With its snow, sleet, freezing rain, and bitter cold temperatures, winter can wreak havoc on restaurants’ business. Even regular customers may be so weary—and wary—of the bad weather that they opt to eat at home rather than brave the elements and dine out. However, restaurant POS systems can help to overcome such winter woes by:
Making it easy to create and promote special offers. Often, there’s nothing like special offers to persuade customers to emerge from hibernation and enjoy a restaurant meal—possibly enticing friends or relatives to join them. Tapping into mailing lists amassed by and maintained in restaurant POS systems enables operators to get the word out about these irresistible deals, which can range from “freebies” (appetizers, desserts, or drinks), to discounts off the check, to two entrees for the price of one.
Information about special deals can be sent to every individual on a given mailing list, or only to an exclusive group of customers identified by the restaurant POS system based on the wealth of information stored there. Examples of the latter might include members of an establishment’s loyalty program, customers who frequently order a certain entrée or cocktail or tend to patronize a restaurant for lunch instead of dinner (and vice versa), people with winter birthdays, etc..
Restaurant POS systems that are integrated with loyalty solutions can also be leveraged to publicize special offers via social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, and to send offers to the mobile devices of loyalty program members who have consented to receive messages. In another twist, operators whose restaurant POS systems feature a social media interface can spread the news of special offers through Facebook page updates and Twitter tweets. In addition to attracting existing customers, promoting deals using social media may induce individuals who have simply “liked” a restaurant’s Facebook page or follow its Twitter feed to dine there when wintry weather might have otherwise kept them housebound.
Encouraging repeat business. Letting customers know about special offers and introducing new menu items while they are dining at a restaurant is frequently enough of an enticement to return there—no matter the weather conditions. Digital signage displays and menu boards are the perfect vehicles for getting the job done. Many restaurant POS systems let operators create digital signage displays and menu boards directly from POS terminals, in a matter of just a few minutes.
Increasing operating efficiencies. Restaurant POS systems with a mobile POS component go a long way here. How? For starters, when servers take orders on mobile devices for direct transmission to the kitchen, the interval between the time these orders are recorded and the moment kitchen staff begin to prepare them is significantly shortened. Servers do not waste precious minutes at terminals re-entering orders and, in some cases, attempting to decipher handwritten orders. Sending orders from patrons’ tables to the kitchen from mobile devices—and consequently speeding up order delivery—also facilitates efficient operation when bad weather has reduced the number of staff members on hand.
But there’s more. The integration of restaurant POS systems with kitchen display systems means your kitchen staff spends no time attempting to determine in what sequence orders were transmitted. Instead, they need only glance at the time of receipt to prioritize orders. Some restaurant POS systems allow orders for different meal components—appetizers, salads, entrees, etc.—to be sent to separate stations in the kitchen, further heightening preparation efficiencies even when snow or other winter conditions have reduced staff counts.
Needless to say, nothing can prevent inclement weather from occurring. But taking advantage of restaurant POS systems is a smart antidote for weather-induced business woes—during the winter and year-round.
