8 Technologies Your Restaurant Needs
Every restaurant needs automation and state-of-the-art hardware to contend with constantly-changing consumer trends and the ever-rising push for faster and more efficient service. Customers like speed, but they want accuracy and options too. They want their dietary restrictions and preferences catered to without sacrificing taste or lowering their expectations. They prefer the choice between dine-in service and takeout or deliveryespecially now, when COVID-19 has made off-premise dining the safest option around.
Restaurant technology has evolved to provide hardware that accommodates these shifting preferences while fostering customer loyalty, and business operations are now more efficient than ever before.
Point of Sale Terminals
Touchscreen and more durable than ever, Point of Sale systems aren’t just cash drawers anymore. They’re a network hub to sync all your other devices to so you can get data updates in real time and optimize your team to the best of their abilities. PoS systems, like the one powered by our team at eatOS, work hard to improve the speed and accuracy of orders, safely take all kinds of card and mobile payments, and they have an easy-to-use interface so you can train new employees without trouble. Additionally, the cash drawer syncs to the system to record all transactions accurately.
Order and Pay-at-Table
Tableside tablets connected to your network improve ordering so customers can get started on their meal more quickly, ultimately improving table turn times at the restaurant. These devices can also take contactless payments right at the table, so they safely pay at their own convenience and from their own devices. This is especially useful during COVID-19 when avoiding face-to-face contact is so imperative. Customers also don’t have to worry about theft when they hand their cards off to a third party. In addition, self-service lowers your labor costs and helps you gather more customer data so you can optimize marketing efforts.
Handheld Point of Sale
Servers don’t have to run back and forth to the Point of Sale terminal when submitting orders anymore. Send tickets immediately to the kitchen, providing more accurate service which begets happier guests.
Contactless Payment
More than a third of customers report that contactless payment options are vitally important to them now, which is no surprise given how COVID-19 has spread around the world with so much damage in its wake. Restaurant technology has evolved to provide safe and secure mobile payment options so customers can tap or swipe from their own devices, rather than risking identity theft and incorrect payments when they hand their card off to a third party. It reduces physical contact between guests and staff as well, which is beneficial for everyone.
Self-Order Kiosk
More than half of all customers now consider self-order kiosks a significant improvement to their dining experience. It’s an increasingly relevant piece of hardware for QSR and fast-casual restaurants. Kiosks are easy to use and give customers control of the ordering experience, as they review the menu with leisure and customize their ticket to their exact satisfaction. This increases average ticket sizes, especially because these Kiosks can automatically upsell based on each persons selections as well as overall trends within your restaurant. Kiosks decrease lines, lower labor costs, increase productivity and improve order volumes. They’re a must-have for every modern restaurant.
Kitchen Display System
KDS help kitchen staff do their jobs better and more efficiently. Being able to see tickets as soon as they come in, track how long orders have been in queue and cook items in bulk helps uplift the entire workplace ecosystem. KDS are also more environmentally friendly because they don’t require physical tickets, which saves you money on paper. Gone are the days of lost or damaged tickets; KDS help with organization, accuracy and faster ordering which means more satisfied customers, and that breeds loyalty.
Printers
Digital receipts are the future. Both the PoS terminal and kitchen have entered a new age of printing. Thermal receipt printers have overtaken the front of the house, providing an ink-free, faster, and quieter machine so customers don’t have to wait. Meanwhile impact printers have hit commercial kitchens, which are deliberately louder so cooks can hear them over the hustle and bustle inside.They also print in different colors so you can highlight specific items if you need.
Online Ordering
Integrating online ordering systems into your Point of Sale is perhaps the most important technological capability of 2020. Off-premise ordering is more prolific than ever thanks to the pandemic, and its keeping most restaurants afloat through all of this. When third party commission fees are too high, letting customers order directly from your website is the solution that restaurants needand with eatOS, we integrate that directly into your Point of Sale.
The restaurant industry is changing, and your hardware needs to change too just to keep up, let alone get ahead of the curve. These are eight pieces of hardware you need to get you started. Schedule a demo with eatOS today and let us show you how our cutting edge, state-of-the-art technology can bring your restaurant into the future.
