As a restaurant owner, efficiency is so important for your business. You want the front-of-house staff to effectively communicate with the kitchen. You need a smooth ordering process, you want your stock to be right to cover your menu, you always want your customers to be happy and perhaps most importantly of all, you want to get paid.
When it comes to efficiency, a good POS system can do wonders for your business. Here are eight key benefits of POS systems for restaurants.
1. Menu options at the click of a button
If you like to continually change the menu with new dishes or with seasonal ingredients, a POS system can help you update your options with ease. You can quickly and simply update your menu from your computer and synchronise it across all your POS terminals. In fact, with a smartPOS and the right app, you can use the POS itself to update the menu. For example, there are systems available that allow you to take a simple picture of the menu and immediately upload it to devices – quick and simple! Then your staff will have the new menu right at hand when they take your customers’ orders, digitally of course.
2. Integrated payment processing
With integrated payment processing, any transactions you make with your customers are automatically recorded in your POS system without the need for manual entry. It makes for a speedier experience for your customers when they order and for your staff when they take the order.
By automating the ordering process in this way, the order goes straight to your kitchen without any manual requirements. And when it comes time to pay, an accurate bill will be right there in your POS system, with everything automatically recorded. Again, a smartPOS can give you even more opportunities to add customer experience enhancing functionality here. This includes the ability to take payment from platforms like Apple Pay or Google Pay or to offer customer experience enhancing features such as bill splitting. These are great ways to increase the efficiency on the restaurant floor and lead to happy customers.
3. Automate accounting
Doing your books can be a painstaking process for restaurant owners. Traditionally there was so much time spent totalling the night’s take and ensuring all supplier payments were accounted for. Today, you should be using integrated accounting software where you can track all your payments and invoices.
A good POS system will also integrate with your accounting software, automating the process and reducing the potential for human error.
4. Better understand your customers
A good restaurant will cater to the needs of its customers, making it so important to understand their behaviours and preferences. In days gone by, you will have manually had to check how many orders of each dish there were each night. With a POS system, you can generate detailed reports on sales and customer data.
And this isn’t just across one night, it can be across multiple days, months and years. This enables you to understand your customers’ preferences for certain dishes at different times of the day and the year etc. With a key knowledge of your customers, their ordering habits and trends around dishes, you can make sure you’re always giving your diners what they want.
5. Improved accuracy when it comes to payment
The risk of human error with your customer transactions is reduced with POS systems. A POS system will automatically calculate the final bill and any other charges. It improves the accuracy of transactions and reduces the risk of any potential disputes.
6. Easy Staffing Efficiency
A POS system simplifies staffing by providing a centralised platform for scheduling shifts, assigning tasks, and creating work plans. It saves time, improves efficiency, and enables managers to optimise staff allocation based on availability, skills, and preferences. The system also generates reports for performance analysis and informed decision-making.
7. A seamless workflow
A good restaurant POS system will complete processes and workflows on behalf of your staff. For example, when an order is taken that includes drinks and food these separate orders should automatically go to the bar and the kitchen. Or hot and cold food orders for the same table can be sent to different stations in the kitchen and be plated at the same time for a seamless service process. You can also customise it to your exact workflow.
8. Enhanced inventory management
POS systems enable you to track inventory in real-time. This ensures you can simply manage stock levels and reorder exact amounts from your suppliers when you need to. This will help you run a much more efficient kitchen and, crucially, will reduce waste.
When you’re selecting a POS system to work for your hospitality business, you need to take into account the needs of your restaurant, staff and customers as this will dictate the features and functionality that are most important.
At Aevi, we specialise in assisting you in finding the perfect POS solution tailored to your restaurant’s specific needs. With a deep understanding of factors such as your establishment’s size, menu offerings, and unique requirements, we ensure that you find the right POS system that seamlessly aligns with your operations and enhances your overall efficiency.
