It’s no secret that Americans love sandwiches. According to research by U.S. Foods, about 300 million sandwiches are consumed each day in the U.S. alone. Sandwich shops can get a bigger bite out of this lucrative market with a sandwich shop POS system. Let’s explore three ways to use sandwich shop POS to serve more sandwiches and other related menu items.
Leverage custom menu programming.
Sandwich shop POS systems can be custom-programmed so that the touchscreen on the POS terminal includes options that correspond to every item on the menu. Taking orders involves simply touching the screen. Employees can read back the order information on the screen as diners provide it, ensuring that everything is correct before the food is prepared and preventing errors that can lead to lost business. Sandwich shop POS systems can also be configured to assist in increasing sales by reminding employees to engage in suggestive selling as they input orders.
Efficiently and cost-effectively handle counter and table order assignments.
A sandwich shop POS streamlines orders placed at both the counter and tables due to the fact that it generates a receipt for each of the prep stations responsible for the meal or meals. Sandwich shop POS can also separate entire orders according to prep station, sending to each station only the portion of the order that pertains to it. For example, if a customer were to order a grilled cheese sandwich and a cold roast beef sandwich, the system would transmit an order for the former to the grille station and the order for the latter to the cold sandwich preparation area. This eliminates confusion, minimizes employee errors, and reduces the need to re-make incorrect orders. This essentially creates happy, repeat customers and decreases ingredient waste.
Take advantage of conversational ordering capabilities.
Keeping lines moving can be a challenge for sandwich shops with counter service. When orders are taken the conventional way, employees must proceed through a specific sequence of screens and order options. In order to do so, they may be forced to interrupt customers or ask them to repeat parts of their orders. They may also need to delete and re-enter information should a patron change an order mid-stream or be unable to make a decision about part of an order. Additionally, learning how to input orders using these systems isn’t always easy.
Sandwich shop POS allows for conversational ordering. This means there’s no need to adhere to a set order-taking sequence. Employees can skip certain parts of an order and then return to it. For instance, if a customer can’t decide whether or what type of cheese she wants on her sandwich, the employee can move on to the condiments and handle the cheese question afterward. Similarly, they can fulfill incomplete orders after the fact (for example, taking an order for a second sandwich when an order for the first sandwich remains incomplete), as well as make changes without voiding items. All of this leads to fewer errors, faster customer throughput, and increased diner satisfaction and, ultimately, increased sales.
Moreover, conversational ordering is highly intuitive and user-friendly. Employees can quickly learn to use it. This further eliminates the possibility for ordering glitches.
The popularity of sandwiches will continue to bode well for sandwich shops’ business. However, operators that take advantage of their sandwich shop POS systems in the ways we’ve discussed above stand to enjoy a higher degree of sales success now and in the future.
