The business needs of a fast casual or fast food restaurant are not only vastly different than those in the retail industry, but they also diverge from what’s necessary to best operate bars or full-service eateries. The hardware and software required to run an efficient and profitable quick service restaurant (QSR) are an absolutely essential component to its success. But what specific features should a QSR business owner look for in a POS system?
Speed
It’s right there in the name of the business—you need a POS system to be fast. Customers expect quick service, so a lull in your system during ordering will only cause a backlog and the likely loss of customers who decide to skip the slow line and head over to your faster competitor.
Convenient Customer Options
Even with a speedy POS system in place, there will still be times when customers flood in faster than your few cashiers can manage at once. For those rushes, self-serve kiosks and easy-to-use online ordering are fantastic ways to keep up with the demand without needing to add too many extra FOH employees.
Real-Time Inventory Management
Your quantity of orders is far higher than say, a fine dining restaurant, so you’ll need a POS system that can keep precise track of everything in real time. Look into systems that have the capability to calculate ingredients down to the ounce for every recipe and give you updates when items are running low so you can take immediate action.
Manage across Multiple locations
If your QSR has more than one location, then choosing a system that allows the business owner to easily manage payroll and inventory across them all is essential. Managing more than one restaurant location is challenging enough, so you need to find a POS system that will combine all of your data and allow you to easily navigate it to stay on track.
Ease of Use
Like it or not, but turnover in the fast food industry is incredibly high right now. Part of this is due to poor training on new technology, so finding a POS system that has a simple learning curve and an intuitive user experience should be a big priority. This may be your employees’ first job and expecting them to learn on an outdated and overly complex system is often asking too much. Hiring and training new employees is an enormous expense, so look for a system that will allow you to increase retention rates and profits.
The quick service industry is growing and changing a lot right now, so you need a POS system with the right features to meet your needs and allow you to truly compete. For personalized insights and recommendations into what software and hardware would be the best solution for your particular restaurant’s goals, contact Holman Business Services today!
