| You may assume that your guest's experience at | | | | professional and neat guest check, ticket or receipt for |
| your restaurant may be enhanced by a point of sale | | | | the customer. Items will be detailed with pricing. |
| system. Maybe you had not even though of it. | | | | Modifiers can also be printed to show preparation |
| However, the fact is that a good point of sale system | | | | instructions. The taxes will be shown and broken out |
| can benefit the experience of your guests. | | | | by type. The total will be displayed in bold lettering so |
| So often the salesperson tries to focus your attention | | | | that there is no confusion. |
| on the benefits of their product with regard to your | | | | You will also be able to show the date of the visit, the |
| interests. But what about your customer's interest? | | | | server, cashier or bartender that served them as well |
| Shouldn't you also be concerned about how installing a | | | | as any marketing information you wish in the header |
| point of sale system is going to affect them? | | | | and footer of the receipt. |
| Depending on the type of restaurant or bar you have | | | | This will assuradly be better than the receipt we get at |
| certain benefits will be more readily apparent than | | | | our local Mexican restaurant which is simply a |
| others. On top of that, the method by which a guest's | | | | calculator tape with no description of the items we |
| experience is enhanced may also change. But overall | | | | were served. |
| you can expect some or all of the following: | | | | For your customers, a trusting customer is a happier |
| Remote Printing or Displaying Or Orders | | | | customer. |
| There are varying degrees of this benefit depending | | | | Customer Reward or Customer Loyalty Programs |
| upon your application. In Table Service you have the | | | | With Frequent Diner Modules you are able to reward |
| ability to have the order entered by the server and | | | | repeat customers through either discounts on meals, |
| immediately printed on various printers in the kitchen. | | | | free food or reduced prices on specific items. |
| With some systems you can have up to 6 remote | | | | These rewards are earned either on a points system |
| printers. This reduces steps to the kitchen and | | | | or on dollars spent. The rewards are good off of their |
| eliminates the requirement for the server to even go | | | | next visit. |
| to the kitchen to deliver the ticket. | | | | Use these programs to directly market to your |
| In a Quick Service environment you can also use | | | | customers about specials, new items or even an |
| printers to deliver orders to the kitchen but an even | | | | invitation to come in for a free/discounted meal for |
| better solution is a kitchen video system. The orders | | | | their anniversary or birthday. |
| get to the kitchen even faster as an item is sent to the | | | | For your customer, a rewarded customer is a happier |
| monitor as soon as the next item is entered. With | | | | customer. |
| printers, the order does not start printing until the order | | | | Split Checks |
| is finalized. With a kitchen video system items can be | | | | There are many times when the customer will not tell |
| set to go when the next item is entered, thus speeding | | | | the server that they want split checks until the ticket is |
| up the process of order delivery even more. | | | | presented. Having an easy method of splitting these |
| Bars can enjoy increased speed of service through | | | | checks is essential to customer satisfaction. If the task |
| the use of remote printers. With some systems we | | | | is difficult then the attitudes of the servers will show |
| can even use the printer next to the terminal to save | | | | through to the customer. Then the task itself will take a |
| on the cost of an additional printer. Drink orders can be | | | | long time, really impacting the customer's experience. |
| printed on this printer and the drinks can be prepared | | | | Some,not all point of sale systems have extremely |
| and waiting on the server when they walk up. | | | | fast and easy method of splitting checks at any time |
| For your customers, faster service means happier | | | | the ticket is open. In a few simple touches, extra |
| customers | | | | tickets can be added to the table and items moved to |
| Reduced Errors In The Kitchen | | | | the proper seats. When done, the system will |
| Printing or displaying the orders for the kitchen is also | | | | immediately print new tickets for each guest. |
| more accurate than hand written tickets. No longer will | | | | If the server rang the original order in separate seats |
| you have hastily scribbled notes to the kitchen that are | | | | then it is even quicker and easier to split the order. |
| hard to read, time consuming and the birthplace of | | | | For your customers, faster service means happier |
| guessing and eventual errors. | | | | customers. |
| In multi-lingual situations you will be pleasantly surprised | | | | Split Items |
| how quickly your kitchen staff will learn to read the | | | | Sharing appetizers should be encouraged by your |
| tickets that come out of the printer. | | | | servers even if the guests want to split the costs |
| You will also see how organized the tickets are and | | | | amongst themselves. This will create additional sales |
| how special orders and modified items stand out with | | | | for the restaurant in enhance the guest's experience. |
| either 2-color printing on the tickets or multiple colored | | | | Some,not all point of sale systems can easily split the |
| items on the displays. | | | | cost of an item and divides the cost amongst the |
| For your customers, reduced errors means happier | | | | guests that shared the item. If not all the guests shared |
| customers. | | | | the item, then only the guests who want to share the |
| Quality of Service | | | | cost will. |
| In a Table Service setting, since the server is not | | | | For your customers, accurate pricing means happier |
| required to walk to the kitchen to hand deliver the | | | | customers. |
| ticket they are able to use this time to prepare soft | | | | Pricing Accuracy |
| beverages and deliver them to the table quicker. | | | | Hand written tickets create errors. Using a calculator to |
| For Quick Service operations once the cashier is | | | | compute tickets creates errors. For years, cash |
| through with one order they may start another. The | | | | register salespeople have been taught that doing a |
| orders are separated and a specific number is | | | | guest check audit is one of the best ways to sell a |
| assigned to each. This number helps track the entire | | | | cash register of point of sale system. Humans make |
| order and keep items together for presentation to the | | | | errors. Point of sale systems don't. |
| customer. | | | | What about multiple prices for the same item? Do you |
| In bars with a kitchen it would be ridiculous for a | | | | run a happy hour in your bar? How about early bird |
| bartender to leave the bar to take an order to the | | | | pricing in the restaurant? How do you know that the |
| kitchen. This would reduce customer service. Well, so | | | | servers and bartenders are charging the correct |
| is not serving food to your bar customers. By printing | | | | price? Your point of sale system will set the price by |
| orders on a remote printer you are better able to | | | | the time of day for you. Your early birds will get their |
| serve your bar customers. | | | | discount pricing. |
| For your customers, better service means happier | | | | The National Restaurant Association backs this up |
| customers. | | | | with surveys and documented evidence that says that |
| On-Line Credit Authorization | | | | the average loss due to human error on hand written |
| Some point of sale systems are able to process credit | | | | tickets and calculator tape is 2% of sales. Do the math |
| card transactions via a high-speed Internet connection. | | | | for your business with our Return on Investment |
| This reduces authorization down to as little as 1 - 2 | | | | spreadsheet. I'll bet the loses are huge if you are using |
| seconds from up to 30 seconds for a dial-up | | | | hand written checks or calculators to compute guest |
| connection. | | | | checks. |
| On a standard credit card machine provided by most | | | | For your customers, accurate pricing means happier |
| credit card processors each approval can take up to | | | | customers. |
| 30 seconds. Each swipe takes time. Each server | | | | 86 Item Feature |
| waiting in line adds up the total time it takes to process | | | | Almost all restaurants run some kind of daily special or |
| a credit card for a customer. If you have 3 servers | | | | have items with a limited shelf life. Table Service |
| waiting on the same credit card terminal the 1st server | | | | applications sometimes have lunch or dinner specials |
| waits 30 seconds, the 2nd server waits 60 seconds | | | | that are added just for that day. Deli operations |
| and the poor 3rd server waits 90 seconds to get their | | | | sometimes have a limited number of breads available |
| approval. Add the time it takes the server to walk | | | | by style. The 86 Item feature will count down these |
| back to the table and the poor customer has almost | | | | types of items until you are sold out. |
| had another birthday! | | | | Prior to running out of an item the terminal will display a |
| For your customers, faster service means happier | | | | numeric display on the button letting the server, cashier |
| customers. | | | | or bartender exactly how many of that item are left. |
| Processing Credit Cards At Multiple Terminals | | | | When the item is sold out it will then display a symbol |
| Take the previous scenario and add multiple terminals. | | | | on the item button and prevent the item from being |
| In our industry we recommend 3 servers per point of | | | | rung. |
| sale terminal. Therefore, if you have 3 server terminals | | | | Customers who want a daily special that is out will be |
| you could have as many as 9 servers on the floor at | | | | given the opportunity immediately to order something |
| one time. If they all try to access the same credit card | | | | else rather than ordering the item and then being |
| terminal from the processor the wait could be | | | | disappointed that it is not available. |
| intolerable for your guests. | | | | For your customers, a satisfied customer is a happier |
| Almost every restaurant point of sale system allows | | | | customer. |
| for credit card transactions to be swiped at each | | | | Faster service, better service, customer rewards, |
| terminal. With most processing software you can | | | | accurate orders, fewer mistakes and satisfied |
| swipe at every terminal at the same time and there is | | | | customers are all benefits enjoyed by your customers |
| no additional waiting. If you are processing through a | | | | simply by you investing in a point of sale system. |
| high-speed connection each terminal in the network | | | | The fact remains that the investment is yours to |
| can expect an approval in less than 2 seconds. | | | | make. The financial benefits are yours to enjoy from |
| For your customers, faster service means happier | | | | the return on your investment. But you are going to |
| customers. | | | | have the share the satisfaction with your customers |
| Professional Appearance | | | | and guests. |
| DirecTouch Restaurant Point of Sale will produce a | | | | |