Consider Evaluating Point of Sale Hardware Before Purchasing

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 screens: Many retail business owners find touch screen monitors as more intuitive to use than keyboards, as it can reduce mistypes and can easily cancel orders within a second, and because it provides flexible user interfaces and programming. 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.

Hand held devices: Restaurant PDAs are handheld devices, commonly wireless, that transmits data back to its base station. You can also use the newer version, which is the write-on handhelds that allows you to write detail such as the orders and directly sends the oder to the kitchen! This type of handheld device is perfect when up-selling desserts and drinks to customers either by roaming on tables or by by taking order 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, which can be seen 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: A very useful piece of electronic device that reads bar codes, converts and inputs its details to a POS system computer. Generally, it fastens a sales transaction as well as accurately inputs product or service payment of a customer. It typically connects through Y-connectors called wedges which makes them function as an extension of your keyboard.

Customers’ volume: For different volume of customers, using different types of scanners can be very helpful. If the counter 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 an autosensing laser scanners would be a better choice. This type of scanner turns on when an item is placed in front of it, scans its code, and then turn off again. But if your counter line is flooding with customers, you could sure use the help of an omnidirectional scanner, where it can scan a bar code from any angle with its 15 or 20 lasers simultaneously!

Consider Additional Restaurant POS

Cash Drawer: 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. A typical cash drawer opens only when a signal from the printer is released.

Point of Sale printers: Every restaurant owner has them, every POS system needs one of course! A POS printer is needed in order to print 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. On the other hand, Thermal printers are slighly expensive than the dot matrix printers because they are more realiable, they have less moving parts, faster and quieter when printing.

Customer displays: Also called the pole display. This restaurant hardware lets your customer view their item and its price, and sometimes used to support advertising. Before buying a customer display, make sure that you check for the right height and width, which will perfectly fit your counter table, and its compatibility with your POS software.

Check readers: If you don’t have one, I suggest getting one now. This device helps you be preventing check fraud by verifying essential account information, saving you tons of profit.

Magnetic stripe readers: This piece of restaurant hardware is used to read credit cards. You can also purchase keyboards and touch screens has a built-in magnetic strip readers for convenience.

Fingerprint readers: Mostly this type of hardware is used for employee login. But it is very helpful to limit which staff can access a POS terminal and prevent other staff from logging in inplace of somebody.

Keep in mind when purchasing a restaurant POS system, hardawre or software, you have to make sure that you review their details first. 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 usable life and maintaining an over all clean workstation can help protect your POS computers from dust and spills. You can always request for a FREE POS system quote online where local suppliers 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.

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