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The typicall POS systems you may see on restaurants and fast food chains are touch screen monitors, programmable keyboards, or scanners and handheld devices. Cash registers can be baught with or without a built-in cash drawer, printers can be dot matrix or thermal, programmable keyboards can have covers for spill protection and scanners can be a CCD scanner or an autosending laser scanner.

Touch screen technology: Many retail business owners find touch screen monitors as more intuitive to use than keyboards, as it can reduce mistypes and can easily cancel orders within a second, and because it provides flexible user interfaces and programming. Aside from that, touch screens are easier to position in any counter and even uses less electricity, although, they can be more prone to breakdowns.

Handheld devices: These are restaurant handheld devices like PDAs, commonly wireless, that transmits data back to its base station. You can also use the newer version, which is the write-on handhelds that allows you to write detail such as the orders and directly sends the oder to the kitchen! This type of device perfectly fit when up-selling customers of desserts or drinks. Your employee can either roam their tables or take orders from customers waiting in line.

POS keyboards: Most grocery stores prefer to use this type of POS systems, since they can program individual keys for specific item codes and prices. The standard POS keyboard is a 101-key, like what you will find with any computer. Others are small and flat, which we commonly see in fast food outlets. POS keyboards often has a built-in magnetic stripe readers for processing credit cards.

Scanners: A very useful piece of electronic device that reads bar codes, converts and inputs its details to a POS system computer. This device fastens transactions and provide accurate data on products or services being purchased by a customer. Scanners can be connected through Y-connectors called wedges that make them function as an extension of the keyboard.

Customers’ volume: When it comes to serving different volumes of customers, using this POS scanners can be very useful. If the counter line has several customers, then its good to use a CCD scanner or entry-level laser scanner. If the line is loaded with customers, then an autosensing laser scanners would be a better choice. It’s a type of scanner that automatically turns on when you place an item in front of it, scans its code, and then turn off again. But if your counter line is flooding with customers, you could sure use the help of an omnidirectional scanner, using its 15 or 20 lasers simultaneously, it can scan a bar code from any angle!

Additional POS hardware to consider

Cash Drawer: Where you store cash, checks, gift certificates, and other imporatant things. When looking to buy for a POS cash register, look for sturdy construction of at least 18-gauge steel. And since the usable life of a cash drawer is measured, make sure you can replace rollers, bearings, and other parts, because most cash drawers opens when a signal is released from the receipt printer.

POS printers: An addition to your restaurant POS system is a receipt printer, every retail business needs one to complete a sales transaction. A POS printer is needed for printing a receipt and create credit card slips. The dot matrix printers, also known as impact printers, are inexpensive and uses ink ribbon to print on regular paper. While thermal printers use heat and special heat-sensitive paper to generate receipts. It is slightly expensive than a dot matrix printer but faster and quieter when using. They are also more reliable because they have less moving parts.

Customer displays: A customer display or pole display lets your customers know the price of the item they’re purchasing and some support advertising. Just make sure that your customer display is of the right height and shape to fit in to your counter table, as well as it’s compatibility with your POS software.

The Check readers: Advisable for restaurants, fast food chains, hotels, casinos, and convenient stores. The check reader prevents fraud by verifying essential account information. By this, you are assure that every check in your cash drawer is authentic.

Magnetic stripe readers (also known as magstripe reader): This piece of hardware is used to read credit cards. Some keyboards and touch screens has a built-in magnetic strip readers for convenience.

Fingerprint readers: Mostly this type of hardware is used for employee login. But it is very helpful to limit which staff can access a POS terminal and prevent other staff from logging in inplace of somebody.

Keep in mind when purchasing a restaurant POS system, hardawre or software, you have to make sure that you review their details first. No matter how much money you spend on your POS equipment, keep in mind the environment where you’re going to use it. Regular cleaning keeps your keyboards and touch screens in top shape, to extend the useable life of your receipt printer, vacuuming and lubing would be the way and maintaining an over all clean workstation will definitely help your POS stations from dust and spills. You can always request for a FREE POS system quote online where local suppliers will provide you competitive price lists on any type of POS terminal your business needs.

For more information on restaurant POS systems or to have a local POS professional serving the restaurant industry in your location see more information at POS-For-Restaurants.com.

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Will Credit Cards Go Obsolete Using This New Payment Method?

A leading provider of advanced, open-standard contactless chip technologies, Contactless and a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing services, First Data, have announced that they made a three-year agreement into developing contactless payment stickers that will be marketed by First Data as GO-Tag products. Within the agreement, INSIDE will supply the MicroPass payment sticker prelams exclusively to First Data-qualified card manufacturers for production.

The agreement helps leverage the core technology from INSIDE Contactless and First Data’s issuing and transaction processing power. First Data will be marketing and distributing GO-Tag products to financial institutions, major U.S. merchants, and other distribution channels in a variety of form factors.

First Data’s GO-Tag Solution represents a very important step into the future plastic cards and fobs, and offers a bridge to the future of mobile payments according to Barry McCarthy, the general manager of Mobile Commerce and Point of Sale Solutions for First Data. And that their partnership with INSIDE Contactless enables them to offer consumers the opportunity to turn just about any personal item, from a mobile phone to an employee ID badge, into a handy payment device.

According to Charles Walton, executive vice president of payments for INSIDE Contactless, the agreement highlights the versatility of the MicroPass platform to support a variety of contactless payment applications and form factors, as well as stickers stickers.

You might also want to consider updating your restaurant POS system to Contactless credit card acceptance in the near future, because their technology is becoming more and more common in the marketplace. And we all know that customer service is all about the speed and fast transaction to a restaurant point of sale terminal, the better the service is the better your customer experience will reflect on the value of your services.

The author of this article is the VP of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants.com with over 20 years experience helping restaurants nationwide increase their efficiency and bottom-line profits using restaurant POS systems.

You may visit POS-For-Restaurants.com for more information on how our national network of restaurant point of sale professionals can help your business achieve greater success in these difficult economic times.

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What Can a POS System do for My Business?

Some of you might think “Will a POS system really help increase my profits?”. You may not mind relying on your cash register and sales ledger for your transactions because it’s affordable and reliable. But is it really the most efficient way to run your business?

While it’s true that POS requires an initial investment, it’s important to understand the vast benefits a POS can bring to your business. Regardless of what industry you are in, the goal is to have more sales and generate more revenue. POS can help set the groundwork for achieving those goals – and many others. Here are some of what POS systems can do for your particular business:

Focus on your business - POS systems allow companies to concentrate on growing the business. Since POS systems can handle your transactions, scheduling and inventory, you will have more time working on new techniques, promotions, and other initiatives to improve your business.

Improved Functionality - POS systems are more than just sophisticated cash registers. They can also hold reservations, take special orders, touch base with other locations, and provide guest beeper systems to maintain the flow of your business.

Work Efficiently With Your Operations - There’s little room for error with a POS system. Everything is entered in clear, intricate detail so the lines of communication are always clearly outlined. It can speed up the ordering process with improved accuracy which in return improves your productivity and customer service level.

Proper Inventory Management - A particularly important in food service industries where you need enough supply to serve all of your customers but don’t want them to go to waste if they’re not sold. With a POS, you’ll always be informed when certain stocks are running low and which items are best sellers so you can plan ahead.

Lessen Shrinkage - Having a POS system can help you keep your employees honest. With paper receipts and an old-fashioned cash register, it’ll be hard to handle temptations like pocketing a few dollars or give free meals and special discounts to family and friends. POS curbs these activities tremendously, providing an accurate account of where your merchandise (and money) are going.

Decreases The Chance For Errors - If you’re in the food service industry, you no longer need to decipher cramped hand-written orders from busy wait staff! POS allows you to key in orders, including specifics, to decrease the chances that it will come out wrong. By this, you can keep your customers satisfied by not having to serve them the wrong orders, re-cook orders and waste food. You will never have to re-cook orders and waste food, plus it’ll save you a great amount of money.

Track Costs - If you don’t have prices clearly entered in a database, you might as well let customers shop with their own pricing gun. Using price stickers can be helpful but it cannot prevent thieves from swapping the labels. With a POS, every item you sell is bar coded and tracked so you always know each item will sell for the right price. And if you need to make changes, you can do all the changes at once using your POS termial!

Increasing Customers That Patronize Your Restaurant - Get more customers coming in by quickly and accurately serving customers waiting in line. When customers don’t have to wait for wait staff to calculate checks, collect payment, and clear tables, you can serve more customers and increase profit.

Getting Accurate Reports - POS allows you to do more than you could with multiple ledgers and spreadsheets. You can easily make record of sales, track, sort, organize data and make revisions whenever necessary. Reporting is a valuable component to a POS system. It allows you to track what is sold, see what is needed to be restocked and reordered, and help you make future plans. You can use it as a reminder tool when you’re running low on supplies.

Track Customer Data - You can also build customer loyalty by using POS systems. Every customer you will ever greet through your doors will be entered into the system when they order something. Keep tabs of the food they order and how often they visit your store. Then use this data to compile information for targeted sales and other future plans. With these information, you can identify and limit poor selling merchandise in stock and assign funds for the best sellers.

There are several critical things in restauratn POS systems purchase in any industry. Just be sure to meet with at least 3-4 qualified vendors before making a decision. In any case, request for a free POS system quote, where vendors will be able to meet your needs once you supply them information of your business’ POS needs. Provide them with the details of the information you wish to track and the features that can help you ease your job. Keep an open mind when the POS software appears to MAKE you do things differently. Follow this simple procedure in order to find the right software that can improve your business’ efficiency. With proper planning you will have a POS solution that makes your business more efficient, more profitable, more enjoyable, and keep your customers happy!

Need more information or an online resource?

Go to POS-For-Restaurants.com

The author of this article is the Vice-President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants with over 20 years of experience serving restaurants of all types throughout the U.S.

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Spam e-mails are not just annoying, they are also time consuming, but they’re also becoming more dangerous to you and the security of your computer.Think twice when you’re about to open e-mails from unknown senders, especially if you’re using a computer from the office where all your important documents are kept. Thousands of computer users and restaurant owners are getting spoofed by spam e-mails every year, forcing them to pay huge fees to clean and restore their computer POS systems back to working order.

Here are the 3 computer dangers you must be aware of:

1. An increase in hijacked and spoofed e-mail addresses. Spammers have found new ways to make it appear as though their spam e-mail is coming from YOUR computer. This can cause your connection to the internet be be temporarily terminated or put on hold by your service provider - without you even knowing it. That is why a good spam blocking software must be used not only to block inbound spam, but also unauthorized outbound spam from your serves.

2. Spam e-mails with viruses attached to them. Accidentally open a virus-infected spam e-mail and you can end up with big problems ranging from the slowing of your system to more serious threats such as system crashes, data loss, identity theft, endless popping of unapproved sites, and more.

3. Phishing spam. A phishing e-mail may appear to be a legitimate e-mail from websites you know, trust and use their service - commonly from banks. The purpose of this is to trick you into giving confidential information such as bank accounts, social security numbers, passwords, and credit card information. You’ve probably already received a PayPal or bank spam e-mail that said your account was going to be closed unless [you verified your information|e-mails from banks you don't use, or even from Paypal, that notifies you to verify your account in order to continue using their service|e-mails from banks you don't use, or even from Paypal, that notifies you to verify your account or else they will close it]. It will then direct you to a very convincing web site where you input certain information the spammer is trying to glean. In reality, this is a malicious third party that is going to use your information to open credit card accounts, access your account, steal money, and cause you other major identity and financial problems.

What to do to prevent this?

Above all, install a sam blocking software as this will serve as your first line of defense, and make sure it’s a good one.

Many retail business owner over look into this, so their restaruant POS system pays the price.

Next, you want to make sure you don’t get included on a spammers list in the first place. The moment your e-mail gets listed on a spammer’s list, it will stay there forever and possibly get sent to more spammers; and changing your e-mail address is a big hassle especially if you’re using it to stay in touch with important business and personal contacts.

The following are some advices that can help you protect your e-mail from getting listed on a spammer’s list:

1. Using a disposable e-mail address.

Using a free e-mail address like with Yahoo or Gmail can reduce the chance of ending up on a spammer’s list. If you want to avoid ending up on a spammer’s broadcast list, always use free e-mail accounts whether it’s Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail it’s never a waste of time registering for them.

2. Never forget to double-check those tick boxes that automatically opt you in.

Better make sure you don’t check the box that says “Yes! I would like other companies to send me their offers.” when you go shopping online. Chances are, your e-mail address will not only be sent to other online advertisers but to spammers as well.

3. Don’t post your primary e-mail address on your web site, web forums, or newsgroups.

Spammers uses a special program that can collect e-mail addresses from web sites without your permission. If you want to post an e-mail address on your web site or business blog, then you better use “info@” and have all replies will be forwarder to a folder in your in-box that won’t interfere with your main address.

4. Refrain yourself from replying on obvious spam e-mails.

Doing so, signals the spammer that your e-mail address is active, and they’ll send you more spam e-mails.

The only time it is safe to click on the opt-out link or reply to the e-mail is when it is sent by a company you know or do business with (for example, a company that you purchase from or a newsletter you subscribed to).

For more information or to have a local POS professional serving the restaurant industry and your location see more information at POS-For-Restaurants.com.

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Start out the year right for your restaurant POS system. Let’s tackle some of the most common and vital mistakes that restaurant owners make in regard to some very simple and basic configuration aspects of the computer system. Mistakes can seriously damage a restaurant or any other retail business, not to mention the huge amount of time and money on repairs. Even worse than that… it can frustrate your customers and staff.

Whether you’re the one who’s going to do the configuration or not, or [getting somebody else to do it for you] — it’s important for you to make sure everything is done accordingly.

Please don’t let me be guilty of giving you the wrong idea. I don’t always recommend configuring your own computer system! I recommend letting a professional do it for you. But I’m sure some of you will do it yourself no matter what I say. So this is for those of you that insist on doing your own computer installations and for everyone else to double check and make sure everything was done properly. This can help avoid major problems, be aware on the proper installations and save hours of precious time.

So here’s your retail computer system configuration checklist for a Windows network:

1) Install a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
One of the main causes of your electronic component failure is due to fluctuations in electricity (up and down). Having a proper UPS can solve this problem by providing clean power. I would recommedn getting a good UPS for your server. And it’s also a good idea to use them on each of your worstations too.

2) Making Sure To Plug All Cables Into the UPS
Check if all cables that power your computer and network are plugged into your UPS. It’s also important to make sure cables that can carry electrical charges are plugged into a surge protector or UPS. For example, the phone line for your modem can easily heat up and fry your computer if you don’t plug it into a surge protector. So you better make sure that all cables are plugged properly. Your modem line, network cables, and power cords can cause severe damage if not plugged properly.

3) Passwords and Security
At the very least, I suggest locking down your server with a password on all Windows accounts so your employees and hackers have more difficulty messing with your server.

4) Install Anti-virus and Anti-Spyware Software and Configure For Automatic Updates
Make sure that all your secirity tools are configured to automatically update every day, so you don’t forget.

5) Limit Internet Access
Employees will surft on anything they can on the internet. You mave the lastest antivirus and antispyware software installed but if an employee unwittingly downloads the wrong program or accepts the wrong message, it can bring your system down. You may limit them by disabling internet browsing on their computer stations. Or you could password protect internet access.

For a restaurant, this is very important! In order to protect secured files from the hands of the dirty minds, limiting employee internet access is a must. A retail business owner has to enforce rules to protect his business as well as his profit. Otherwise, what good will a restaurant POS system do if it’s run by a misbahaved or ignorant personnel.

6) Configuring Your Back Up To Run Regularly
In many situations, it’s still best to configure your back up to run after hours automatically. Don’t forget you still need to remember to change your back up device (like tapes) every day.

7) Test Your Backup By Restoring Files Once A Month
I have talked to dozens people who think they have a good back up plan for restoring damaged files. When they try to restore they find it didn’t properly funciton. That’s why you need to do a “real” test restore once a month to make sure it’s working. By the way, you should also remember o restore to an alternate file location so you don’t mess up your existing software.

So please check your computer system now. If you don’t, you might regret it later. Have a happy and successful 2009!

With over 20 years of restaruant experience, the author and Vice President of Customer Relations at POS-for-Restaurants.com, helps you use your technology to be more efficient and more profitable.

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Less purchases can have as dramatic an effect on your retail or hospitality business as a point of sale (POS) system. Let our experts show you how you can take control of your business and increase your profits.

Take Control of Your Business

The right POS system can lift you up to a new level of control over your operations, it helps fine-tune your business model, boost your profits, as well as your efficiency. A wrong system is like wasting valuable time and money for your business, it can even be a source of ongoing frustration.

In other terms, your POS system is a glorified cash register! The most basic POS system which consists of a computer, a cash drawer, receipt printer, a monitor, and an input device such as a keyboard or scanner. In addition to being more efficient than a regular cash register, POS systems are able to create detailed reports which can help you in making decisions.

POS systems saves money, provide productivity gains, and can cut down the amount of time you spend away from the primary focus of your business.

Save money, gain more control over your business, and be more productive; sounds like a great combination, right? Here are some of the ways a modern point of sale system can help your business.

Eliminate shrinkage

A computerized POS system can drastically cut down on shrinkage, can be from a missing inventory to theft, waste and misuse of your employees. And since your employees will know that inventory is carefully tracked, internal shrinkage will dwindle.

Accuracy

Whether you use barcode scanning or not, a POS system will ensure that every item in your store or on your menu is sold for the correct price. Your staff will no longer have to guess the price of an item, and prices can easily be change with a single click of the mouse.

Getting margins

You can get better magins by having a detailed sales report, focusing on higher-margin items would be cinch. By moving items within a retail location, or promoting under-performing dishes in a restaurant, you can help boost sales of high-profit items.

Know where you stand

You can easily know which of your items have been sold today, yesterday, last week last month, and so on, with the help of a POS systems. It can even tell how much money is in the cash drawer and how much of that money is profit.

Better inventory management

Knowing what stocks you need to keep on hand can easily be tracked with the helps of a detailed sales report. Track your remaining inventory, spot sales trends, and use historical data to better forecast your needs. Your POS software can be set to alert you when when stocks run low so you can reorder for them. Because many store owners thinks that they know exactly what trends affects their business, they are mostly caught by a big surprise when they find out these data.

Building a customer list

Collecting names and address of your regular customers may come in handy in the near future. You can use this list for targeted advertising or for announcing incentive programs.

Reduce paperwork

POS systems can dramatically reduce the time you have to spend doing inventory, sales figures, and other repetitive but important paperwork. The savings here: time and peace of mind.

Efficiency in transactions

In a retail settings, you can make checkouts quicker by using a barcode scanner and other POS features. Restaurants will find their order process greatly streamlined as orders are relayed automatically to the kitchen from the dining room. Either with these two, you’ll be delivereing a faster and more accurate service to your customers.

You have to keep in mind that these benefits requires you to commit using your POS systems’ capabilities to their fullest. Without proper training and analysis, any sophisticated POS system will be just another cash register with no special functionality.

Retail needs vs. Hospitality needs

Since there are two segments when it comes to the POS market, they require different needs: retail operations and hospitality businesses like restaurants, bars, and hotels.

Retail

Of the two above, retails are the ones who needs simpler POS. Because they often use less variation in the types of products they sell and process transactions all at once. Some POS features retailers may specifically want include the ability to support kits (3 for deals), returns and exchanges, and support for digital scales. A POS system that supports matrixes would best suit businesses that sells items of variety styles, such as shoes and clothes. As an example, matrixes gives you the ability to create one inventory and price entry for a particular sweater, but can still track sales according to size and color of the sweater.

Hospitality

Depending on the type of establishment, restaurants and other hospitality businesses have different requirements from POS systems.

Efficiency is the main focus for casual restaurants. For sub shops and other retail-style restaurants, POS systems that relay inputted orders cut down on time-per-transaction and reduce the errors that can happen when hastily-scrawled orders are passed back to the kitchen. For quick-service restaurants, a POS system would be required in order to live up to their name: a customers’ order is entered on the terminal at the front which sends the order and displays them on a monitor in the food preparation area where the order is assembled and delivered to the appropriate customer.

For table-service restaurants and fine dining, POS requirements are somewhat different. They need a POS system that gives them the ability to create and store open checks, as parties order more over time, as well as track which server is handling which table. The efficiency gains from better management can be impressive. If a restaurant with 20 tables and an average check of can increase turnover by one party per table, that would be an extra 0 on one busy night.

Return of Investment (ROI)

Switching from a traditional cash register to a computerized POS system can be difficult. There are many factors to consider and some pitfalls to avoid. However the return on investment and benefits to your business can really make it worth your time and effort.

Need more information or an online resource?

Go to POS-For-Restaurants.com

The author of this article is the Vice-President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants with over 20 years of experience serving restaurants of all types throughout the U.S.

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Making Sure Your Point Of Sale Equipment Is Secured

On credit card commercials, we can see a line of dancing shoppers merrily swiping their credit cards, from store to store, and exalt how convenient it is to use, they don’t stress out the very real threat behind the cash register.

The director of embedded solutions for Solidcore (www.solidcore.com), Monica Chauhan, a leading provider of real-time change control software, cites Gartner Group statistics showing that four out of five data breaches occur at Point of Sale systems.

Lock It Down

“These point-of-sale systems can be vulnerable to exploitation if not properly locked down,” Chauhan says. “For decades, embedded devices consisted of specialized hardware running proprietary software, but in recent times, there has been a shift towards standardization, such as Unified Point of Sale (UPoS) in the retail industry.”

Chauhan have also observed that the standardization has enabled devices to become increasingly interconnected , allowing the use of off-the-rack software on commoditized hardware running commercial or open operating systems (OS) like Windows XP Embedded, WEPOS (Windows Embedded for Point of Service), as well as Linux.

Chauhan also included, the security risks for POS equipment owners was accompanied by greater system flexibility and quicker development time of these equipments.

Vulnerable Systems

The CEO of Trustwave (www.trustwave.com), Robert J. McCullen, a security firm specializing in information security and compliance management solutions, agrees with Chauhan that many but not all POS systems are vulnerable to exploitation.

“A little dial-up swipe machine is a low-risk device,” McCullen says. “POS equipment more prone to vulnerable exploitation are those that are computer-based and/or have Internet access; the risk lies in those two prime factors.”

One other thing, McCullen said that if a POS system stores credit card track data, exploitation can occur, and the swipe terminals can be exploited through tampering.

In general, as McCullen explained, only low risk exploits can experienced with hardware swipe terminals, instead a higher risk of tampering, and thus the tampering will allow hackers to read the cards, whether through a Bluetooth device used later to get the card data or other efforts in retrieving the information.

Chauhan points out other vulnerabilities. She claims that because today’s POS systems are similar to networked PCs, they require constant patching. She included that embedded systems have also become susceptible to attack through changes that are unauthorized and inappropriate as they are handed off to others in the distribution channel. Results of this can cause malfunctions to the equipment and may even loose their PCI DSS (PCI Data Security Standard) requirements.

PCI Data Security Standard Challenges

Chauhan and McCullen both agreed that Point of Sale equipment faces some unique challenges when complying with the PCI DSS.

PCI DSS requirement 5 states that a regularly updated antivirust software must be used, according to Chauhan. The ativirus software can be very high overhead on a low POS system, she notes; by contrast, the need for an antivirus software can be eliminated with a change control software.

As an example, the NEC Infrontia installed a change control software on its POS offerings whein it prevented unauthorized code from breaking unpatched systems. With this software, NEC Infrontia was able to remove the antivirus software that affects the performance of their devices, according to Chauhan.

With the PCI DSS Requirement 6, developing and maintaining a secure system and application is a must. It also presents unique challenges, Chauhan notes.

It’ll be a very challenging on the part of POS equipment providers to ensure their systems will supply the PCI compliance after shipping them to the dealer network and put into production at the retail location.

One of the large suppliers of technology and POS systems for independent grocers and small chains, StoreNext (www.storenext.com), have solved their problems with PCI DSS Requirement 6 by embedding Solidcore change control in its systems.

StoreNext was able to reduce the amount of time they spend on monthly test and patch distribution cycles by reducing its patch frequency to quarterly. The PCI auditing requirement can be met through change control software, claimed Chauhan.

Other difficult areas include data encryption and user-based access controls, McCullen states.

Any Questions?

For more information and advice on this topic you can quickly contact a Restaurant Point of Sale professional serving your area.

The author of this article is the Vice President of Customer Relations at www.POS-For-Restaurants.com with over 20 years experience in the restaurant point of sale industry.

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In the not-too-distant past, controlling labor in a food-service establishment was mostly an instinctive process. Having an effective labor control meant by being able to manage employees during a rush to keep an ongoing operation and send them home as quickly as possible when the rush is over.

Restaurant managers kept track of business from previous weeks in order to make projections of future sales, and then, with extreme effort, converted those numbers into an employee schedule. The success or failure of those efforts was determined at at night when the restaurant closes, the manager sat down with a stack of time cards and calculated the day’s labor percentage.

However, those days are no longer with us thanks to a restaurant point of sale system which has taken over many of the functions a restaurant manager used to do by hand.

With the minimum wage set to rise to .25 over the next few years, operators are looking for every tool they can find to keep labor costs under control.

Jim Phillips the general manager of a Pizza Inn restaurant, tracks labor throughout the day via the store’s POS system. Phillips uses a POS from Pixel Point.

“I check my labor cost every 45 minutes when I’m in the restaurant,” Phillips said. Just by simply clicking on a POS terminal, you can easily see where your labor stands or check on your hourly stats.

With a restaurant POS system, you can view forecasted sales, actual sales and a variance between the two. It can even show scheduled hours versus actual hours for convenience.

Since the system can tell you everything you needed; the number of dine-ins or buffets, you can have more time making future plans. It can even give your supervisor, kitchen staff and assistant’s hours all in a breakdown.

An extra pair of eyes

Other POS reports show labor trends over time, with this owners or district managers can track labor cost manager performance shift-to-shift, said Jennifer Wiebe the marketing manager of Speedline Solutions. This system also provide detailed reports on manual editing of time clock reports where potential abuse can easily be spotted.

You can even use the detailed information provided by time clock reports for labor board reviews of attendance-related employee terminations.

And by the end of the day, a system such as Phillips’ can generate payroll- and employee-information export files to integrate with above-store accounting systems or third-party payroll services.

It can also assist managers when assigning staff shifts by the forcasted sales report and by generating a schedule from them.

Using sales forecasting and labor planning, restaurant managers can schedule efficiently to meet their labor targets. Pixel Point’s scheduling tool is linked with employee skills and availability to speed up the scheduling process.”

Hours and breaks restriction is easily done using schedule- and time-clock alerts. The schedule can also include a built-in time clock that requires a manager’s for overriding late clock-ins or early clock-outs.

Mostly, operators sets their clock-in and clock-out times within 5 minutes before or after the actual time.

“Employees can’t clock in until 5 minutes before their scheduled shift or clock out late without a manager override. The system tells me if an employee is supposed to be off but he is still on the clock.”

This article’s author is the VP of Customer Relations at POS-FOR-Restaurants.com - a national organization of retail and restaurant POS systems dealers.

For more information see their website at POS-For-Restaurants.com

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Tips for selecting Restaurant POS Software

Since technology keeps on growing, more and more restaurant and hospitality sector that are increasingly turning towards business management softwares to aid them with their needs, as well as to increase their efficiency.

It is very important for restaurants to select the the restaurant point of sale (POS) software suite that’s flexible and easy to use, so it can grow with their business.

While not all business owners are comfortable with restaurant pos technology it can be a huge asset and vital to any hotel or restaurant wanting to trade immediately after installation, therefore bringing in more customers. A good POS software will save you money on training time, stock control, payroll and ultimately wages.

The hospitality market sector can be extremely competitive and by streamlining your business can only mean one thing, failure or success. In the world of hospitality if you can’t keep up with your competitors you’ll slowly loose your customers through smoothly run establishments that that operates well with a POS system.

Even restaurants aren’t exempted from this, that’s why having a good hospitality software suite is very important for any restaurant’s success.

There are times that you will notice that your restaurant’s external factors can a make a difference to your success, better think again. With the right hospitality software, it can greatly contribute to the success of your business and can even place you on top of your competitors.

If you are still searching for that right software suit that will meet your needs, you have to find a restaurant POS software that is sturdy, can be upgraded, easy to use and worth the money you pay for.

Your hospitality software also needs to be adaptable to meet your business needs. If the software is is rigid and allows for no flexibility it will be unable to adapt it to your needs as your business grows causing problems for the future.

A retail POS business software should be easy to install and use, intuitive and not require days of training; it should be fully modular, flexible and upgradeable to grow with your business. Additionally, you need to look for restaurant software that will run on your computer systems.

If you’re going to use multiple till then you’ll be needing a good back up system, a system that will replicate your master data file to another machine making sure you don’t loose data in the event of a system crash. It is also important to make sure that the restaurant POS you’re going to use allows multiple hardware configuration, payroll integration and data export to sage or quick-books. Mostly, some restaurant owners will have at one time or another use Windows OS to run their computer, because many of the professional scalable POS and hospitality software solutions were written specifically [with windows in mind.

A final consideration is the requirement that the software will fast and user-friendly.

Mostly, restaurants are extremely busy especially during peak hours, so a POS system that workd quickly and doesn’t crashes easily would be the best choice!Since most good restaurants are always busy, especially during peak times, a POS system that will work quickly and not freeze or crash during constant use should be the one you purchase. A good stable piece of software can sometimes be expensive, but it will certainly help your business run smoothly which gives you more time to concentrate on other areas of your business.

One of the main priorities of any business establishment is support, make sure you have the option of phone or online chat support like yahoo and msn messenger this will be an optional extra with any good POS software provider and worth its weight in gold if your systems go down and you are unable to trade.

Keep in mind that software developers know far more about the system than anyone. An overlooked point that many clients have regretted from my experience, make sure that whoever you purchase the software from can offer after- hours support should you need it, also a company in the same time zone is a very useful commodity.

With over 20 years working in the restaurant POS industry, the author of this article is the Vice President of Customer Relations at POS-For-Restaurants.com, an online information service that helps restaurants through out US by giving competitive bids for hardware, software or a complete restaurant point of sale system.

Check them out at POS-For-Restaurants.com

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For the longest time, most retail business owners thought of their POS system as a fancy cash register. Now that technology has become more advance and slowly becoming a necessity in the retail systems, many innovations have become standard features within the POS industry.

1. Wireless Handheld Devices. The newest generation of wireless restaurant hand held POS devices allow your servers greater freedom to take orders as well as collect payment without leaving the customer. Your waiters will be able to present daily specials to your customers on the spot, process credit cards while walking to the next table, send a quick bread requests to the kitchen, and also the ability to add walk-ins to the waiting list - right from the handheld device. With this, your servers will be able to spend more time interacting and keeping your customers happy.

2. The “Sticky” Paper Printer. One of the newest innovations is the “sticky” paper printers. These printers use paper that is similar to a Post-It which allows you to reposition the receipt over and over again. Print the paper to whatever length you need, and stuck to any surface where it will stay until it is removed and, even, placed elsewhere. With this type of printer, the paper can stay with the order through the entire order process. The new paper is also liner-free so no need to manage non-recyclable waste and can be easily removed and restuck to a different surface - again and again. It can be used for all orders, exceptions, specials, as bag tags or any combination.

3. Digital Menu Board/Signage. Did you know that your POS system can be used to deliver media rich content, using video, audio and pictures to more customers? Some of the POS packages have fully integrated and seamless digital menu board software that allow you to create content using the same database. Menu titles, pages, menu items and prices can all be twined with high-quality multimedia to give your restaurant menu board that can give both a dramatic and interactive display without having to purchase addtional devices.

With most digital menu boards, content is sent to the displays from the store database in real-time, so the menu board continually updates throughout the day with menu changes, scheduled price changes, daily specials and so on.

4. Self-Service or interactive Kiosk. Also called interactive kiosk, a self-service device first used in photo machines. This great restaurant POS system can be a piece of self-service hardware device that works in combination with a self-service software where customers can perform any combination of transactions they want. For a restaruant POS system, a kiosk software may come in package and those that do not, allows adding a kiosk with no separate software required. Kiosk software can be used to cut down on labor costs and speed up the ordering process. It can even enhance customer’s user experience enabling a whole new level of profitability!

5. Paging Customer Cell Phones. Some restaurants are choosing to take the more modern approach by paging customers’ personal cell phones. You can have your host or hostest take the customer’s cell phone number and place it into their cell phone paging device. When the table is ready, the paging system calls the cell phone with an automated voice message to notify the guest to approach and report to the front of the restaurant to be seated. This may be convenient way for guests who want to roam around farther than conventional pagers will allow and you won’t fear of the customer walking away with your pager.

The tips I gave you above are just the tip of the iceberg when is comes to knowing your restaurant POS equipment. Better watch out for more…

Michael Tash is Vice President of Customer Relations at POS-for-Restaurants.com — helping you use your technology to be more efficient and more profitable with over 20 years of its restaurant experience.

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