Boo! What Does A POS System Do When Spooky Disasters Strike?

The time of year is upon us again to eat, drink, and be scary! And when the witching hour falls and there are trick or treaters (read: bar hoppers) abound, you can’t simply hide in a corn maze. Luckily, the best POS wears a superhero costume all year long, and it’s ready to solve these spooky disasters, no matter how intimidating!

Here are 8 possible spooks your food and beverage spot could run into this season, and the answer to What would a POS system do? in response!

Spook 1: No Internet Connection

Oh no! Lightning has struck out your internet connection.

Just because losing your internet connection isn’t uncommon, that doesn’t make it less scary. And when you’ve got hungry mouths to feed, you must keep the party going. 

What does a POS system do when there’s no internet connection?

This solution requires no witch potion. Switching your POS system into offline mode is a simple and lasting fix—you can continue taking orders with no disruptions to service. Once power is restored and you’re back online, all orders sync across your POS once again. 

Offline mode is helpful apart from storms, too! If your team is working with a pop-up bar on the back patio that’s far from your internet router, or traveling to a pumpkin patch event to pour beverages for thirsty parents, offline mode lets you perform business as usual without WiFi. 

That makes offline mode the ultimate problem solver: It’s there for you when disaster—literally— strikes and also helps diversify revenue streams by supporting your operations in off premise ventures. 

Spook 2: Liquid Is Disappearing Without A Trace

Is a vampire sucking your tap lines?

When you’re running a beverage-heavy business, each drop of delicious liquid matters. And if you can’t identify where every ounce of liquid is going, you’re losing money. 

What does a POS system do when you don’t know where liquid is going?

The POS solution is in ounce-level tracking. Here’s a real life use case that tasting rooms and taprooms constantly face: 

Say you own a cidery, and your new Sour Caramel Apple Cider is drawing in the costumed crowds because of your stellar advertising on social media. The liquid is steadily flowing through your tap lines, but not exactly at the rate you expected. 

Using ounce-level tracking, you’re able to identify that many guests come in to try the Sour Caramel Apple as a taster, but very few of those same guests ask for a full pint after the taste. Getting granular with your data gives you an opportunity to make the most of your new tap line without losing money on your innovative brew.

Perhaps instead, you offer Sour Caramel Apple in a smaller glass or as a flight-only option. That way, your guests can try the cider that drew them to come in, in addition to the other tasty ciders you have that may match their taste palettes a little better. 

Spook 3: Skeleton Staffing

We’ve all been here recently—there’s less staff on shift than usual!

Even though the labor shortage sounds like it could be straight out of a horror movie, it’s a very real worry for most food and beverage operators. So what can you do when you have a full dining room and are short on staff?

What does a POS system do when you need more staff on hand?

When you have guests to serve and not enough hands to do it, you can rely on contactless ordering from your POS system. Contactless technology puts ordering power in your guests’ hands, so the staff members you do have can tackle other tasks on their busy to-do lists. Now instead of tedious tasks like swiping cards, your staff can focus on the interactions where they really delight guests—like telling them about all of the local ingredients in their meals upon delivery. 

Plus, QR code menus, ordering, and payments have proven to increase tab and tip size by 24%! That increase is sure to paint happy faces on all your team members. 

Spook 4: A Cauldron Of Credit Cards

Sifting through a rolodex is messy and time consuming. 

Here’s the real monster under your entire team’s bed: Your rolodex. Not only is it a time suck to store credit cards and retrieve them later, it’s a pain for guests to have to remember to come back for them. 

What does a POS system do to keep tabs open?

Digital card on file is the way of the future, and the savviest POS systems provide this technology. Now, your team can swipe cards and hand them back immediately without having to manage a crowded box of cards. If a guest ends up forgetting to close out, you can automatically close all open tabs at the end of the night with a standard gratuity for your deserving staff. 

Plus, card on file is inherently good for business. It leaves no reason for guests not to leave their tabs open, which encourages them to build up their tab size. Plus, their card is then free to spend with other vendors on site, whether it’s a food truck on premise or at your merchandise shop. 

Spook 5: Roaming Customers Are Hard To Catch

Customers got bit by a zombie and can’t stop roaming around?

You worked hard curating the perfect space for customers and want them to have the freedom to move around enjoying it. But you also want to make some money, and mobile customers can be hard to catch!

What does a POS system do when customers are mobile?

The POS answer is to be mobile right back! The best systems consist of mobile POS devices that give your staff the same freedom to move about your space and service guests anywhere. Handheld devices make collecting orders easy, and service staff can send food and beverage orders right to the kitchen and bar while they’re still chatting at the table. This streamlined process speeds up service for guests, too!

Spook 6: Baseline Sales Are Changing

Did you find a popular menu item in the graveyard? Time to bring it back to life. 

As a smart business owner, you depend on data to inform your process and operations. It turns out that your POS reporting tools can inform your product quality, too.

What does a POS system do when a popular menu item dips in sales?

The right POS flags dips or peaks in sales through a Sales By Item Report. Should anything look off compared to your monthly or weekly baseline sales, you know there may be something different with the product itself. 

Take Three Hands Mead, for example. Cody Lenz operates a small batch meadery near Tampa, and depends on Arryved POS reports to tell him if a batch it’s quite right. “Not every batch is identical. We try to be as consistent as we can, but is there something off with a batch or has it been sitting too long and the flavors have changed?” Data that informs craft makers on product quality ensures that there’s more consistency and deliciousness to come.

Spook 7: Stunted Customer Base Growth

You want to grow your spider web of loyal fans, but you’re not sure how.

Whether you’re an established neighborhood favorite or completely new to an area, there’s always room to grow your customer base. 

What does a POS system do to grow your number of potential customers?

The best POS systems offer a myriad of ways to reach and engage more customers. Here are a couple examples:

• Loyalty program: This is a highly quantifiable way to determine growth in your customer base: offering a rewards program! Garnering a group of your biggest fans drives traffic and builds your brand name. Plus, it’s a fun way to interact with guests nearby on premise, or far away online!
• Online store: Sometimes guests love your stuff, but they have no way to get their hands on it unless they hop in a car and come to you. Selling online gives guests the opportunity to purchase merchandise and other fun stuff no matter where they are in the world, or even gift something to someone they care about. Now your web is really getting big!

Spook 8: An Unidentifiable Ghost!

Some of the spookiest stuff is the invisible. 

What if you don’t even know what the problem is? Sometimes, when you’re working with technology, understanding the problem is the first step. Then you can work to resolve it!

What does a POS system do when you don’t know what’s wrong?

With any possible disruption to service, the best POS systems let you rely on their Support Team for help. Being able to call or email a real human at any time during the week is extremely helpful when you’re running a fast paced food and beverage business. Empathetic and knowledgeable support lets you focus on your guests and trust that the experts can work on fixing problems for you in the background. 

Well, there you have it. When you have the right POS system, no problem you run into is that scary. 

The king size chocolate bar in the bowl of milk POS duds is Arryved. With all of these handy spook-proof tools and more, plus award-winning customer support, it’s no wonder that Arryved is the most trusted POS in food and beverage. 

Get a free, custom demo of the savvy system today!