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Buyer's Guides - PoS Systems for Restaurants
Some buyer's guides which recommend PoS systems based on restaurant size and needs include guides from GetApp, Software Advice, Capterra, Toast, TouchBistro, Tech.Co, and Oracle. A white paper on the topic of choosing POS systems was also published by QSR Magazine.
1.) SOFTWARE ADVICE RESTAURANT POS SYSTEMS BUYER'S GUIDE
- This is a buyer’s guide with an option to choose products depending on your needs. Products may be filtered by type of store, size, price, and rating.
- The Software Advice Buyer's Guide highlights the following insights regarding choosing POS systems:
- 1.) POS software choice should be based on business size.
- 2.) Top-requested POS features and recommended POS software functionality, such as spoilage reporting for all restaurants and a reservation system for all formal sit-down restaurants should be a consideration in choosing POS systems.
- 3.) The typical budget for a POS system and the pros and cons of cloud-based and on-premise POS software should also be considered in choosing POS systems.
2.) CAPTERRA RESTAURANT POS SYSTEMS BUYER'S GUIDE
- This is a buyer’s guide which also features an option to choose POS systems based on pricing options, popular features, number of users, and deployment. A filter system on this guide makes it easy for restaurant owners to choose a POS system based on their needs.
- The Capterra Buyer's Guide highlights the following insights regarding choosing POS systems:
- 1.) Owners should consider the big picture especially if there is a plan to scale to become a chain of restaurants.
- 2.) The ease of use should be a priority in choosing a POS system.
- 3.) The use of wearable technology is recommended for seamless purchases and the use of self-service kiosks to cut down on labor and misheard orders.
3.) TOAST EQUIPMENT BUYER'S GUIDE FOR 6 DIFFERENT RESTAURANT TYPES
- This is an equipment buying guide that features choices that depend on the different types of restaurant such as full service/fine dining, fast casual, pizzeria, bar, cafe/bakery, and food truck. The guide is divided into sections according to the different types of restaurants for ease of reading.
- The Toast Equipment Buyer's Guide highlights the following insights regarding choosing POS systems:
- 1.) A touch screen cash register is recommended for all types of restaurants.
- 2.) A scale and pole display is recommended for cafes and bakeries and caller ID hardware for pizzerias.
- 3.) A kitchen display system is also needed for fine dining restaurants and bars.
4.) TOUCH BISTRO'S BUYER'S GUIDE
- This is a buyer’s guide that aims to help business owners decide whether to upgrade their equipment or not. It also aims to help owners reduce cost, increase revenue and profitability, improve customer satisfaction, reduce food order placement time, and improve staff productivity.
- The Touch Bistro Buyer's Guide highlights the following insights regarding choosing POS systems:
- 1.) POS systems should have performance reporting capabilities (e.g. "Alert me when voids are greater than 10% of sales").
- 2.) POS systems should be easy to use and the interface is interactive and intuitive.
- 3.) POS systems should be customizable, flexible, and has ordering and payment capabilities.
5.) TECH.CO BUYER'S GUIDE
- This guide features a side-by-side comparison of the top restaurant POS systems. It compares each system depending on its price, hardware, key features, and on what type of restaurant it is best for.
- The Tech.Co Buyer's Guide recommends the following POS systems:
- 1.) TouchBistro is the best all-around POS for restaurants for its versatile interface and strong inventory and staff management options.
- 2.) Square as the second-best for its ease-of-use, full-packed features, and reasonable support team.
- 3.) Lightspeed Restaurant as the third best for being the best in third-party integration. Third-party apps such as loyalty programs and employee scheduling can easily be integrated onto this POS system.
6.) QSR MAGAZINE'S WHITE PAPER ON CHOOSING POS SYSTEMS
- This is a white paper that highlights the 9 most important considerations an owner should consider in choosing a POS system. These considerations are: 1) ease of use, 2) cost and value, 3) fast customer checkout, 4) reporting capabilities, 5) uninterrupted service, 6) customization, 7) data security, 8) ability to scale and 9) customer support.
- QSR Magazine's white paper highlights the following insights regarding choosing POS systems:
- 1.) Ease-of-use should be the most important consideration in choosing a POS system. They recommend POS systems that have an intuitive interface, require simple employee training, feature a mild learning curve and pre-configured hardware.
- 2.) The next consideration should be the cost and value. Investment in a POS system should result in a strong ROI, outweigh the cost of business, as well as be customizable depending on the exact needs of the business and have the option to scale.
- 3.) The third most important consideration should be that the POS system should feature fast customer checkout. Fast order processing, hybrid architecture for uninterrupted service, customer-facing display, and a touchscreen interface are features that should be checked when choosing a POS system.
7.) GETAPP BUYER'S GUIDE
- This is a buyer’s guide similar to the buyer's guides of Software Advice and Capterra. In this buyer's guide, POS systems can be filtered based on pricing models, devices supported, organization types, geographies served, and the third party apps it is integrated with.
- The GetApp Buyer's Guide recommends the following POS systems:
- 1.) Square Point of Sale for its value for money and support for all types of devices.
- 2.) Cake for quick and full-service restaurants due to its simplicity and low cost.
- 3.) TouchBistro as their Best POS System for 3 years, citing its iPad POS system as its winning feature.
8.) ORACLE'S DECISION GUIDE TO RESTAURANT MANAGEMENT AND POS SYSTEMS
- This is a complete guide and the most comprehensive guide in this list. Not only does it recommend choices for buyers, but it also aims to help restaurant owners figure out their POS needs.
- Oracle's Decision Guide highlights the following insights regarding choosing POS systems:
- 1.) Operational efficiencies should be the primary consideration in choosing POS systems.
- 2.) Mobility and advanced features and functionalities should also be important factors in choosing POS systems as research has shown that 78% of restaurant operators cite POS mobility as their top reason for upgrading POS systems.
- 3.) Customization, flexibility, and usability are other important factors in choosing POS systems.
Research Strategy:
We were able to compile a list of buyer's guides for restaurant POS systems by searching through websites such as GetApp, Software Advice, Capterra, and Tech.Co. These guides feature filters that help restaurant owners choose POS systems based on the size of their restaurants and their needs. We were also able to find comprehensive buyer's guides from top companies that sell their own POS systems such as TouchBistro and Toast. Seeing as these guides do not contain any explicit biases and they utilized relevant statistics and hard data, we have opted to include these guides in this research. We have also included the white paper published by QSR magazine on the topic of choosing a POS system for restaurants and Oracle's Smart Decision Guide on restaurant management and POS systems.