Customers of fast casual restaurants do not only want good food, they want to be served and to pay for good food quickly, so that they can get on with their day. Satisfying this requirement necessitates keeping your fast casual POS system in excellent shape. Here are four ways to ensure that your fast casual POS runs like a pro.
1. Take care of your touch screen(s).
There’s no getting away from it: Along with unsightly fingerprints, dirt and grime can hamper the operation of your fast casual POS system and will accumulate on any touch screen(s). So, you’ll want to clean yours every few days—perhaps even daily.
Before doing so, take a look at any information about touch screen care that may have been provided by your VAR or hardware manufacturer—and follow the instructions you see there. When you’re ready to clean your touch screen(s), turn off all components, including the computer and the touch screen itself. Wipe the surface gently with a soft, dry, lint-free microfiber cloth. A paper towel or rag will only spread dirt around and may damage the top layer of glass or plastic.
Need a little moisture to remove debris? Avoid saturating the cloth with water; just wet it and wring it out as best you can so that it’s just a bit damp
2. Be proactive about power.
Spikes and surges emitted by other equipment in your restaurant—for instance, microwave ovens, refrigerators, freezers, and space heaters used to warm up outdoor areas—can cause noise in your power supply. This noise can damage your fast casual POS system, potentially causing it to fail completely.
Fortunately, eliminating these spikes and surges is easy—simply connect the fast casual POS system to a power protection device. Some companies even manufacture power protection devices designed especially for use with POS equipment. In addition to fulfilling its primary purpose, a power protection device filters low-voltage spikes and guards against the damaging effects of over-voltage.
Another option here is to install a dedicated circuit with an isolated ground that’s used only for your fast casual POS system. And no matter what, include battery POS backup that will keep your fast casual POS equipment running should a power failure occur.
3. Initiate periodic defragmentation.
Over time, files in the hard drive of your fast casual POS system will become fragmented. This will cause it to operate slowly or “freeze up” entirely. Running periodic disk defragmentation eliminates these problems by putting separate pieces of each file back together again.
4. Conduct regular security updates.
Criminals’ use of malware and other methods does not only compromise data security, but also has the potential to impede the operation of any fast casual POS system. To stave off attacks, keep POS software updated by downloading and installing all security patches as soon as vendors send them. Regularly scan all of your restaurant’s systems, including the fast casual POS system, to determine whether they have been compromised and remedy the problem(s) immediately.
Moreover, installing and maintaining a strong firewall that will help stave off attacks against the fast casual POS system by guarding your network against unauthorized access to and from any private network isn’t enough. Protect the network by utilizing a complex computer-generated network access password—and updating (changing) it every month or two.
Your fast casual POS is one of the most important investments you’ll make in your business. Keeping it running in tip-top shape will maximize the benefits of this investment, ensuring happy customers and a healthy bottom line.
