When you’re one of the many restaurant businesses in Dubai, special attention must be paid to providing not just good, but excellent customer service. From small business owners all the way to a big counter service restaurant, there are key fundamentals you must always be aware of.
A point of sale (POS) system for restaurants is very important in helping your staff create a seamless and pleasant experience for the customers in quick service restaurants or fine dining restaurants.
In this article, we will take a deeper look into the benefits of a restaurant POS system in Dubai and how it can help your business by offering insights we possess as a POS provider with years of experience handling third party integrations.
We will go over the main features of a restaurant POS (point of sale) software and POS hardware whilst evaluating the benefits for managers, waitresses, and cooks, and more importantly – customers.
What is a restaurant POS system?
In short, a restaurant POS system is software for restaurant management. It is usually a cloud-based POS software for different things such as menu management, taking orders, communicating orders to the kitchen, checking the delivery time, inventory management, sales analytics, and much more. It also works when you decide to have a restaurant business of food trucks.
There are variations on this model which focus on hardware packages and POS terminals as opposed to purely being focused on restaurant management software. A restaurant management system is an all-in-one solution for everything that is happening in your full service restaurants.
For waitresses focused on table management and kitchen staff on the other side of tableside ordering POS hardware is a very useful tool that will make their jobs easier, as it will reduce human errors in table service that sometimes are bound to happen in the day-to-day restaurant operations, make payment processing faster and more seamless. It is a tool for providing excellent service to your customers.
So, what else can a restaurant POS system do to improve the lives of restaurant owners that makes it so valuable in everyday business operations?
Effortless transactions
Running a successful restaurant or café means that you manage multiple transactions per day and even more on rush hours like lunchtime and dinner making payment processing a paramount priority.
If you are located at one of Dubai’s hotspot you also have a flow of tourists coming at all times, so the scene can get very busy at times, but nevertheless, it is important to provide pleasant customer service at all times for hospitality businesses whilst you process payments efficiently.
Having the possibility to make transactions as effortless and easy as possible can go a long way both regarding customers and waitresses. It is such a small detail but one that shouldn’t be neglected.
Making the payment is a final step of the overall dining out experience. You don’t want to receive a check right after you put your fork down, but you don’t want to wait for it for ages either. Making taking orders and payments faster, gives your waitresses time to truly notice customers and be available for them right when they need to.
Nowadays there is a variety of payment methods and if you cater to both local and international customers, your checkout process should take that into account. Having a restaurant POS system really makes the transaction process seamless and give the cash drawers a rest. So, your waitresses can focus more on servicing incoming customers and general table management.
For example, CompuCash’s is one of the restaurant POS system providers in UAE, whose best restaurant POS system is designed around simplicity and intuitive functionality. It takes less time to enter and register payments and therefore enables to increase the speed of the transaction.
Inventory management
If inventory management is usually a tedious task, then the best POS system can be of much help here.
Detailed recipe management allows you to have a very accurate overview of existing stock – how many items you had, how many have been sold, and what is left.
Furthermore, with CompuCash’s restaurant specific features, it is possible to set minimum limits for your stock and when they are reached, products can be ordered with few clicks only via online ordering. This is a solution that makes inventory tracking, management and re-stocking easy for restaurants.
Integrating sales and stock management is a very wise option, especially if you have a very fast-paced restaurant with a large menu and multiple transactions. This way you never run out of necessary ingredients and your customers don’t have to be disappointed if something they were craving is out of stock.
Waiter tablet
Restaurant POS system gives you an option to integrate other apps that help you make the ordering process easier and faster. For example, CompuCash Point of Sale Waiter app is a mobile-based application designed to take orders from the tables and simplify the elements of labor management.
This comes in handy in a fast-paced restaurant environment as it helps to correctly insert ordered menu items and reduces human mistakes that sometimes do happen. It helps to make the process of taking orders faster and easier, as there is no need for old-school pen and paper any more or worst – remembering everything by heart.
It also enhances communication between waitresses and kitchen staff. The waiter app is linked to the general cloud-based POS system, so all information is shared real-time with the kitchen and accessed via desktop as well.
What can a CompuCash Waiter app do as restaurant POS software?
- Take orders from a table or for delivery
- Insert the number of people at the table
- The orders go straight to the kitchen or bar and the waiter can continue with the next table
- Take the order client by client and also add the courses for meals
- Easily change the order if need be
- Add special requests to the food and drinks, like allergies or food intolerances
- Add food and drinks from the buttons panel or with each search option
Communication between kitchen and service
The communication between a restaurant kitchen and dining room should be as quick and direct as possible.
If you have a connection between kitchen staff and waitresses, it is possible to notify a client early on about a possible longer waiting time or that any dish on the menu is not available.
Keep kitchen staff informed in real-time
With an integrated POS system, all orders go straight from the waiter app or desktop to a kitchen display system, so the cooks know instantly how much and what should be done.
In addition, the cooks can inform the waiters about possible waiting times.
Shorter waiting time for customers
Better communication between the kitchen and waitresses will shorten the waiting time since a waiter can take orders from several tables without a need to walk into the kitchen in between each order but the cooks get the information via POS system straight to their kitchen screen.
A shorter waiting time means usually more happy customers for your business!
Mark courses and split invoices
With a POS system, you can manage kitchen orders and split invoices to keep transactions and payment processing relatively simple.
Having large parties dining at your restaurant is always good for business but for waitresses, it can be a harder task since there are many details to keep track of and if the customers only in the end decide to split invoices, it creates unnecessary friction in the service.
QR digital e-menu & smart ordering
QR Menu, also known as a digital menu, has been trending already for a couple of years. QR code provides customers contactless touch-free menu viewing and online ordering.
With a POS system, it is possible to utilise its advanced features to create a QR code that the customers can read with their smartphone and access the menu, and also order that way. So to make the customers’ experience even more convenient, CompuCash developers took one step further – they integrated a digital QR menu with a restaurant Point of Sale system.
QR menu became especially popular during the Covid-19 pandemic as it allowed customers to view a restaurant’s menu touch-free, on their mobile phones.
QR menu codes will be designed, printed, and set on the tables where a visitor can scan it with their phone.
A regular mobile camera is enough to read QR code, so it is very easy to use for the customers.
The restaurant’s menu then pops up on their phone with pictures, prices, and descriptions.
Which products are being shown there can be configured in CompuCash Backoffice.
This kind of self-service is especially useful in rush hours, as it helps to create a better customer experience. The customers don’t have to sit around and wait for the waiter hungrily but can go ahead and order for themselves.
It also reduces stress on waitresses as some of the customers will order via the QR code and that leaves them more time to engage with the customers and focus on recommending popular items or introduce the wine selection for example.
It automates some of the tasks for waitresses and offers customers a self-service option if they feel more like it. There is also a possibility for self service kiosks, which would have the same result.
CRM integration
No matter if you are just a small local gem or widely known in the restaurant industry with multiple locations around Dubai and other big cities, restaurant loyalty programs can do wonders in keeping the happy customers coming back again and again.
CRM integration allows you to create a loyal customer program and entice them with discounts or small surprises like every 5th coffee for free or a celebratory slice of cake for their birthday.
This way you can take the best care of your customers ensure repeated business operations via loyalty programs.
Delivery POS integration
The global pandemic has accelerated the usage of home delivery partners and since the process is very convenient the trend will surely continue in quick service restaurants, even if there is a possibility to eat at the restaurant or café.
It is possible to integrate your POS systems with the delivery apps and make online ordering as seamless for the restaurant staff as it is for customers.
With the help of a delivery integration, you easily free yourself from those dozens of third-party delivery tablets and other devices. All you need is a point of sale system and all your orders from online service providers will be automatically transferred to your POS screen, this in turn makes the process of delivery management a breeze.
For example, CompuCash’s delivery POS integration includes the most popular food delivery companies/online ordering platforms in the UAE like Deliveroo, Talabat, Zomato, Carriage, and more. From now on, as soon as the integration is set up for your business, all your customers online ordering activity will automatically appear in your Restaurant POS software and get printed in the kitchen printers or shown on the kitchen display.
No more manual order punching means there will be fewer mistakes. Fewer mistakes mean better customer service and a higher reputation among your clientele as quick service is of paramount importance as it directly leads to an influx of online ordering.
Cloud-based
POS software is an all in one solution for restaurants that differs from most POS systems in several ways.
With cloud-based software, you have a real-time overview of everything that is happening. With simple and graphic dashboards, you get the information on any Microsoft Windows, Android, or iOS device that keeps you updated when on the go.
Cloud-based software allows you to use different integrations with tools, such as waiter app and kitchen display that make the life of your employees much more convenient and help to increase customer satisfaction with the service they experience in your restaurant.
Enhanced analytics
Restaurant POS systems are not just for ordering and menu management. It is a general management system and one of the important features is its analytical overview that helps you manage your restaurant business.
With a POS system, you get an overview of everything that has been ordered, at what time, how much stock is left, and how much time it takes for the customer to receive their delicious dinner after placing the order. Analysing this kind of data can help you make smarter decisions in the future.
For example, the inventory analysis can help you manage stock better and therefore your budget. With features such as the kitchen display, CompuCash generates a report where you will find out what is the average time of the dishes to be prepared.
In CompuCash dashboard, you will find out the times when you have the biggest number of visitors and plan the staff accordingly. Of course, you can also get a quick overview of your sales numbers through the dashboard or detailed sales report. And the last but not least, you can also use CompuCash for your staff planning.
POS is a solution that helps you make business decisions by basing them on real data. For example, with CompuCash’s intuitive and simple interface, you may generate customized sales and inventory reports with a click of a button.
Conclusion, its important to end up with the best restaurant POS systems
In conclusion the value of a good restaurant POS system cannot be overstated. In the competitive restaurant business, you need to pay attention to small details. To help with this, a decent management and service tool is needed.
With the right software, a restaurant can run so much more smoothly. Here is an overview of how the POS system helps with your business and what are the benefits for you as the manager, your staff and customers.
Manager benefits
A decent POS system is an integrated solution that can be of much help for a restaurant as it helps to manage your business and create the best possible customer experience for the diners.
Make your life easier with a clear overview of inventory, transactions, popular menu items, and more. This understanding of your business data that restaurant POS software can offer to managers will help make better business decisions in the end.
Staff benefits
Restaurant POS software are designed to help the all staff members as well. With an integration between POS software, waiter apps, third-party delivery apps, and kitchen, everything is accessible in one restaurant management system. This increases fast, even real-time communication between different people, and reduces friction in the process.
Taking orders and splitting bills has never been easier for waitresses than with a restaurant POS systems. It is especially helpful during rush hours, as the inserted orders go from the waiter app directly to kitchen display systems. This way the cooks know what dishes are coming up and the waitresses can go service the next table right away since there is no need to go and manually place the order to the kitchen.
Customer benefits
Customers are looking for a good meal, but the overall experience is very much affected by the convenience of ordering and seamless service.
Restaurant POS systems are something that is not visible to the customer, but it is the secret ingredient in providing the best possible experience.
Restaurant POS systems allow you to take extra care of the customers. CRM system is the database of all customer-related information and allows to create loyalty programs that will surprise and delight customers and keep them coming back.
Looking for a Delivery Integrated Point of Sale solution?
Ask our specialist Marc for more info +971 50 566 5278 or write [email protected] to ensure you choose the right POS system for you.
