Restaurant POS - A Recipe For Success

Anyone who has worked in the hospitality industry				each meal is delivered in accordance with the
knows that the demands required to deliver quality				assigned seating numbers.
food in a timely fashion by courteous and efficient				During the course of the meal, the guests order
staff could test the skills and serenity of a Zen master!				additional bottles of wine, which are logged into the
So many factors come into play at the same time and				system and sent directly to the bar.
need to be handled with such precision that many				Meantime, the main courses have been prepared and
busy restaurant owners compare the experience to				are ready to be served following a break after the
plate twirlers, who manage to twirl multiple plates on				entrees. Once again, the waiting staff know which
narrow bamboo poles all at the same time.				diner has ordered which meal and the fresh, piping hot
Restaurant point of sale software systems can be				meals are served.
customised to work with the same levels of				Following the meal, the delighted diners order coffee
excellence and efficiency whether it be in high-end				and liqueurs. The coffee orders are sent to the barista
restaurants, takeaways, fast food outlets, hotel/cafe				and liqueurs to the bar staff.
facilities or pick up/delivery services.				As the evening draws to a close, each of the three
A typical restaurant POS setup would include a				couples asks to have an individual bill, which the
centrally located touch screen monitor for inputing				restaurant POS system handles seamlessly. Each bill
orders, at least one cashier station with a cash drawer,				displays an itemised readout of the drinks, meals,
receipt printer, and credit card reader / EFTPOS.				coffees and liqueurs served to the couples, reducing
So lets have a look at a hectic restaurant scenario				the risk of errors or incorrect tabs.
where the owners have introduced a state of the art				Payments are made with ease on the EFTPOS/credit
restaurant POS system:				card reader at the waiterÂ's station and the guests
A party of 6, who have previously made a				depart Â-- delighted with the quality of the meal and
reservation, arrive at 7:30pm for dinner. They decide to				the fast, efficient service provided by management
have pre-dinner cocktails at the bar and each gives his				and staff.
order to the bar staff. The cocktail waitress adds the				From a management perspective, automating the
drinks to the touch screen monitor where the orders				many and various tasks required by floor staff means
are assigned to a table number				they are able to focus on great customer service and
Following their cocktails the diners adjourn to their table,				making their guests feel that their every wish is being
which is displayed on the central monitor. After their				met promptly and with a smile.
orders have been taken, and diners assigned seat				Kitchen staff also find a restaurant point of sale
numbers, each diner's choices are immediately input via				system advantageous because quickly scrawled meal
a quick and easy display system which sends the				orders can't be misread, the system enables them to
meal orders direct to the kitchen and the drink orders				keep track of all orders, what time they were
direct to the bar.				processed, which orders are to be delivered when, as
The restaurant point of sale system identifies the				well as any special requests.
entrees, so they appear on the kitchen's easy to read				The main ingredients for a successful restaurant, cafe,
monitor first or are printed out on the kitchen printer.				casual eatery or fast food outlet are all included in a
Main courses will appear on-screen at a pre-set time				dedicated restaurant POS system, resulting in
following the entrees, or printed out when called.				stress-free management, happy staff and contented
When the chefs have completed the entrees, the				customers. Indeed, a recipe for success!
waiting staff are notified via the POS system and