7 Features of a People-First Restaurant POS System That Make All the Difference

What’s the point of any restaurant? To bring people together, of course! Well, that and to share delicious food and drinks…

To ensure that bringing people together remains at the forefront of your establishment, you need a restaurant POS system that has the same values as you do: putting people first. 

But what exactly does a people-first restaurant POS system look like? It’s software that’s user-friendly, keeps technology disruptions to a minimum, mobile and flexible when you need it to be, and able to track key metrics without disrupting your guest’s dining experience. 

Here are a few more features in a people-first restaurant POS system that can ensure bringing people together stays front and center—while your business works on keeping everything together behind the scenes.  

1. QR Code Ordering Minimizes Disruptions

Tell us if you’ve been here before: You walk up to check in on everyone and deliver the bill, only to realize that you are interrupting a very tense or tearful family moment. Maybe it’s a dinner out to remember a loved one, a pivotal conversation between a couple, or a family patriarch telling a hilarious story with everyone waiting for the punchline, and you just accidentally walked right into it, totally ruining the moment—whoops. Whatever the situation, we know how well-intended service can actually interrupt the people-first environment of your establishment. 

But with a restaurant POS system that offers QR code ordering, there are no awkward or ill-timed service interruptions, since customers have the ability to order and pay on their own time. Families or couples can settle in, get conversation flowing and order when they are ready. Or, on the flip side, if something unexpected arises—like a date that’s just not vibing—it’s easy to settle up the tab without any delay. 

QR codes can also help families who have special needs or accommodations access menus ahead of time so they can peruse options and get prepared with food and drink options that best suit their needs. People following restricted diets, for instance, or those with allergies, can easily access menus and feel comfortable knowing what to expect before they sit down. 

Plus, QR codes from restaurant POS systems can be family-friendly by getting everyone involved. Not only can parents make sure they get that appetizer pronto or replace a meal with the one their child swore they wanted but won’t actually eat, but parents can avoid wondering how many germs their toddlers are spreading after touching that menu. Bonus: there will be no surly teens lost on their phones if Grandma needs their help to bring up the menu! 

2. Mobile Devices Save Everyone Time

With a mobile POS system, guests won’t have to come to you, because you can come to them. Mobile devices allow staff to help guests anywhere they are, allowing your customers’ experience together to remain the focal point—not hunting down where they need to pay. Mobile restaurant POS systems also allow your establishment to take experiences off-site and experiment with things like dining al fresco (to avoid running back into the restaurant to punch in the order, only to get distracted by a table that needs you as you walk by, and you forget to actually push the order through) or offering catering and pop-up dining options. 

For example, Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, a New York brewpub, is a great example of how a mobile POS system can expand business, both literally and figuratively. After implementing a mobile POS system through Arryved, they were able to increase sales and business by adding a backyard beer garden, a pizza oven to boost their food-heavy sales, and floating servers. 

Some establishments have found that mobile restaurant POS systems have allowed them to continue guest flow in times of high influx, like the dinner rush. If you have a huge line of guests waiting, mobile devices can help alleviate the stress and “triage” people who are waiting. Simply supply them with the option to order ahead, get a drink, or peruse menus on their phones while they wait. 

Mobile restaurant POS systems can also save time for both staff and guests, because staff can complete sales right at the guest’s location, instead of running back to the bar or payment machine, which helps free up everyone for more of the good stuff: dessert, of course.  

3. Digital Loyalty Program Builds Community

Everyone loves a good rewards program and they have no obvious drawbacks: It helps build customer retention with the promise of saving money, it makes guests feel a sense of belonging and community in a place that is definitely “theirs,” and from an establishment’s perspective, it helps with things like learning your guests’ favorite items and bringing in business. 

At first glance, you just can’t lose with a loyalty program, but some can have one clear drawback: Without a digital component, a loyalty program is only as good as a punch card in hand. And we all know what happens with physical punch cards: they got lost and forgotten. You don’t want to give your guests the experience of having to remember to display their punch card, remember it immediately after the sale has been completed, or try to convince staff that they most definitely had a full coupon completed so they should just go ahead and get the discount, thanks. 

So while physical punch cards are always a fun thing to lose in your wallet, digital loyalty programs from restaurant POS systems can help ensure your guests are actually cashing in on those rewards and streamline the entire process for both guests and staff. Guests get the relief of not having to remember to bring or display anything physical and staff get the digital back-up to know exactly what the guest’s rewards are (or are not.)

A restaurant POS system with a built-in loyalty program can bring major benefits to your establishment by building community among guests, rewarding guests with discounts, and providing you the opportunity to give exclusive gifts or offers with the touch of a button. Your guests are special to you and a restaurant POS system that recognizes that helps ensure your guests feel special too. 

4. Reporting Metrics (So You Don’t Have To)

You have a job to do, but when your job is bringing people together, your restaurant POS system should support you, not the other way around. Built-in reporting allows you to check in on accurate performance metrics and track necessary numbers, while you continue to focus on your customers. 

For instance, Katie Nierling, General Manager of Ska Street Brewstillery, finds the remote access that her team has through Arryved to be the most helpful, as it can give staff the ability to make real-time changes and update things like item availability and inventory and push menu items as needed. 

Instead of being stuck in a back office crunching numbers or compiling reports, your restaurant POS system can do the boring work while you get back out to supporting staff and serving guests. You do your job and you can let your POS do its job. 

5. Easy-to-Use Staff-Facing Interface to Keep Smiles Going

Any restaurant POS system that leads to staff face-down in technology is a restaurant POS system that is people-first in name only. Sure, technology can save time and do the job of many people in seconds, but it can also run the risk of interrupting human-to-human connection, which is a vital part of  a positive guest experience. We like to think that we’re all happier buried in a screen, but the truth is, humans will always value connection, so any guest in your establishment will want to feel like they are getting service from a person, not a piece of technology. 

A guest-centric interface is straightforward for staff to use, making their job easier, reducing wait times for guests, and freeing everyone up to focus on conversation and a fun time out—instead of getting frustrated by a device that demands more of their attention than the people in front of them. 

Think about it this way: How do you want guests to be greeted when they walk into your restaurant? With a smile from your staff or a head down facing a tablet as they frantically search for an open table and panic when the interface freezes up (again)? 

6. Unlimited, Free Customer Support, Because You Matter Too

While a user-friendly interface is necessary for creating a customer-centric experience, technology is still technology and there will be times your staff need help. And that’s okay! Just be sure to choose a restaurant POS system that offers actual human support—it can make all the difference in an industry notorious for robot customer service. Because after all, if you’re creating a people-first environment, you should expect the same for your business needs too. 

7. Offline Mode That Won’t Stop Service Flow

No WiFi? No problem. A restaurant POS system that lets staff continue taking orders and serving customers regardless of WiFi connection is a vital way to keep service seamless, even if your internet service is not-so-seamless. It’s a problem you may not consider until you encounter it, but trust us when we say you’ll be glad it’s there the moment you first realize your WiFi is down. In fact, as any restaurant owner or manager can attest to, when the WiFi goes down, you might just find that guest demands rise, because as it turns out, they may just want to linger a little longer and have one more drink or dessert without their own WiFi to turn to for distraction. Who knew, right? 

As an added bonus, offline mode allows you to keep your people-first model even when you’re not on-site at your restaurant. So if you’re serving pop-up or working another event, you can continue putting people first and worry about WiFi later. (Side note: once connection is restored, offline data transactions will be restored too.)

The bottom line is that when your business is serving people, you need a restaurant POS system that understands that. So if you’re looking for a restaurant POS system that is focused on people first—which, after all, is the most important part of the job—be sure to check out how Arryved POS offers all of these features and more in a free, custom demo.