Investing your budget in the proper channels is the fastest way to success in the crowded and competitive restaurant industry. Redoing your décor and focusing your marketing efforts can both lead to an increase in foot traffic and word-of-mouth, but in order to stay relevant, you need to invest in top-of-the-line restaurant technology.

Many restaurants already take advantage of the numerous benefits a POS (point of sale) system provides. Small cafés and established franchises use POS systems for credit card transactions, payroll generation, and food inventory. But now, POS tablet systems are not only for servers and staff—they’re allowing customers to check out and order food in the blink of an eye. Here’s how a tablet POS system at each table can drastically improve your bottom line.

Order and Payment Accuracy

Deriders of POS technology point out the “human element” missing when restaurant customers place an order or pay for their bill via a touchscreen tablet at their table. But the reality managers are familiar with is that part of the human equation is error. With restaurant POS systems, the customer gets what they want and pays the correct amount.

This reduces the amount of miscommunications between servers and customers that result in a frazzled diner insisting they “ordered it medium-rare” or “wanted the sauce on the side.” Typically, you’d have to simply chalk it up to the cost of doing business and prepare another entrée for a customer who probably won’t tip. Now, they can customize their order directly, resulting in more satisfied customers.

In addition, the POS checkout system eliminates the frustration of deciphering a tip amount or total that is completely illegible. Many POS systems simply ask the customer the percent of tip they wish to include and then do the math for them. Servers don’t have to agonize over scribbled checks, and customers don’t have to wrack their brains to calculate 20 percent of $31.58.

Avoid the Split-Check Headache

How many of your servers complain of this scenario: once the customer has finished their dessert, the server brings them a check, only to hear that “actually, we wanted to split that”? Splitting checks is certainly part of the job, but the frequent back and forth and multiple calculations can cost a restaurant plenty of wasted time, which translates to slower table turnover rates.

With POS tablets, customers can split their checks multiple ways or even by item with a few button presses. POS systems streamline payment efficiency while allowing your diners to fully immerse themselves in the dining experience.

Endless Updates

One oft-neglected benefit of a POS tablet system at the customers’ table is the way it completely changes the way we think about menu design. Before, the visual layout of your paper menu was crucial to maximizing purchases of high-margin items, and poor placement of your best items meant they were buried until you found the money to pay for a redesign and print new menus.

With POS this is a problem of the past. You can A/B test product descriptions and tweak them based on purchase rates and customer feedback. Changing the colors of your menu and the order of the menu items can be accomplished in seconds. You can update and refine your menu daily to guarantee your restaurant is a well-oiled machine that leaves your customers satisfied.

Integrate Your POS with Bar Hero

Integrate your POS system with Bar Hero and turn gameplay into real food and drink rewards your customers can redeem right at the bar. After a game ends, a winner is selected, spins the Bar Hero wheel, and receives a reward such as an inventory discount that can be redeemed directly through your POS. This helps encourage additional food and beverage purchases, increase player loyalty, and gives your venue a measurable way to track reward redemptions and results.

Getting started is simple: contact Buzztime with your desired rewards, and we’ll configure your wheel, connect your POS, test the experience, and get you ready to go live. Bar Hero supports Toast, Clover, Square, Aloha, Silverware, Epos Now, NCR Aloha, and more.