Eco-Friendly Features of the Best POS System for Bars and Restaurants
We all know going green is the right thing to do, and as a business owner it’s your duty to do what you can to run things in an eco-friendly manner. The best POS system for bars and restaurants is a great tool for doing just that!
We all know going green is the right thing to do, and as a business owner it’s your duty to do what you can to run things in an eco-friendly manner. The best POS system for bars and restaurants is a great tool for doing just that!
Reducing the amount of materials you use, utilizing reusable materials when you can, and recycling are all methods that businesses can reduce their carbon footprints, keep the environment clean, and keep animals safe. Your customers care that you do this, and are more likely to do business with you because of it. In fact, 8 in 10 consumers reported that they are willing to pay more for a “green” dining experience.
With a trusty POS system in your pocket and customers demanding it, implementing eco-friendly initiatives is a no-brainer! Here are some ways that the best POS system for bars and restaurants support those efforts.
Save Paper
Efficient communication is essential in a successful business. To do so doesn’t require paper with the best POS system for bars and restaurants!
Digital Menus
The pandemic made paper menus a thing of the past, replacing them instead with QR code menus, ordering, and payments. If your business is going green, that’s all the more reason to say goodbye to printed menus.
The best POS system for bars and restaurants use QR coded menus for a multitude of reasons:
- Save paper: Going green? Check!
- Easy to edit: If you’re out of something, it’s simple to nix it from a digital menu instantly. That way, no one orders something that’s no longer in stock and servers won’t have to deliver the disappointing news.
- Save money: Paper and ink aren’t cheap, after all!
- Promotional opportunities: Digital menus let you highlight specials, showcase popular picks, and add drool-worthy photos to influence customer conversion rates.
- Germ-free: It’s safe to say we’re all a little more conscious of the things we touch prior to eating and drinking these days!
Clearly, digital menus satisfy staff, guests, and your bottom line!
Synced Devices
The best mobile POS systems sync all tabs across all devices in real time because they’re cloud-based. This not only streamlines communication between staff members, it also eliminates the need for paper tickets which reduces your carbon footprint!
In traditional bar and restaurant settings, a server starts a tab on an order pad, and delivers it to the kitchen or bar so those staff members can begin making the ordered items. Smart mobile POS systems make it so that as soon as the server enters items onto a digital tab, the devices for the chefs and bartenders are instantly updated. In restaurants that use kitchen display systems, the tabs sync here as well. Talk about saving time and paper!
Durable Hardware
Not only does the best POS system for bars and restaurants sync devices to streamline communication, it also ensures the devices themselves are eco-friendly. Hardware is considered green by the following two features.
Long-Lasting & Durable
In order to reduce the amount of materials your bar or restaurant is using, the hardware you choose or that’s provided to you via your POS provider needs to last a long time. This means it’s durable—dropping a device and spilling or splashing on it are givens at your type of business.
The device type itself can also determine durability. For example, Android devices are proven to last longer than iOS devices. Android POS devices last multiple years without needing a replacement, so you not only save money, you also save the environment by not requiring frequent replacements.
Recyclable
Though some devices are extremely durable, everything has an expiration date. When you think of recycling, you may only think of paper and cans, but hardware is also recyclable!
In order not to fill landfills with broken hardware, the best POS system for bars and restaurants encourages you to send back broken or old hardware so they can recycle it properly.
No Wasted Ingredients
Another part of ensuring your business is eco-friendly is making sure that you’re not wasting precious perishables.
Advanced Reporting Tools
Good reporting is a top priority for the best POS system for bars and restaurants. Part of good reporting has to do with the information sync that cloud-based POS systems allow for. Not only do tabs sync across devices, so do sales, inventory counts, and more.
Cloud-based POS systems also let you access your sales dashboard from anywhere in the world. Real-time updates on sales are extremely important when you need to make smart forecasting decisions, especially at the drop of a hat. Forecasting tracks how much of something you’ve sold and estimates how much of it you’ll sell in the future.
And accurate forecasting makes for eco-friendly inventory management. Being precise with what ingredients you need and when means that you save money in addition to avoiding the possibility of wasted food.
Plus, the best POS system for bars and restaurants fully integrates with your inventory management. That means all transactions, whether in-person or online, are automatically synced with your POS system and your inventory management system, which is vital to keeping inventory counts accurate and organized. That saves time, and it also saves energy in a warehouse where a massive amount of electricity is used to power the place. Automating inventory management digitally keeps those lights off, bills low, and the environment thriving.
Sourcing Ingredients Sustainably
One of my favorite examples of sourcing ingredients sustainably is Seattle Cider Company. Apples are a-plenty in the rainy state of Washington, but Seattle Cider Co. partners with a nonprofit organization called City Fruit to source the fruit for their delicious ciders. City Fruit picks apples, figs, and other fruit from backyards and local orchards in shared community spaces, and donates the goods to local food banks and nonprofits. The “ugly” fruit that can’t be donated was previously being wasted, but Seattle Cider now presses that fruit for their beverages. (If you’re interested in learning more about Seattle Cider Co. and other breweries making a difference in their communities, check out the Creative Ways to Give Back webinar!)
This is such a great example because not only is Seattle Cider using perfectly good ingredients that would otherwise get wasted, they’re also sourcing locally. Using local ingredients reduces the amount of distance that ingredients must travel before they get to you, which obviously reduces the amount of gas and other resources that harm the environment.
Sourcing locally also means that you’re utilizing what’s in-season, which is a much more eco-friendly approach. When you order out of season ingredients, delivery trucks travel further to get to you, and they use harmful chemicals to develop produce out of its natural season.
Eco-Friendly Containers
The pandemic made a new habit out of customers that want to enjoy their favorite goods from the comfort of their couches: online ordering! Businesses are increasingly optimizing their online storefronts with the help of the best POS system for bars and restaurants, and offering new ways to consume their products. This means to-go and delivery!
And while this is a great way to diversify your revenue streams and offer utmost convenience for guests, it also inherently leads to a lot of waste. You’re not serving on washable plates and glasses anymore!
But there is an eco-friendly way to maneuver to-go packaging. Your best bet is to go for biodegradable, compostable packages, and avoid styrofoam and plastic at all costs.
We get it—to-go is a big money maker for hospitality right now! There’s no need to compromise a profitable sales channel, but it’s worthwhile to do your research and find a green packaging solution.
Remember, your guests notice bars and restaurants investing in this, and it’s reflected in where they choose to do business! Which brings us to…
Get Customers Involved
Because being green is an increasingly important aspect for where consumers spend their money, they’re eager and willing to be a part of the process with you!
Incentivize With Rewards
If you’re fulfilling to-go orders with cans, growlers, or other reusable packaging, it’s worthwhile to ask customers to return it when they’re done so you can ensure it all gets recycled appropriately. You could offer discounts on growler refills or the next 6-pack, or even induction into your loyalty program! The best POS system for bars and restaurants is able to track this information easily and tie it to a customer ID, so all you have to do is collect the recyclables themselves!
Advocate
Another way to encourage customer involvement is by throwing your bar or restaurant behind a notably green organization. The best POS system for bars and restaurants offers tools such as a Donation Feature at checkout, which is a great way to proclaim your business’s dedication to eco-friendly practices, and also raise awareness and money for an organization doing good things for our planet.
Paint Your Face Green
Theoretically, of course. If your bar or restaurant is implementing eco-friendly practices, you should be shouting it from the rooftops. Again, customers definitely care about it, and perhaps it’ll encourage your competitors to rethink their styrofoam packaging. Win, win!
Social media is always a great avenue to utilize when you’re trying to engage guests and catch their attention. Email marketing tools supported by the best POS system for bars and restaurants would also come in handy here. You could showcase the environmental nonprofit your Donation Feature is benefitting for the month, or share the reasons why your cocktail straws are no longer plastic.
There’s no such thing as overcommunicating with your adoring fans, and leaning on your POS system can streamline those efforts!