The Point of Sale (POS) business has boomed over the last decade, with ever-changing POS systems. With increasing security concerns, most POS systems come with ways to protect the consumer while still providing valuable information to restaurant businesses. New restaurant business owners in the market for a POS system should consider what they want to get out of their POS System. Comparing some rigorously tested POS systems can help you make an informed choice for your restaurant to help boost performance and productivity while not deleteriously affecting the bottom line.
NCR Silver
Many restaurants are turning to NCR Silver for their POS needs. The company debuted in 2012 and offered scalable services depending on a restaurant's needs. NCR services range from $59-$79 per terminal. NCR POS systems can run on iOS and Android devices. The upper-tier version, NCR Silver Pro Restaurant Edition, will run your restaurant on-the-go for $129/month. Restaurant owners will also notice a transaction fee of $0.10 per transaction (capped at $29/month per register). NCR Silver and NCR Silver Pro Restaurant both have front- and back-end capabilities. These features streamline communication between staff on the restaurant floor, management and the kitchen staff.
NCR Silver Highlights
– Starting at $59 per register/month
– Transaction fee +$0.10 per transaction (capped at $29/month)
– NCR Silver Pro Restaurant: $129/month
– iOS and Android compatible
Revel
May larger or franchise restaurants, catering service providers or restaurants with many locations depend on Revel for their POS needs. Revel Systems are user-friendly for both management and employees. The iOS-compatible system is customizable on a per-establishment level. Businesses can keep an eye on ingredient inventory, sales performance and employee time tracking among other data.
Revel Highlights
– Customizable options for franchises or restaurants with more than one location
– Individual Terminal: $119/month
– Additional Terminals: $79/month
– iOS compatible
Breadcrumb
Though its name is an understatement, Breadcrumb has become another leading POS solution for restaurant owners and managers in recent years. Restaurants are using Breadcrumb to run their businesses seamlessly, as it maintains a slick, easy-to-use interface. Breadcrumb operates on iOS, only on iPad 2. One of the benefits of using Breadcrumb on iPad 2 is the ability to use the camera as a barcode scanner. Th restaurant POS choice is available in two versions: Breadcrumb Payments (the free version) and Breadcrumb Pro.
Breadcrumb Payments (Free Version)
– 1.99 % + $0.15 per swiped transaction
– 2.49 % + $0.15 per manually keyed card transaction
– Different rates apply for American Express (2.3% + $0.15 per transaction)
Breadcrumb Pro charges its users a monthly fee based on the number of active terminals.
Breadcrumb Pro:
– $99/month – 1 terminal
– $129/month – 2 terminals
– $279/month – 3 terminals
– $339/month – 4 terminals
Breadcrumb Payments and Breadcrumb Pros provide a cost-effective way to track restaurant performance and productivity. It's scalable to accommodate good eats from small mom and pop ice cream shops to larger franchise restaurants with multiple locations.
Square
Coming in at first place for simplicity and ease-of-use is Square. There is no monthly service fee, which makes this a desirable option for new restaurant businesses. Square card magnetized readers are free, but a standard EMV (Europay Mastercard Visa) chip card reader is a one-time fee of $29. Square is the perfect solution for smaller restaurants. Square is simple to use, practically free, and is compatible with both iOS and Android platforms. Square also sells the corresponding Square Stand, which turns your iPad into a cash register in a matter of seconds.
Square Highlights:
– No monthly fee
– Pay only for hardware
– iOS/Android compatible
Gone are the days of manually writing and tracking relevant restaurant information. Restaurant managers are turning to these tried and tested POS systems for everything from inventory, staff schedules, to kitchen ingredients and overall sales performance. As businesses are migrating into EMV compliant chip-card readers and POS systems, businesses and customers alike can be confident that their personal information is secure utilizing these POS solutions.