Top 9 factors to consider when choosing a Restaurant POS

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12 Mar 2020

Determine the Quality of the Software

It may be a good idea to research online reviews and features before purchasing your POS system to ensure that you’re investing in the highest quality software that won’t lead to future problems or setbacks. Quality isn’t necessarily in the system itself either. You should also inquire as to whether the system comes with a highly responsive local support team who are available during working hours and come with strong references.

Establish Whether the System is Available Offline

Nothing can be more troublesome than a POS system that goes down every time the wifi signal gets weak or the ethernet cord gets accidentally pulled out. The last thing you want is to have to waste time trying to set the connection back up again before you can send any orders to the kitchen.

Ensure a Speedy Interface Without Lagging During Busy Periods

If your restaurant often gets busy in the evenings and weekends, having a lagging interface can seriously affect how quick you can feed the guests and ensure everyone – even your staff in the kitchen – remain happy.

Can it Integrate With Delivery Platforms

Huge delivery companies such as GrabFood, Deliveroo and FoodPanda often rely on their own app integrations to send and pickup orders from your restaurant. Having the capability to connect your POS system with delivery platforms means more business to your restaurant and a smooth ordering process.

Does the System Come With Analytics Features

One of the biggest advantages any business has in our technical age is our ability to better analyze our customers’ buying habits and behaviors to ensure we’re putting in the proper effort to bring them what they want. A POS system with a guest feedback survey option may also be beneficial to your restaurant.

Are There Table Management, Bar Service, and Reservation Functions available

If your restaurant often takes reservations and is a busy spot for waiting times and seating, these functions are a huge stress saver. Imagine being able to track where waiting patrons are abiding and be able to roughly schedule reservation times, etc without depending completely on your host or hostess to keep track.

Determine How Easy the System is to Learn and Use

By testing the system prior to purchasing or attending a product demonstration, you can determine if a system will be easy to manage and use by all members on your staff team. If a menu requires constant tapping and scrolling through various screens, it lengthens the amount of time a server takes to gather orders. In the busyness of a dinner shift, this can really make a difference.

Find Out if the POS System has Cloud Capabilities

Imagine being able to connect everything from accounting, invoicing, and even kitchen orders all from one easy to manage cloud-based platform. Sounds perfect? Make sure it’s part of the package.

Easy Reporting of KPIs and other custom reports

Your KPIs are an important function for reporting and managing sales costs, employee hours, number of customers, and other highly valuable information. Allowing for custom reports in accordance with your restaurant’s or third-party requirements can save valuable time having to manually input numbers on your computer later.

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