Whether you are a new restaurant owner or have an established, top of the shelf, joint, you cannot ignore the fact that food is not enough to bring clients and make them repeat customers.

One has to up their game to be in the food industry in a time (business) when everyone is posting glimpses of their gastronomical adventures on social media and review sites having the ability to make or break a place, not to mention the stiff competition.  

You have to create an ambience (bonus points for Instagram worthy décor) and provide an unmatched experience to woo your customer.

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As an experienced restaurateur, you might be aware of the Point-of-Sale (POS) systems that a number of eateries have adapted to.

They’re a combination of hardware (mobile, tablets) and software meant to aid seamless operations, improve sales, manage inventory and provide entertainment to waiting customers, to name a few of the system’s features.

Restaurant POS systems are a great tool to showcase the restaurant’s openness to new technology and offer an enhanced user experience. Below is a compilation of ways tableside ordering can speed up service at any eatery:

[Restaurant Hacks] 5 Ways Tableside Ordering Speeds Up Service

Quick Check-In, Reduced Order Time And Order Flexibility: A typical restaurant experience entails the customer being seated and waiting for the menus, followed by a server coming over to take orders. This entire process alone could take roughly 20 minutes (less if the customer already knows what they want) but with a mobile POS system the customer can take a quick look at the menu, order according to their convenience and provide directions if they need their food to be made a certain way

Reduced Chance Of Human Error: It is not uncommon for orders to get mixed up or sent back for not meeting the customer’s requirements. Human error is to blame; it could be the server or the chef who forgot what was told to them. With a POS system, the order goes straight to the server/chef and clearly indicates the order details and specifications, thereby eliminating any possibility of human error and reduced food wastage too.

Ordering on a POS system accelerates the ordering process and results in faster delivery of orders as there is no time lost for the server to go to the kitchen to place the order. Tableside ordering can cut at least 15 minutes of running between tables and the kitchen, which makes a huge difference during busy lunch hours and the weekend rush.

 

1. 1. Higher Customer Turnover And More Revenue: It is no secret that if a customer receives their drink in the first 15 minutes they are more likely to order another round. Similar to point 4, faster delivery of orders also means that the customer can enjoy quick service and order more, thereby increasing revenues and profits (always a plus).Mobile POS systems give the customer flexibility to pay when they are ready without having to wait for the server, they can split checks too if needed. Faster check-outs are a boon when you have customers waiting to be seated or at a drive-thru where the quicker a customer checks out the quicker you can cater to the next one. Some owners say that POS systems easily skim away 10 minutes during check out so they can quickly get the table ready for the next customer. You save on printing paper menus and invoices (penny saved is penny earned) and you also get to do your share for the environment.

Other beneficial consequences of using a tableside POS system include more tips, as the customer is more likely to reward faster service and the server is more relaxed by reduced kitchen trips elevating the customer’s culinary experience. Mobile POS systems can also gather customer information and feedback enabling the owner to make or tweak a pricing strategy, offer better deals, introduce loyalty programs and even give special discounts on birthdays/anniversaries etc.  

As an owner/manager where you are constantly juggling between keeping a tab on inventory, staff training, consumer grievances, marketing budgets, sales targets, liquor permits, maintaining health and safety standards, managing competition, making sure all rent/utility bills are paid and, creating seasonal menus to name a few, a POS system can come across as a helping hand you always needed. It can take a lot of tasks off your plate and with cloud data storage option it can provide you better access to records at your fingertips. When you compare the features and capabilities to the cost involved, it is your business that will always come to the win.