When one thinks about a restaurant, many things come to mind: a warm summer evening, lovely food, chilled drinks and fun talks. When a waiter thinks about a restaurant though, the feeling may be slightly different: pressure, stress and sore feet. Can some of these things be blamed on the use of a notepad?
Imagine playing charades and you have to describe a waiter. The first thing that comes to mind is a person with a pen, taking an order on their little notepad. This is the most common method to take orders and, in some way, it gives assurance that nothing can go wrong. It was also the beginning of the restaurant point of sale systems.
The development of point of sale technology has allowed to gradually remove the need for the notepad. Mature server-based systems have evolved into a cloud-based point of sale software, and now simplify the work of a notepad with an improved performance. The point of sale system aims to connect all of the daily tasks in the restaurant, making it easier to create orders, interact with the customers and make improvements for the future.
The waiter can input an order and move to another customer, instead of running back and forth to the kitchen. Need to split the bill? Leave the calculator for the accountant and divide it automatically on the system. It, also, goes beyond that, offering extensive reports on what’s selling best or even, if the company is profitable.
One of the most common concerns when choosing a POS system is that it will be too complicated to use and teach. After all, with the many daily responsibilities, who has time to train the staff on how to use a brand new system? The POS system Lightspeed, for example, is easy for anyone to use without spending hours for training, even if still in school or a retired senior.
If there are unexpected trips for the owner or manager, they can still see all the information, as long as there is an internet connection. Check if Sarah was late for the evening shift again or, if the soup of the day is put on the system. Remove the vanilla cake and add the chocolate cake in just a few clicks. When travelling with a limited luggage space, there is no need to carry a laptop, it all can be done on a smartphone. Running a restaurant should not feel like a burden. It is an adventure and should feel beautiful and exciting.
Join the point of sale system family and save some trees on the way: it is time to move past the notepad!
Laine Tiltina is marketing and sales executive at Progressive (laine@progressive.com.mt).