A point-of-sale system is the till, but it's also the nerve centre of a venue. It records orders, sends tickets to the kitchen and bar, takes payments, tracks voids and discounts and produces the sales data behind decisions on menus, staffing and stock. Cloud-based POS has largely replaced old on-site servers, connecting with booking systems, stock control, payroll and accounting software, and allowing owners to check figures from anywhere. Handheld terminals let servers take orders and payments at the table, speeding service. Choosing a system means weighing hardware costs, monthly fees, card processing rates, reliability, offline mode and support at busy times, because a crashed till on a Saturday is a disaster.
Individual logins and permission levels help control fraud. Payment security is critical, and card processors require compliance with industry security standards. Staff should be trained properly, since a confusing layout slows service. Good POS data is only useful if someone actually reads it and acts.
What we ask on the show
- What's the worst till crash you've lived through?
- Do handheld tills make service better or more robotic?
- How much do you actually use your POS data?
- What feature would your dream POS system have?