How to Choose the Right POS System for Your Restaurant

How to Choose the Right POS System for Your Restaurant

Choosing a point-of-sale system is one of the most important technology decisions you’ll make for your restaurant. Your POS isn’t just where you ring up an order anymore. It can connect nearly every part of your operation—from ordering and payments to the kitchen, online orders, employees, reporting, inventory, loyalty, and more.

With so many restaurant POS systems available, however, figuring out which one is right for your business can quickly become overwhelming.

The answer isn’t necessarily finding the POS with the longest feature list. It’s finding the system that best fits the way your restaurant actually operates.

Here’s what you should consider before making your decision.

Start With Your Restaurant—Not the POS System

Before comparing software, take a close look at your operation.

A quick-service restaurant has different requirements than a fine-dining restaurant. A neighborhood pizza shop operates differently from a multi-location franchise. A coffee shop, bar, food truck, bakery, and full-service restaurant can all require very different workflows.

Start by identifying how your restaurant operates today and where you want it to go.

Consider:

• Your restaurant concept and service style
• Number of locations
• Number of POS stations and handheld devices needed
• Average transaction volume
• Dine-in, takeout, delivery, and drive-thru requirements
• Online and third-party ordering
• Kitchen workflow
• Employee management needs
• Reporting requirements
• Inventory requirements
• Plans for future growth

Understanding these requirements first makes it much easier to determine which POS features actually matter to your restaurant.

Think About How Orders Move Through Your Restaurant

One of the most important parts of a restaurant POS system is something customers rarely see: how an order moves from the person taking it to the people preparing it.

Think about your current order flow.

How quickly can employees enter an order? How are modifiers handled? Where does the order go after it’s entered? Do different products need to route to different preparation areas? Does the kitchen need printed tickets, digital kitchen displays, or both?

A good restaurant POS should make this process easier—not introduce unnecessary steps.

For restaurants with complex menus, pay particular attention to:

• Modifier groups and required selections
• Product sizes and pricing
• Combo meals
• Meal courses
• Kitchen routing
• Special instructions
• Prep times
• Kitchen display systems
• Printer routing

A few extra seconds entering every order may not seem significant during a demonstration. During your busiest Friday night, those extra steps can make a big difference.

Make Sure the POS Can Handle Your Menu

Restaurant menus can become surprisingly complicated inside a POS system.

A sandwich may have multiple sizes, breads, cheeses, toppings, premium toppings, preparation options, sides, and combo choices. A pizza restaurant may have different topping prices depending on size. A full-service restaurant may need courses, seat numbers, split checks, and detailed modifiers.

Don’t assume every POS handles these situations the same way.

During a demonstration, ask the provider to show you your real-world scenarios rather than only watching a preconfigured demonstration menu.

If your restaurant has a complicated order, ask them to build it.

If you frequently split checks six different ways, ask them to demonstrate it.

If you offer unusual discounts, combos, or modifier pricing, ask to see exactly how those work.

A demonstration should show you how the POS fits your restaurant—not simply how impressive the software looks.

Consider the Entire Ordering Experience

Customers may interact with your restaurant in many different ways.

An order could come from:

• A traditional POS terminal
• A server handheld
• A self-service kiosk
• Your restaurant’s website
• A mobile ordering platform
• A third-party delivery service
• A phone ordering system

Ideally, these ordering channels should work together rather than creating separate systems your employees have to manage.

If online ordering or delivery represents a significant portion of your business, don’t treat those capabilities as secondary features. Include them in your POS evaluation from the beginning.

Don’t Overlook the Kitchen

The POS may start at the front counter or dining room, but the kitchen is where many of its most important functions take place.

Ask how the system communicates orders to your kitchen.

Can products automatically route to different stations?

Can kitchen employees clearly see modifiers and special instructions?

Can orders be organized by promised or due time?

Can a kitchen display system track preparation progress?

Can different ordering channels flow into the same kitchen workflow?

The right technology should help your front and back of house operate as one connected system.

Look at Reporting From an Owner’s Perspective

Restaurant owners shouldn’t have to be standing next to the POS terminal to know what’s happening in their business.

Modern POS systems can provide access to reporting from a computer, tablet, or phone, giving owners and managers visibility into their operation from almost anywhere.

When comparing systems, ask to see the actual reports you’ll use.

Important reporting capabilities may include:

• Sales by day, hour, location, or employee
• Product and category sales
• Discounts and voids
• Labor reporting
• Payment information
• Online ordering performance
• Multi-location reporting

A dashboard filled with graphs may look impressive, but the real question is whether the system gives you the information you need to make better business decisions.

Consider Employee Management and Ease of Use

Your employees will use the POS far more often than you will.

That makes ease of use extremely important.

A system that requires too many screens, unnecessary button presses, or complicated workflows can slow down service and make training more difficult.

Ask yourself:

• How quickly can a new employee learn the system?
• How many steps does it take to enter a typical order?
• Can managers easily perform common tasks?
• Can employee permissions be customized?
• Does the POS include or integrate with scheduling and labor tools?

The technology should help your employees do their jobs—not get in their way.

Understand the Integrations You Need

Your POS may need to communicate with several other systems.

These could include online ordering, accounting, payroll, inventory, loyalty, gift cards, reservations, delivery services, scheduling, and other restaurant technology.

Make a list of the services you already use and anything you plan to add.

Then verify that the POS either integrates with those products or provides an alternative solution.

Don’t assume an integration exists simply because both products are popular. Ask how the integration works, what information is exchanged, whether there are additional costs, and who supports it if something goes wrong.

Look Carefully at Payment Processing

Payment processing can represent a significant ongoing expense for a restaurant, so it should be evaluated alongside the POS system—not after you’ve already made your decision.

Ask about:

• Credit and debit card processing rates
• Per-transaction fees
• Additional processing charges
• Contract requirements
• Payment terminal costs
• Gift card processing
• Chargeback support
• Cash discount or surcharge options, if applicable

Don’t choose a POS based on inexpensive—or even free—hardware without understanding the long-term payment processing costs associated with it.

The price of the terminal is only one part of what your restaurant will ultimately pay.

Think About What Happens When the Internet Goes Down

Restaurants don’t stop operating simply because an internet connection has a problem.

Ask what happens when connectivity is interrupted.

Can employees continue entering orders? Can orders still reach the kitchen? Can payments be accepted? What functionality becomes unavailable? How does the system synchronize information when connectivity returns?

The answers can vary depending on the POS system and the type of outage.

Understanding those limitations before you experience an outage is much better than discovering them during your busiest shift.

Ask About Installation, Programming, and Training

Buying POS hardware is only the beginning.

Someone still needs to configure your menu, install the equipment, connect peripherals, configure printers or kitchen displays, establish employee permissions, set up payments, test everything, and teach your staff how to use it.

Before choosing a provider, ask:

Who is actually responsible for getting my restaurant ready to open with this system?

Find out exactly what’s included and what you’re expected to handle yourself.

A lower upfront price may look attractive until you discover that your team is responsible for much of the configuration and implementation.

Support May Be the Most Important Feature You Never See in a Demo

Every POS system looks great when everything is working.

The real difference becomes apparent when something isn’t.

Restaurants operate early mornings, late nights, weekends, and holidays. Problems don’t necessarily happen during normal business hours.

Before selecting a POS provider, find out:

• When support is available
• How you contact support
• Whether you’ll speak with a real person
• Who handles hardware problems
• Who handles menu and programming changes
• Who handles payment issues
• Whether on-site assistance is available when needed

Your POS provider matters just as much as the POS product.

A powerful system isn’t much help if you can’t get assistance when your restaurant needs it.

Don’t Choose Based on Features Alone

It’s easy to compare POS systems using a checklist.

Does System A have online ordering? Check.

Does System B have handhelds? Check.

Does System C have reporting? Check.

But two systems that technically offer the same feature may implement it very differently.

Instead of asking only “Does it have this feature?”, ask:

“How does this feature work for my restaurant?”

That small change in perspective can make POS demonstrations much more useful.

Think About Where Your Restaurant Is Going

The POS you choose today shouldn’t prevent you from growing tomorrow.

Maybe you currently operate one restaurant but plan to open additional locations.

Maybe you want to introduce online ordering, loyalty, kiosks, handhelds, delivery, or kitchen display systems later.

Ask how easily the POS can grow with you.

Changing POS systems can be disruptive, so choosing a platform capable of supporting your future plans can help you avoid having to start over as your operation evolves.

There Isn’t One “Best” Restaurant POS System

Restaurant owners frequently ask which POS system is the best.

The reality is that there isn’t one POS system that’s right for every restaurant.

A feature that’s essential to one restaurant may be completely unnecessary to another. A system that’s perfect for a single-location café may not be the right choice for a multi-location quick-service concept.

That’s why the selection process should begin with your restaurant—not with a product.

Let DBS Help You Find the Right Fit

At Delaware Business Systems (DBS), we don’t believe in trying to fit every restaurant into the same POS system.

We offer multiple restaurant POS solutions so our team can learn about your operation, understand your requirements, and help you compare the available options.

But selecting the technology is only the beginning.

DBS can help with POS selection, menu programming, hardware, installation, payment processing, training, integrations, and ongoing support so you’re not left trying to put all the pieces together yourself.

Whether you’re opening a new restaurant, replacing an existing POS, expanding to additional locations, or simply wondering if there’s a better solution available, our team can help.

Your restaurant is unique. Your POS system should fit the way you do business.

Contact DBS today to schedule a consultation and let us help you find the right POS system for your restaurant.