The basic POS systems you may see on restaurants and fast food chains are touch screen monitors, programmable keyboards, or scanners and handheld devices. Cash registers (with or without a built-in cash drawer), printers can be dot matrix or thermal, programmable keyboards can have covers for spill protection and scanners can be a CCD scanner or an autosending laser scanner.
Touch screen technology: Many retail business owners find touch screen monitors as more intuitive to use than keyboards, as it can reduce mistypes and can easily cancel inputted orders within a second, and because it provides flexible user interfaces and programming. Touch screens also uses less electricity and much easier to position on the counter table, but they can be more prone to breakdowns.
Handheld devices: Restaurant PDAs are handheld devices, commonly wireless, that transmits data back to its base station. You can use the newer version, which is the write-on handhelds that allows you to write information such as the orders and sends them directly to the kitchen! This type of device perfectly fit when up-selling customers of desserts or drinks. Your employee can either roam their tables or take orders from customers waiting in line.
POS keyboards: Most grocery stores prefer to use this type of POS systems, since they can program individual keys for specific item codes and prices. A standard keyboard consists of 101-key, like with any computer. Others are small and flat, which are common in fast food chains. POS keyboards often has a built-in magnetic stripe readers for processing credit cards.
Scanners: This restaurant hardware reads bar codes and converts it before inputting it’s information to a POS system computer. This device fastens transactions and provide accurate data on products or services being purchased by a customer. It typically connects through Y-connectors (or wedges) that make them function as an extension of the keyboard.
Volume of customers: For diffent types of volume of customers, using a scanner could be very helpful. If the line has several customers, then its good to use a CCD scanner or entry-level laser scanner. If the line is loaded with customers, then autosensing laser scanners is the perfect choice. It’s a type of laser scanner that automatically turns on when you place an item in front of it, easily scan the barcode, and then turn off again. But if the counter line is overflowing with customers, an omnidirectional scanner would be the right scanner to use, where it can scan a bar code from any angle with its 15 or 20 lasers simultaneously!
Additional POS hardware to consider
POS Cash Drawers: Used to store cash, checks, gift certificates and other important papers. When buying a cash drawer, look for a sturdy construction of at least 18-gauge steel, don’t just buy one because your local POS supplier tells you that it’s the best or simply because it looks fancy. Go for the most reliable cash drawer since the usable life of cash drawers are measured, you also have to make surer that you can replace rollers, bearings, and other parts. Most cash drawers opens only when a signal from the printer is released.
Point of Sale printers: Every retail store owner has them, every POS system needs one of course! A POS printer is needed for printing a receipt and creating credit card slips. The dot matrix printers, also known as impact printers, are inexpensive and uses ink ribbon to print on regular paper. While thermal printers use heat and special heat-sensitive paper to generate receipts. It is slightly expensive than a dot matrix printer because it’s faster and quieter when printing receipts. They are also more reliable because they have less moving parts.
POS Customer display: A customer display or pole display lets your customers know the price of the item they’re purchasing and some support advertising. You also have to make sure that your customer display has the right height and width to perfectly fit in to your counter table, as well as it’s compatibility with your POS software.
The Check readers: Advisable for restaurants, fast food chains, hotels, casinos, and convenient stores. The check reader prevents fraud by verifying essential account information. By this, you are assure that every check in your cash drawer is authentic.
Magnetic stripe readers (also known as magstripe reader): This piece of restaurant hardware is used to read credit cards. You may find some keyboards and touch screens has a built-in magnetic strip readers for convenience.
Fingerprint ID readers: This type of POS equipment is used to limit which staff can access a POS terminal. It is typically used by employees to log on to their designated stations.
Remember, when purchasing for POS systems, hardware or software, make sure to know the item first before heading to your local supplier. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on your POS equipment, never forget to consider the environment where you’re going to use it. Regular cleaning keeps your keyboards and touch screens in top shape, to extend the useable life of your receipt printer, vacuuming and lubing would be the way and maintaining an over all clean workstation will definitely help your POS stations from annoying dust and spills. You can always request for a FREE POS system quote online where local vendors will offer you competitive price lists of any restaurant hardware and software you need based on the the information you give them. So you would never have to waste money buying the wrong POS systems.
For more information on restaurant POS systems or to have a local POS professional serving the restaurant industry in your location see more information at POS-For-Restaurants.com.
