It’s a no brainer that whether you’re running a small or large restaurant, that you should use point of sale software. Sure, you might be able to manage without it when you’re first starting up.
Yet, according to Partech, the most successful quick casual restaurants all rely on restaurant POS systems to grow their business and to keep it running efficiently with convenient service and detailed reporting options. Plus, customers are technology savvy–if they see your restaurant is invested in utilizing the latest software systems, they are likely to return. Keep reading to learn more.
Reduce human error
In the quick casual restaurant business, margins are everything. Around 60 percent of restaurants shutter their business in the first year. If that’s not an option for you, then it is crucial to invest in a POS system. When the customers start rolling in, it can be difficult to get frazzled and miscount your funds.
An error here or there isn’t going to kill you. Consequently, the mistakes do add up over time and you could lose thousands a year just because of human error.
Improve communication
There are many restaurants who would benefit from improving communication between the wait staff and the kitchen. If you can’t get the orders out on time, and if they are often incorrect, then don’t expect return customers. On the other hand, when orders go through a POS system, it eliminates second guessing.
The wait staff doesn’t have to shout over the clang of pots and pans to get their orders picked up. And, the kitchen staff can just review the upcoming orders from their screens. It keeps things simple and quite efficient.
Boost productivity
In a quick casual restaurant, you need a steady flow of customers and orders to keep the door open. With a POS system, you can enter your sale information right into your inventory. This can alleviate discrepancies between what is being ordered and what you have available. The last thing a customer wants is to place an order, wait a while, then be told you’re out of stock.
Depending on the POS system, it can track every segment of your product lifecycle from when you purchased ingredients from your supplier to when you’re preparing a dish for your customer.
Furthermore, it can manage payroll. Employees just submit their time in the system, and there is no question of who has been on time and who is late. Everything is viewable right on your POS system with dashboards, reporting features and more.
As employees become more productive, you get more bang for your buck. When the profits start coming through, you can then invest more in your retirement which is essential for business owners.
Keep track of your ROI
To succeed in the highly-competitive restaurant business, you must keep a close watch on your return on investment (ROI). You need an understanding of what times of day are most profitable, which of your promotions are the most successful and what dishes are the most popular.
Then, you can replicate that success. With a POS system, you can generate sales reports to show the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns and food. You can also find out which wait staff sells the most, on a consistent. From that data, you can then optimize your sales processes to improve margins.