Restaurant Point of Sale (POS) System: Do I Really Need It?

Aug. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- *  POS - Point of Sale.

Is a type of system built for the restaurant and retail industry, where it can provide satisfaction to both the customers and owners. This computerized system allows business owners to track sales, cash flow, food inventory and can help simplify your bookkeeping enormously. Why it’s good for a restaurant: The high volume of cash and credit cards that pass through a restaurant each day make a POS system a necessary. Not only does a POS system keep track your sales, many POS programs also act as credit card processors. This makes the swiping of credit cards faster and safer for your customers as well as your staff. Servers are accountable for all their sales, and it is impossible make changes on checks in the computer unless you have authorization. This helps cut down on employee theft.

   * Benefits you can get from a restaurant POS system

One great benefit you can get from a restaurant POS system is that it simplfies the communication between the kitchen and the wait staff. Orders go through the computer, directly to the kitchen printer. Another benefit of a restaurant POS programs is that it tracks everything from food usage, to the most popular menu items. Because your POS system can act as a time clock, it can also help prepare payroll. It can save you you a lot of money in your bookkeeping department. Along with the daily operations of running a restaurant, a POS system can organize profit and loss statement and your sales tax.

   * Any reasons NOT to use a restaurant POS system?

The most obvious drawback to any POS system is that it is a computer, and subject to all the same technological whims. If it happens to crash and you don’t have a back up, then you risk losing all your data, not just sales, but profit and loss statements and payroll statements. Important stuff that the IRS may want to examine some day. So, always have a backup.

   * Do you need an extended warranty?

Remember all the money you saved using POS system for recording all your financial transactions? You may end up spending it on computer set ups, upgrades and troubleshooting. A POS system doesn’t have the same life span as good old fashioned cash register. You will need to replace parts, update software and eventually need to replace it entirely with a new model. New POS systems come with limited warranties and tech support, but just like every other piece of equipment, the problems always seem to start after the warranty has run out. For this problem, you can always buy extra tech support.

   * Who are some of the most popular software providers?

Here are some of the great POS software providers.

• Aldelo
• Digital Dining
• POSitouch
• Radiant Systems
• Squirrel Systems

If you are planning a very small operation, such as bread or a sweets shop, you may not need a POS system at first, especially if you aren’t going to take credit cards (and there are plenty of places that still don’t accept credit cards). However, if you have dreams of expanding or franchising, then you may want to figure in the purchase of a POS into your opening costs.

For more details about restaurant POS systems or to have a local POS professional serving the restaurant industry, you may visit http://pos-for-restaurants.com

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