We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: a restaurant POS like TouchBistro is so much more than a way to take orders and process customer transactions.
In our article 33 Things a Restaurant POS Can Do for Your Venue, we showed you how a POS can help your business thrive in three main ways:
- Increase your sales
- Improve your guest experience
- Inform for your business decisions
But what do these benefits really look like in a restaurant? How does a POS impact you and your staff? Your day-to-day responsibilities?
When you choose TouchBistro, every role at a restaurant is affected – for the better.
From owners to chefs to servers, here are the six main roles at a full service restaurant and how TouchBistro helps each one take their job to the next level.
1. Restaurant Owners Can Make Better Decisions with Clear Data
TouchBistro is all about giving you a full lay of the land, so you always know what’s happening in your restaurant – whether you’re at the venue or somewhere else.
Our restaurant POS system gives you access to features like detailed sales reports and heat mapping, which lets you see where your sales are concentrated throughout the day. With these metrics and more right at your fingertips, it’s that much easier to forecast sales, monitor inventory, determine scheduling needs, and beyond.
But more than just knowing what’s happening at the restaurant, you can also make changes on the go. Remote menu management gives you the freedom to adjust pricing, choose daily specials, and add promotions whenever and from wherever you need.
2. Managers Can Reduce Labor Costs with Smart Scheduling
TouchBistro Labor Management automates the scheduling process with easy-to-use scheduling tools based on forecasts of your labor needs, which can ultimately help you save more than 2% on your labor costs. For instance, let’s say you want your labor percentage to be 30% of your sales. The scheduling tool shows you if you’re going to be over and under that goal as you remove or add shifts. This way, you can optimize your schedule and not have to ask your team to complete unplanned overtime, which inevitably adds to your labor costs.
3. Servers Can Upsell Every Order to Make More Money
Your guests want an experience that’s customized to their taste. Your servers want big spenders at their tables, so they get bigger tips. And you want higher check sizes so your revenue goes up.
TouchBistro answers all three of these demands for restaurants, like Rally House Sports Bar. Having an iPad POS lets servers go tableside. They punch in orders on the spot and follow automatic upsell prompts that customize each meal, sparking larger tips AND increasing check sizes. Want to add cheese and bacon to that burger? Upgrade your side from french to sweet potato fries? How about a premium garlic mayo dip? Everyone wins.
Plus, TouchBistro POS makes it easy for servers to split bills and even menu items, which means customers get their checks faster, improving the guest experience and letting them turn more tables.
4. Chefs Can Reduce Waste to Save Money
“If you can’t measure, you can’t improve it.”
TouchBistro Inventory Management is one of the best ways to take stock (pun intended) of your business and look for ways to cut costs.
When your back of house staff can ditch the spreadsheets and track stock using an inventory management solution, they’ll be able to more accurately predict what products you need to order, without over-ordering. For instance, TouchBistro Inventory Management integrates seamlessly with your POS system, so your team can forecast future prep and purchase orders to eliminate food waste and keep food costs in check.
Another way to reduce waste is to improve communication between the front and back of the house by having a Kitchen Display System (KDS). When you use a KDS, orders are clearly displayed on screen for those operating the back of house, which helps decrease order errors that can come from handwritten order tickets, which, in turn, can reduce waste. Plus, you save money on comps and voids.
5. Bartenders Close Orders Faster for More Sales
Bar management tools built right into TouchBistro POS let bartenders easily create and keep track of separate tabs, so nothing gets lost when the bar is hopping. Game time, anyone?
The Fast Bar register mode helps bartenders move lightning-fast with each transaction – a skill normally reserved for the martini shaker. They can take and close orders with just two taps, providing guests with faster service. And faster service means higher sales and tips.
6. Hosts Can Manage Customer Flow for Better Guest Experience
First impressions matter.
TouchBistro gives hosts and greeters a detailed floor plan to work with, helping them seat customers faster, better predict wait times, and manage reservations for a guest experience that will keep ‘em coming back.
When it comes to takeout and delivery, TouchBistro Online Ordering syncs online orders directly with the POS. That means hosts spend less time punching in orders and more time serving your guests.
The positive impacts of TouchBistro show up at every level of a restaurant, from owner to host, making it the best POS system for restaurants.
Dana is the former Content Marketing Manager at TouchBistro, sharing tips for and stories of restaurateurs turning their passion into success. She loves homemade hot sauce, deep fried pickles and finding excuses to consume real maple syrup.
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The right POS should help you increase sales
The right POS should help you increase sales.
