Petur Sigurdsson | 11 January 2017

7 reasons why you need mobile POS in your restaurant

02 Restaurants & Food Service Blog

Mobile POS and mobile payments have become huge in the past few years; they will be even bigger in the future, experts predict. Analysts at 451 Research expect the number of installed mPOS to grow globally from 13.3 million units in 2016 to a whopping 54 million units by 2019. Other analyst firms are even more optimistic. Although the growth has been more aggressive in retail stores than restaurants, the hospitality sector is quickly catching up. And rightly so: mPOS are a good investment. On the one hand, customers are vigorously demanding mobile payments. On the other hand, mobile POS significantly improve the workflow in the restaurant, boost customer satisfaction and improve your bottom line. Restaurants deploying mobile POS are seeing a 10% increase in the average check size [Tweet this], simply due to servers being more available to the customers and providing better service. So, no time to wait: mobile POS are the future of restaurants, and that future may be closer than you think. Still need convincing? Then read on the seven great benefits a mobile POS can bring to your restaurant:

1. Improve the service level

If you run a traditional restaurant, this scene will ring familiar: a waiter approaches the family sitting at the table by the window. The waiter takes their order, then walks all the way to the counter to transfer it to the cooking staff. Maybe, while making his way there, the waiter will be stopped by another customer who wants a bottle of water, or will be called over by a group whose order is late. The waiter is still holding the order, needing to make his way to the counter before solving the other diners’ problems. Now let’s imagine the same scene – only this time the waiter is holding a mobile POS. The server takes the order at the tableside and, by punching it into the mPOS, the order is instantly sent from the table to the kitchen. The family is taken care of, and the server is now able to concentrate on the other guests’ needs. The mPOS reduces the staff’s need to run between tables and the counter, giving servers the time to provide service to customers during the meal - making the experience more personal and, ultimately, better for diners.

2. Increase table turns

Mobile POS make restaurant operations more efficient: orders are taken and sent to the kitchen more quickly, and payments are processed faster at the tableside. What this means is more table turns, which translates into a double win, for your and for the diners. You, the restaurateur, benefit from a table freed up faster, leaving space for more paying customers; at the same time, customers enjoy the prompt service.

3. Reduce errors

I have always been baffled by waiters that seem to be able to memorize an order for the whole table: all the dishes, drinks, not to mention the modifiers! At the same time, I have also experienced a lot of errors due to waiters’ excessive reliance on their memory. When your waiters carry an mPOS, they can easily take orders at the table, instantly entering them into the system as they go around the table, punching in dishes with modifiers, extras, and special requests.

4. Give accurate dish information

Can your staff competently answer question like “Does the chicken satay contain sesame? I am allergic” or “Do you still have the fish of the day?” on the spot? Or do they need to go ask in the kitchen, and then report to the diners, wasting the kitchen staff’s and the customers’ time? When your servers are equipped with mobile POS they have immediate access to all details of the menu – including real-time availability of products and ingredient information. The mPOS help you answer your diners’ questions competently on the spot, making your service quicker, more reliable, and ultimately better.

5. Allow your customers to leave when they want to

How many times have you gone to a restaurant before heading off to the theatre or cinema, and ended up missing the first minutes of the show because of slow service? How wonderful would it be if, when you are ready to leave a restaurant, you could really get to leave? We have all been there, ready to pay the check, searching for the ever-elusive waiter who just cannot be found. When using mobile POS, waiters are not stuck behind the counter entering someone else’s order. As order-taking is quicker and pointless running around is drastically reduced, waiters are readily available to pull up your check, swipe your card straight at your tableside and say: “Thank you, please come again”. Now, that’s customer service that makes you keep coming back!

6. Lower your staff cost

Labor cost can take a good chunk of your revenue. The recent discussions on minimum wage increase for restaurant workers in USA have made food service operators very aware of the need to find ways to offset increasing staff costs. Mobile POS can help. Let me tell you the story of a café that capitalized brilliantly on them. The café, which runs LS Central for restaurants, introduced tablets in their operation some time ago. They quickly realized that, by introducing mPOS, they could streamline their operation and cut costs by reducing the number of qualified waiters. Management cut the number of experienced staff members, and introduced runners (in a much lower paygrade) to bring the food from the kitchen. This system not only cut costs, but also improves customer service, as qualified waiters now are nor busy punching in orders, or taking plates to and from the kitchen; instead, they finally have the time to roam the tables, providing excellent service on the floor.

7. All in all, offer a better customer experience

Your customers want—and expect—a lot from you. They come for the food. The ambience. The staff. The experience. And they want you to take good care of them for that brief window of time they have chosen to spend with you. Mobile POS can help you deliver service that will be remembered. Welcome customers with a smile, and use the mPOS to take their orders accurately, deliver dishes quickly, and make the paying process fast and easy. Now, that is service that will keep diners coming back.

The restaurant of the future is starting today

Andrew Copeman, payments analyst at Aite Group, recently summarized the changes taking place in the hospitality industry: “The key ingredient through the rapidly evolving landscape is mobility; the ability to accept payments at the customer’s convenience and at a greater variety of locations than ever before. mPOS is moving from a niche service into the mainstream of modern commerce.” The revolution is already taking place. Do not be left behind: contact us today to find out how the LS Retail mPOS can help you improve your service, increase your revenue and satisfy more customers.

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