipe or tap the customer’s card and provide them with their receipt.

The POS maintains a database of customer purchases, which helps to reduce theft by tracking each individual sale, and analyze sales trends, providing information as to what can be changed or improved by the restaurant to increase sales.

Efficiency

The modern world is heavily obsessed with speed, everything needs to be done quickly or people lose patience. While faster does not always mean better, speed is a friend to customer service and hospitality employees. With a POS system, restaurant patrons can have their orders placed almost immediately, and as a result, have their food brought out for them at a faster speed.

POS systems also save time for restaurant employees by allowing kitchen staff to quickly communicate with wait staff, reducing confusion in communication.

Convenience

Instead of speaking to wait staff, in some restaurants, customers are now able to make their purchases either using their smart phones or a tablet by themselves. This limits the amount of errors that may be made from human interaction and puts the onus on the customer, not the restaurant, if they input their order incorrectly. Many fast food restaurants, including California’s “Stacked” restaurant have implemented tablets at the front of their store to make ordering easy for their customers.

The future for POS systems is a bright one, many restaurants that don’t already use a POS system are switching to it, and those that already have a point of sale system are implementing new ways that they can use technology to improve their business.

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