POS systems have revolutionized the way restaurants do business – and in a good way. From automated inventory checks, to digital employee hour tracking, a reliable POS system can reduce errors, increase productivity, and boost your establishment’s revenue in no time.
Look at why you should invest in a highly advanced POS system and train your wait staff on the proper way to use it so you can continue to build your business.
1. Manage Inventory
As the manager of a restaurant, there’s a lot of things to handle all at once. That’s why teaching your employees how to monitor inventory is a great way to ensure your customers get what they want, when they want.
Teach your wait staff to monitor inventory both before and after their shifts to make sure the shift starts off right and anything that needs ordering at the end of the day is ordered immediately. Always add newly shipped inventory to the system right away to keep levels as accurate as possible. Lastly, consider using inventory checklists to make sure all items are accounted for at all times.
2. Use the POS System to Manage Tables
You don’t always have to use your POS system to manage the inventory and sales. In fact, if you use advanced POS software, you might be able to manage the way your restaurant’s tables are arranged and add the night’s reservations to ensure you don’t overbook.
In addition, see at any given time how many tables each of your wait staff are in charge of to prevent overwhelming them and affecting the customer service. This is especially helpful for the host or hostess of your restaurant to know how to do, so your operation runs smoothly at all times, no matter how busy you are.
3. Take Table Side Orders
One of the most common ways restaurants use POS systems is at tableside. Offer children the chance to play fun games for an additional charge, let customers order their own dessert, and even let people pay for their meals without having to wait for an official receipt.
Not only is this convenient for customers, who feel more conformable running their own credit cards (as opposed to letting wait staff take their cards away and run them), it gives your wait staff a break from some of the many duties they’re responsible for. However, they have to know how to troubleshoot the machines, because there will be issues at one point or another.