Figuring out which restaurant POS (Point-of-Sale) system to use can be challenging and overwhelming. With so many available point-of-sale solutions in the market, it’s understandable you may not know where to start.
One thing’s for sure: a restaurant business should go beyond just providing good food to its customers. Experienced business owners understand the role management, administration, and marketing strategies play in any successful restaurant.
A POS system is designed to streamline all these functions. Therefore, you must choose a system with scalable restaurant POS features, ensuring the continuity of your business operations.
This guide discusses which POS features to look out for and how to pick a system that meets your business needs. The right POS system will propel your restaurant to success and generate a better return on investment (ROI).
What Is A POS System?
Your customers are at the point of sale whenever they choose menu items from a self-service kiosk, check out food online, or walk up to your restaurant’s checkout counter.
With this knowledge, a POS system is a collection of hardware and software which allows your business to transact with your customers and make those sales.
Simply speaking, POS systems are where products and service sales take place. Traditional systems may be located in brick-and-mortar locations, wherein cashiers use terminals to process payments.
Or, a POS system can be a completely virtual sales point. Mobile devices like smartphones, tablets, or touchscreen systems are some examples.
But modern POS systems are far more comprehensive and complex. A POS terminal can do so much more than just process payments.
It can also track sales, record customer data, manage loyalty programs, organise inventory management, etc.
However, not all features will be helpful in your restaurant’s niche. You need to pick only critical features that will stand the test of time (more on this below).
Top Restaurant POS Features
1. POS Integration
POS integration refers to a centralised connection between your restaurant’s POS software and the accounting and operations platform it uses.
Third-party integrations allow your platforms to collect real-time data directly from your POS system. Make sure to choose a POS system which allows third-party integrations.
For example, if you’re offering online ordering and deliveries, the POS system must be connected with an online payment terminal and delivery tracking software. All of these will provide your customers with a seamless experience.
2. User-Friendly Interface
For a restaurant, peak hours usually fall between 6 to 9 PM. It’s during these 3 hours that your restaurant makes the most revenue, but it’s also when your employees are inundated with a deluge of customer orders.
Speed and user-friendliness is another crucial POS feature for any restaurant. You cannot afford an outdated system that cannot respond to multiple orders simultaneously, especially during peak hours.
So, figure out whether you want an internet or cloud-based system. The latter is generally more reliable for busy restaurants.
But, small businesses can stick solely to internet-based systems. It depends on which features will bring the most speed to your restaurant operations.
3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Module
A CRM module is one of the most critical restaurant POS features.
This allows you to understand your customers deeply and perform targeted actions, such as offering rewards, discounts, and special promotions, retaining customer information, and setting up customer loyalty programs.
Another benefit of a POS system with a CRM module is the ability to run targeted marketing campaigns. You can also use the system to send SMS and email notifications to loyal customers.
A CRM module is a gateway for your business to build customer relationships. Being given a snapshot of their preferences and behaviour enables you to optimise your menu pricing, offerings and restaurant services.
4. Cost And Inventory Management
Most restaurants spend the bulk of their time performing inventory checks. Almost 35% of their time is dedicated to tracking ingredients, monitoring leftovers, etc.
This is why all quality POS systems will have an inventory management feature. This smoothens the managerial process by automating your inventory and freeing up more time for employees to do core activities.
Instead of spending countless hours a day manually tracking inventory and monitoring the stock going in and out of your business, they can focus on providing excellent restaurant customer service.
5. Comprehensive Reporting
Detailed reports are the backbone of any business, not just the restaurant industry. Owners use detailed reports to produce raw data and generate actionable insights to improve ROI and business operations.
Look for cloud-based POS systems that generate reports from all third-party apps and software integrated into them.
Use this feature to produce detailed reports regarding restaurant profit and loss, revenue, inventory costs, etc. All this information will be invaluable to making business-minded decisions in your restaurant.
5. Table Management
Ideally, restaurant waitstaff should have only these responsibilities:
- Welcoming guests
- Taking orders
- Memorising menu items
- Upsell (by offering recommendations)
- Relaying customer orders to the kitchen
If your waitstaff still has to go the extra mile by finding vacant tables for guests, it’s a good sign to invest in a POS software solution that includes a table management feature.
It’s an invaluable tool for brick-and-mortar establishments, as it helps speed up the seating process, allows modification of table arrangements, assigns table numbers, checks table statuses, and many more.
This POS feature exponentially speeds up the time it takes to process customer orders. In turn, get positive feedback from your customers regarding the speed of the service.
6. Self-Service Kiosks
Restaurant trends, as of late, show customers prefer self-service solutions over human interaction, be it a fast-casual restaurant or a bistro. Self-service kiosks can wholly improve the customer ordering experience by speeding up point-of-sales.
Adding self-service kiosks can improve efficiency, reduce waiting times, and improve order accuracy for restaurants that still depend on physical locations.
The good news is that these self-service kiosks can easily be integrated into existing legacy POS systems. This spells good news if your restaurant still depends on traditional POS terminals, like cash registers and EFTPOS systems.
Conclusion About Restaurant POS Features
A successful restaurant business serves more than just good food to its customers. It also aims to provide an exceptional restaurant experience by using POS software solutions that streamline ordering, payment, checkouts, and many more.
Need a dedicated restaurant ordering software in Singapore? NinjaOS is a feature-rich online ordering system that can integrate with POS systems to include CRM, loyalty, and analytics solutions.
Request a demo now or contact us for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions About
Restaurant POS Features
How Much Does A POS System In Singapore Cost?
Subscription-based POS systems can go for $280. Some businesses may need to pay $1,400, depending on the business size, features, etc.
Get in touch with NinjaOS for more information on our pricing plans.
What Are The Benefits Of A POS System In Singapore?
Investing in a POS system has several benefits:
- Better inventory management
- Speed up the ordering process
- More accurate customer orders
- Improved customer satisfaction
- Faster payments and transactions
- Simple invoicing
Is A POS System Required For Restaurants?
Yes. A POS system is crucial for restaurant operations, as it helps collect sales, inventory, and customer data. This information allows you to make decisions that benefit the restaurant’s bottom line.
What Is The Difference Between A POS System And A Cash Register?
The main difference between a POS system and a cash register is integration. Cash registers are designed to manage online sales and cash transactions.
Meanwhile, POS systems are far more centralised. They help drive sales, inventories, customer loyalty programs, online orders, etc.
*NinjaOS is a product of Jankosoft
