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 can be baught 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: With its flexible user interfaces and programming, many retail business owners prefer to use touch screens. With this type of POS hardware, an employee can easily set orders and cancel an order within a second. It can also reduce mistypes and fasten ordering. Aside from that, touch screens are easier to position in any counter and even uses less electricity, although, they can be more prone to breakdowns.
Handheld devices: Restaurant POS equipment like PDAs, which are commonly wireless devices that transmits data back to its base station and into the POS system. You can use the newer version, which is the write-on handhelds that allows you to write information such as the orders and directly sends the oder to the kitchen! These types of handheld devices are perfect for your staff who interacts with your customers, when up-selling desserts and drinks roaming around table per table.
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. The standard POS keyboard is a 101-key, which you will find with any computer. Other have built-in magnetic stripe readers for processing credit cards, others are small and flat, like what we usually see in fast food chains.
Scanners: This restaurant hardware reads bar codes and converts it before inputting it’s information to a POS system computer. It speeds up sales transactions and accurately inputs a customer’s product or service details that is being purchased. 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 your counter line holds several customers, make your staff use a CCD scanner or entry-level laser scanner. If the line is loaded with customers, then you’ll be needing the help of autosensing laser scanners. This type of scanner turns on when an item is placed 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, using its 15 or 20 lasers simultaneously, it can scan a bar code from any angle!
Other Restaurant Hardware To Consider
Cash drawers: Used to store cash, credit card slips, gift certificates and other important papers. When looking to buy 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 latest 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 it is signaled by the POS printer.
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 create credit card slips. There are two types of POS printers, the dot matrix printer and the thermal printer. The dot matrix printer uses ribbons and regular paper to print. Thermal printers are slightly expensive compared to dot matrix printers because they are faster and quieter when printing, and they have less moving parts which makes them more realiable.
POS Customer display: A customer display or pole display lets your customers view the price of the item they’re about to purchase, and can sometimes be used to support advertising. You also need to make sure that your customer display is of the right height and shape to fit in to your counter table, as well as it’s compatibility with your POS software.
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: This piece of restaurant hardware is used to read credit cards. Some keyboards and touch screens has a built-in magnetic strip readers for convenience.
Fingerprint ID readers: If you want to limit which POS terminal can a staff use, then this type of restaurant hardware can be handy. You can also use this for employee logins thus preventing any of your employees from logging in inplace of somebody.
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 expensive or cheap a POS equipment is, keep in mind the environment where you’re going to use it. Regular cleaning keeps your keyboards and touch screens in top shape, vacuuming dust and lubing your receipt printer can extend its life and maintaining an over all clean workstation can definitely help your POS computers from dust and spills. You can always request for a FREE POS system quote online where local suppliers will provide you competitive price lists on any type of POS terminal your business needs.
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.
