Not Just the Point of Sale
What POS Systems Can Do For You
The food service industry is an extremely competitive space where restaurateurs continue to explore advantages to set themselves apart from the crowd and, inevitably, to make more sales. The point of sale (POS) is the moment and location where a transaction happens, whether that’s at a register, online or table-side. Point of sale system companies like Square, Lightspeed or Revel are evolving with the rapid growth of digital technology to go above and beyond simple payment processing.
These state-of-the-art cloud-based systems are fully integrated to increase takeout sales, deliver better client experiences, save time, manage inventory, offer marketing solutions, sell gift cards, facilitate online ordering, book reservations, build customer loyalty and so much more. Beyond physically cooking meals in the kitchen, POS systems have adapted to restaurant needs and consumer trends at lightening speeds.
A recent survey from Moneris stated that contactless payments represented about 60 per cent of overall transactions across the country showcasing that restaurants are seeing a much higher volume of customers using the tap option as opposed to using the password and insert option for payment. Companies like Square are reacting to this consumer trend by offering unique POS hardware such as the Square Register or Square Terminal that allows restaurateurs to customize the payment process to manage contactless payments, online sales, in-store pickup and delivery.
Restaurants can move a step further with self-service kiosks for takeout or dine-in orders. These ordering booths, like Revel’s Kiosk XT, are intuitively designed to increase order accuracy and service speeds while reduce overall labour. These systems can be tailored to your restaurant’s brand with specific images, video and product shots as well as offer all of the top POS features like gift card payment, customer data collection or promotion offers.
According to CTV News, the Canadian food industry is committing more than $12 billion to investments in online platforms so these types of systems are here to stay. In fact, these cutting-edge services are just beginning to increase the overall customer experience. The next time you visit your favourite restaurant to pick up some much-deserved takeout, take a moment to notice the systems and processes available to you to make your visit seamless. For restaurateurs, look into your current POS system and discover what features you can implement to boost your bottom line.
