| Restaurant POS Systems: Will My Business Grow | | | | your business documents, not just sales, but profit and |
| Using POS? | | | | loss statements and payroll statements. All the |
| * POS stands for Point Of Sale. | | | | important documentation that the IRS may want to |
| This is a system built for the restaurant and retail | | | | examine some day. So, it's very important to have a |
| industry. This computerized system allows business | | | | back up. |
| owners to track sales, the money that comes in, food | | | | * Do you need a warranty extension? |
| inventory and can help simplify your bookkeeping | | | | Remember the money you saved on bookkeeping? |
| effectively. Why it’s perfect for a restaurant: The | | | | You might end up spending it on computer set ups, |
| high volume of cash and credit cards that pass | | | | upgrades and troubleshooting. POS systems |
| through a restaurant each day make a POS system a | | | | doesn’t have the same life span as good old |
| necessary. A POS system doesn't only track your | | | | fashioned cash register. You will need to replace parts, |
| sales but it can also run useful programs the the ones | | | | update software and eventually need to replace it |
| that can process credit cards. This makes a safer | | | | entirely with a new model. New POS systems come |
| way of swiping credit cards of your customers. | | | | with limited warranties and tech support, but just like |
| Servers are accountable for all their sales, and it is | | | | every other POS equipment, the problems always |
| impossible make changes on checks in the computer | | | | begin when the warranty wears off. For these kinds |
| unless you have an access. This eliminates employee | | | | of problems, you can always buy extra tech support |
| theft. | | | | for your POS systems. |
| * Many benefits of using a restaurant POS system | | | | * Need help from some of the most popular software |
| One benefit of a POS system is that it simplifies | | | | providers? |
| communications between the kitchen and the server. | | | | Here are some of the great POS software providers. |
| Orders go through the computer sending it to the | | | | • Aldelo |
| kitchen printer. Another benefit of a restaurant POS | | | | • POS Digital Dining |
| programs is that it can track everything from food | | | | • POSitouch |
| usage, to the most popular menu items. Because POS | | | | • Radiant Systems |
| system can act as a time clock, it can also help | | | | • Squirrel Systems |
| prepare payroll. It can save you a lot of money in your | | | | If you are planning a very small operation, such as |
| bookkeeping department. Along with the daily | | | | bagel or sandwich shop, you may not need a POS |
| operations of running a restaurant, a POS system can | | | | system at opening time, especially if you aren’t |
| organize profit and loss statement and also your sales | | | | going to take credit cards (and there are plenty of |
| tax. | | | | places that still don’t accept credit cards). However, |
| * Any reasons to devalue a restaurant POS system? | | | | if you are planning of expanding your business, then |
| Your POS systems is still a computer, subject to all | | | | you may want to consider planning everything first |
| technological problems. And if it suddenly crashed and | | | | before buying POS systems. |
| you don't have any back up, then you risk losing all | | | | |