Choosing the right point of sale (POS) system for your restaurant, from hardware to software and all of the possible integrations, it can be hard to know where to start. So, let’s review some of the key POS equipment to keep in mind depending on your restaurant type.

But first, let’s cover some of the basics.  Here is the POS equipment buyer’s guide for seven specific types of restaurants.

Many restaurant Point Of Sale systems have different POS hardware solutions to choose from. This often includes different terminal sizes, tablet types, and more. When your restaurant has so many moving parts, it’s important to make the right choice on POS equipment so you start off on the right foot, regardless if you’re opening a new restaurant, or simply upgrading your current restaurant technology.

POS software, on the other hand, is the technology that runs the hardware. This decision can be just as important, if not more, than the hardware you choose as this will impact things like banking, processing fees, accounting, tax reporting, employee time management and other key aspects of running your business.

Every restaurant type will require a cash drawer, a receipt printer and a router to run the wifi connection. But how do you choose the specific POS equipment that is both commercial-grade and appropriate for your restaurant type?

Here’s a quick guide on the necessary POS equipment to consider for each of the seven specific types of restaurants.

1. A fine dining, full service restaurant

A full-service restaurant is likely the most involved setup, with a hostess station, dining room, kitchen, and sometimes bar. Here are our recommendations for POS equipment for this restaurant concept.

Touchscreen terminal:  A touchscreen terminal is a must. Choosing touchscreen hardware that includes table management capabilities will help your hosts seat guests effectively and your servers send food to the kitchen quickly.

Mobile POS tablets:  Handheld tablets enable your servers to fire orders instantly to the kitchen and allow for tableside payments. They deliver a great guest experience and have been found to improve table turn times. With a mobile POS tablet, the table’s drink order is sent to the bar before the server even walks away.

Kitchen display system (KDS):  A KDS allows you to route orders to specific screens in the kitchen, run reports on kitchen efficiency, track ticket times, and completely customize your kitchen layout with a wall-mounted kitchen display screens. Plus, you can highlight modifiers so they easily stand out, ensuring that there are no mixups when it comes to dietary restrictions or special requests.  These can be integrated with an impact printer that prints the receipts on a 2 ply carbonless roll, so the customer will have a copy for his expense account.

2. A quick-service, fast casual restaurant

Fast casual restaurants require POS equipment that is, well, fast! The slower the terminal, the more time and money is wasted at the counter. Here are a few creative options for POS equipment that help improve your throughput.

Touchscreen terminal with a guest-facing display:  The touchscreen terminal is your key to success at the counter. It must be clear, simple and easy to use.  There should be a maximum of three taps to send an order, keeping lines short and guests happy. A guest-facing screen allows the customer to see their order in real time to confirm its accuracy.  A thermal printer will provide the fast, clear receipts that the customers prefer.

Mobile POS Tablets:  These  handheld POS tablets are a lifesaver when your line of customers is out the door. These devices will make line busting a breeze. Simply send a cashier to the end of the line with a tablet and have them fire orders directly to the kitchen from there, ensuring that everyone is served quickly. Then more guests are likely to approach your restaurant, if there isn’t an intimidating line.

3. Restaurant kiosks

With restaurant kiosks, guests don’t even have to speak to anyone to place their order. Using a touchscreen kiosk, a guest can take their time and select every modifier their heart desires, without spending any time standing at the counter. Some kiosks allow you to incorporate add-ons and add upsell prompts as the guests order, to increase the potential check size. .  A thermal printer will provide the fast, clear receipts that the customers prefer.

If the labor shortage is impacting your restaurant, kiosks are a great way to free up your staff to take care of other duties.

4. Pizza shop

Similar to fast casual restaurants, pizzerias require POS equipment that is speedy and easy to use. Here are our recommendations:

Touchscreen terminal with software integrations:  Much like the fast casual restaurants, pizzerias require touchscreen terminals to be able to fire orders quickly, in as few taps as possible. A great software feature for pizzerias is having a direct integration with your third-party ordering systems, such as Doordash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats. Choosing POS hardware and software that helps streamline your on-premises and off-premises orders will make a huge difference for your pizza shop’s bottom line.

Kitchen display system (KDS):  Kitchen display screens that integrate with your online ordering system are extremely helpful for pizzerias. You can track ticket times and focus on the pizzas that need to be in the brick oven now. Gone are the days of fumbling with printed chits, a Kitchen display screen keeps your cooks’ hands on the food rather than on paper tickets.

Mobile POS Tablets:  If your pizza shop offers table service, a handheld POS device will help your servers send orders to the kitchen with ease. Rather than writing down an order and walking it to a terminal, orders are fired right from the palm of the server’s hand. Plus, many POS tablets even allow for payments to be made right at the table. .  A thermal printer will provide the fast, clear receipts that the customers prefer.

5. Bar or nightclub

While the entire operation is centered around the bar, many bars and nightclubs have kitchens as well. In order to optimize for bar service, table service, and even bottle service, here are a few recommendations for the best POS equipment:

Touchscreen terminal:  A POS system that can be customized to your bar’s requirements is the key to success. When choosing a touch screen terminal, make sure you can quickly edit which beers are on tap, what color they appear as, and where they appear on the screen for fast ordering. Some POS software even allows you to add recipes to items, a key differentiator when it comes to training new bartenders and servers.

Mobile POS tablets:  Encouraging bottle service? Want a less crowded bar? Enable your servers with handheld tablets so they can approach people at a table and take the order for their drinks.  The order goes to the bar before the server leaves the table and then it is picked up at the bar quickly and easily.  These can be integrated with an impact printer that prints the receipts on a 2 ply carbonless roll, so the customer will have a copy for his expense account.

Kitchen display system (KDS):  Many bars serve food as well, but don’t think as much about their kitchen layout. Eliminate bottlenecks by connecting your front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH). A Kitchen display system allows your servers to automatically route orders to the right station and can send notifications to the handheld POS device when the food is ready.

6. Cafe or bakery

A cafe or bakery is the restaurant type that most closely resembles retail. However, POS equipment for cafes and bakeries can be a little more specialized. Here are our recommendations:

Touchscreen terminal with guest-facing display:  Not only do cafe terminals need to be fast, but they also need to be durable. In an environment where coffee is being served at speed, spills are inevitable. It’s important to find POS hardware that is durable and restaurant-grade. Android terminals are more durable, reliable, and cost-effective than iPads, so keep that in mind when researching POS equipment. A guest-facing screen allows the customer to see their order in real time to confirm its accuracy (especially when it comes to those detailed lattes!)  It will keep the lines short and the customers happy.  A thermal printer will provide the fast, clear receipts that the customers prefer.

Integrated loyalty programs:  If your café, bakery or coffee shop has a lot of repeat guests, an integrated loyalty program will help you take advantage of that customer data while delivering a great experience for return visitors. Being able to offer incentives for repeat purchases or total spend will reward customers, while helping you identify who are your top customers.

Contactless ordering:  Most cafes and bakeries are counter-service only. But one great way to complement your POS technology is to introduce contactless ordering via QR code at the table. These QR codes are directly connected to your online ordering menu and allow guests to place a full order, or just an additional item at the end of a meal, without having to come to the counter.

7. Food truck

Food trucks tend to have the most challenging setup for POS equipment. Space is limited, but with a proper wifi connection, a few Point Of Sale hardware pieces can go a long way.

Touchscreen terminal:  With a food truck, it’s important to look for a small terminal (some come in 10?, 15?, and 22? sizes) that is bundled with a built-in card reader, a receipt printer, 4/5 port switch, and a cash drawer, so everything you need to take orders and payments is in one place. There’s no room for backup equipment on a food truck, so be sure to go with a POS platform that is cloud-based.

Mobile POS tablets:  Want to ditch the touchscreen terminal altogether? Go with handheld POS devices instead. Food trucks can be notorious for long lines. What if you could use one handheld device on the truck while a cashier walked through the line with a mobile POS tablet to take orders as well?  Plus, mobile POS tablets are tiny and perfect for a food truck environment.

Kitchen display system (KDS):  You may say, “I don’t have room on my truck for a screen,” but a Kitchen display system can be a game changer if you’re operating in a warm climate where you often have the windows down. Why? Well, printed tickets and the wind don’t exactly mix well!  With a Kitchen display system you will go paperless on the truck and you’ll never have to worry about losing an order.

Conclusion

Regardless of your restaurant type, it’s important to choose a POS platform that can grow with your business.  Now that you know which POS equipment to look for, it’s important to find a POS system that offers each of these hardware and software options. It is vital to go with a platform that is built for your restaurant. Some retail-based POS platforms aren’t built with restaurants primarily in mind. Be sure to compare POS platforms and providers to find the best fit for your business.