Why Your Restaurant POS System Search Could End with Square Picking a POS can be as essential as setting the menu.
By Entrepreneur Deals Edited by Jason Fell
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As a restaurant operator, you'll likely agree that there is one piece of the business that can make or break the entire operation. One might imagine it's having the perfect menu, or finding the ideal employees, or creating the optimal atmosphere. As essential as those aspects may be, the restaurant's Point of Sale (POS) System is every bit as vital as the rest.
It might seem counterintuitive to think that something that is almost exclusively used behind the scenes would be so essential to a business that is so focused on customer experience and satisfaction. But if you have ever worked at a business with an out-of-date, inadequate POS system, you know just how debilitating it can be for the day-to-day operation.
Some restaurants try to get by on a retail POS, which is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Others choose just any old system, the cheapest one available, or the first one that they come across, without truly seeking out a system that is best suited for their business. These types of decisions almost always come back to bite a business. A restaurant's POS system needs to be simple and intuitive so employees can navigate it quickly while providing service, it needs to be nimble and flexible to keep up with the fast pace of the service industry, and it needs to be affordable, so the operation isn't hampered by the cost.
A POS that is a perfect fit for restaurants.
If you have been searching for a POS system that can suit your restaurant, then look no further than Square. You've almost certainly interacted with a Square POS at this point. After all, about 2 million businesses already count on the system to handle processing their transactions. But until you've seen Square for Restaurants, you haven't seen exactly what this system is capable of doing for you.
Square knows that for a restaurant, a POS system is about more than just running credit cards. It is integral to the business. It helps to manage front and back of house operations, maintains employee schedules, and even holds the entire menu. It has to keep track of multiple orders, tables, and tips. And it still has to process payments on top of all of that.
Luckily, the system is equipped for all of the above and more. Square requires little set up compared to other POS systems. To deploy it, all you need is a computer for the web application or a tablet for the mobile app.
The rest is all about the functionality, and Square for Restaurants has that in spades. Team management, from the kitchen staff to the wait staff and bartenders, is all built-in. Ordering is made easy with a fully customizable menu that is set up to account for different menus during different parts of the day or at different locations. You'll get fully accurate order and inventory information, including tracking canceled orders or menu items.
Use other software or services in your business? No problem, Square likely supports it. Services like QuickBooks, Avero, PlateIQ, and plenty of other integrations are all available, so it's easy to port over the important information to the services you rely on.
Adapting to the times.
Perhaps most handy in today's landscape for restauranteurs is Square's ability to take your business online. With no additional fee or commission, Square will take your menu online and allow customers to place orders from anywhere. This makes setting up a curbside pick up, take out, or delivery service easier than ever.
Square for Restaurants is simple and intuitive, and so is its payment plan. Square for Restaurants Free is exactly that: free. There are no hidden charges and no restrictions. Use it on an unlimited number of devices at an unlimited number of locations. You'll even get support from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST, Monday through Friday.
If you need more, Square has more. Square for Restaurants Plus starts at $60 per location and $40 per device, and Square for Restaurants Premium starts at $299. Both provide guaranteed, around-the-clock support at any hour of any day. That's 24/7 support available when you need it by phone or email.
Your POS system matters. It keeps your business running. In the service industry, every second matters. For once, it's hip to be Square.
