Mobile POS technology is one of the hottest trends being served up in restaurants today and is replacing the traditional pen and paper order pad. Using an Android tablet or iPad, servers are able to easily answer customer questions, take their order and process payments right at the table. The order is sent wirelessly in a secured transaction directly to the kitchen and bar. Thus, ending the back and forth habit of checking on an order status. This not only improves efficiency, it helps reduce input errors and speeds up the food preparation and delivery process allowing servers to spend more time serving patrons better.
According to a recent POS Software Trends Report from Hospitality Technology, “More operators are looking to develop and/or deploy mobile POS than last year, 37% compared to 28%.” Mobile POS technology was also selected as the number one driver influencing POS upgrades in 2018.
In addition, over half of patrons surveyed in a Customer Engagement Study noted that mobile pay would be a factor when choosing a restaurant. With a mobile point-of-sale solution, servers can take the customer’s preferred form of payment right at the table. The smart technology built into the software automatically calculates the tab when split with multiple forms of payment from multiple patrons even if they are not sitting at the same table. This flexibility is one of the features that diners like the most. Try doing that error-free with a pen, paper and calculator!
Another pro of a mobile POS is when a customer has a question about an ingredient, servers can look it up right on their tablet without having to go to the kitchen to ask the chef. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that an estimated 15 million people have food-related allergies resulting in over 300,000 emergency room visits annually. The mobile POS enables servers to better help accommodate patrons by entering food allergies, ingredient substitutions and other customer preferences directly into the mobile POS, thus eliminating confusion with kitchen staff.
Mobile POS technology works just as well in both full service and quick service restaurants with one or more servers. Integrating mobile is a great up-selling tool that can help increase the average check size. Custom prompts can also be programmed into the technology to remind servers of specials, complementary menu items and enroll patrons in a loyalty program. The future of mobile POS technology is already here and it’s helping servers serve patrons better.
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