How Does a POS System Help a Bar?
- Written by: NewsServices.com
If you’re a bar operator and are considering whether or not to purchase bar POS systems, one of the big things you’ll be thinking about is how (if at all) such a system would benefit your establishment. They can represent a significant cash investment, with ongoing capital costs for post-sales service, maintenance and more. All of that is true, but they do also bring a considerable slew of benefits:
1. Speeds Up Service
If you ever thought that “slow and steady wins the race” and that it’s better for your bar staff to be working slowly but correctly rather than in some slapdash way, then you’re likely in the wrong line of work. OK, sure, you don’t want them to be slapdash, but you do want them to be fast. A POS system in the bar is the key to achieving that perfect balance of fast and accurate.
POS systems can be used first for servers to take orders from tables and have tickets sent straight to the bar for processing. If bartenders are working effectively as a team, the drinks can be ready within a mere minute or two of receiving the ticket, allowing the server to take a couple more orders before swinging around to pick up the first order. It also speeds up payments, allowing platforms like Apple Pay where people just swipe and go.
2. Monitors Inventory
Another key benefit of the POS system is how it helps you to monitor exactly how much of your inventory is moving and how much of it might be moving illicitly. For example, POS systems can be connected with additional features and programs that can tell you if alcohol has gone without being paid for.
Bartenders don’t have to take cash from a register in order to steal from you. They could be overpouring for their friends or “preferred” customers, giving away free shots, or worse. A well-placed POS system will help you keep track of every single drop of product you have in the place.
3. Easier to Update Menu Items
If you run your system entirely through a digital POS platform, then it becomes much easier to update and change menu items. Traditionally, you’d have to rely on blackboard specials for new items, or the prospect of reprinting your entire menu just to get a handful of new things neatly integrated in there.
The POS gives you total control, moving drinks on and off the menu whenever you want to suit your needs. You can also update prices, launch special offers and more, and all without any new printing or design being done. New items can be inserted into your customised pre-built and pre-designed digital ecosystem.
4. Reduces Staff Mistakes
Another problem the POS system solves is disputes with customers and between staff members over tickets. When everything works through a central POS system, the tickets all come through with standard printed text that’s easy to read and in a format everyone recognises. If tickets are misread, or a customer claims that they’ve received the wrong drink, responsibility can be quickly allocated and the situation rectified without fuss.
5. Can Be Tailored to Suit Your Individual Bar Needs
Finally, your POS system can be tailored to suit the style of your bar. For instance, if you offer table service, you can install systems where customers scan a QR code and log into an online platform to order their drinks through their own smartphone. Servers can then just bring the drinks over when they’re ready and check on customers to make sure they’re ok. Further requests can all be done by the customer through the system.
Alternatively, if you run an establishment centred around a bar where people order from bartenders directly, then a POS system helps the staff enter drinks orders and calculate totals much faster. It also helps managers see who are the most efficient staff by who is processing the most orders during a busy shift.
