Planning the menu and gaining a healthy clientele are not the only things you’ll need to worry about when opening or expanding a restaurant. A profitable restaurant also has a great point of sale system to keep everything running smoothly. As you search for the best POS system for your restaurant, consider these important features.
Upgradeable and Supported
As you’ve probably noticed, technology is constantly evolving, which means that your POS system will need to be upgraded at some point. It’s important to look for a POS system that you can easily upgrade so that you can stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest features. You’ll also want the option of full tech support available 24/7 in case of glitches. You can’t afford to stop running your business to repair your POS system when it breaks down.
Labor Monitoring Capabilities
The best POS systems will have the ability to track your labor percentages and employee accuracy. Always knowing your labor percentages will help you to keep costs associated with your business to a minimum, increasing your success. It will also be very helpful to keep a record of each employee’s till and computer use to help you distinguish the good employees from the bad.
Hardware and Software Packages
Though you can use any hardware compatible with your software of choice, buying it in a package provides a smoother, more affordable option. Usually when you purchase the hardware and software together, the license fee you would normally have to pay for each computer is waived, making it a very cost-efficient choice.
Great Inventory Tools
An accurate inventory is the most important aspect of running any restaraunt, and using a sub-par POS system will make it that much more difficult. Look for a POS system that will accurately keep track of money lost on wasted food. This way, you can track food use and waste so that you know what to reorder and what to boot from your menu.
Handheld Option
It’s always a great idea to have a handheld version of your POS system handy when you’re running a restaurant. It makes it easy to monitor sales, keep track of inventory, and run credit cards without being tied to a computer.
Reasonable Cost
The cost of a really good POS system can be astronomical, making it very difficult to see a lot of profit in the beginning. The good news is, the cost of the system doesn’t have much to do with the effectiveness of it. In fact, a great option for a new business would be a used POS system that has all the features you need without the cost. Provided it has all the necessary features, a used system will work just as well as a brand new one, and you can begin to see profits much sooner in your restaurant dealings.
