Restaurant POS System: Do I Really Need It?

Aug. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- *  POS stands for Point Of Sale.

This is a system built for the restaurant and retail industry. This computerized system allows business owners to track sales, cash flow, food inventory and can help simplify your bookkeeping enormously. Why it’s perfect for a restaurant: The high volume of cash and credit cards that pass through a restaurant each day make a POS system a necessary. POS systems doesn't only track your sales but it can also run useful programs the the ones that can process debit cards. This makes swiping credit cards more secure for both the customer and the business. Servers are accountable for all their sales, and it is impossible to alter checks in the computer unless you have authorization. This helps cut down on employee theft.

   * The many benefits of using a restaurant POS system

One benefit of a POS system is that it simplifies communications between the kitchen and the server. Orders go through the computer sending it to the kitchen printer. Another benefit of a restaurant POS programs is that it can track everything from food usage, to the most popular menu items. Because POS system can act as a time clock, it can also help prepare payroll. Saves you a lot of money in your bookkeeping department. Along with the daily operations of running a restaurant, your POS system can organize profit and loss statement and your sales tax.

   * Any reasons NOT to use a restaurant POS system?

Your POS is still a computer, subject to all technological problems. If it happens to crash and you don’t have a back up, then you risk losing all your data, not just sales, but profit and loss statements and payroll statements. Important stuff that the IRS may want to examine some day. So, always have a backup.

   * Do you need an extended warranty?

Remember all that money you saved on bookkeeping? Records of your financial transactions using a convenient POS system? You may end up spending it on set ups, upgrades and troubleshooting of your POS computers. POS systems doesn’t have the same life span as good old fashioned cash register. You'll be needing to replace parts of your computers, upgrades on software and eventually replace it entirely with a new model. New POS systems come with limited warranties and tech support, but just like every other piece of equipment, the problems always seem to start after the warranty has run out. For these kinds of problems, you may also need to buy extra tech support.

   * Looking for some of the most popular popular software providers?

Here are some of the great POS software providers.

• Aldelo
• Digital Dining
• POSitouch
• Radiant Systems
• Squirrel Systems

If you are planning a very small operation, such as bread or a sweets shop, you may not need a POS system at opening time, especially if you aren’t going to take credit cards (and there are plenty of places that still don’t accept credit cards). However, if you have dreams of expanding or franchising, then you may want to figure in the purchase of a POS into your opening costs.

For more details about restaurant POS systems or to have a local POS professional serving the restaurant industry, you may visit http://pos-for-restaurants.com

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