It’s interesting to think about how cities go from being empty for months to this. Vibrant, loud and filled with happy faces. As soon as the sun shows up, people drop what they're doing and run outside. Every year the same thing, like we never saw the sun before. Patios start to fill up and it's almost like it’s everyones first day of summer vacation; even though vacation may be weeks (or even months) away.
It's important for you to be prepared, because here we come!
Have you ever thought about the number of steps a member of your waitressing straff walks in one day? I asked my sister who has been in the restaurant business for a long time and she said that she walks about 15 000 steps during a normal 8-hour shift. Translated to distance, that would be equal to about 9-10 km.
Imagine during summer time when you add, lets say, 15-20 small tables to your restaurant. Without adding payment terminals, cash tills or staff members: how many more steps are we adding to each person's shift?
In order to set your staff and restaurant up for success, you need to carefully go through the setup of your POS system and the number of terminals and potential iPads/tablets. Adding more tables should not cause additional stress to your colleagues because of terminals and registers being placed further from the new tables. And it should definitely not affect the customer service. Period.
Let your waitressing staff do what they do best – take great care of your guests – by setting themup for success.
Disregarding the extent of your business, whether it's seasonal or if you have business all year around, the summer months are different. If your business is located in the alps, this is equal to the winter months, obviously. You hire new staff members that need to get started using the POS system quickly, the restaurant gets a face lift and chairs and tables are yet again dusted off and put outside – in the sun.
The amount of time for everyone to get in sync and ready to go needs to be as short and effective as possible.
Additional staff and guests = more orders = increased demand to access the cash tills, mobile units (iPads/tablets) and portable payment terminals. Make it simple by adding mobile units, like:
Easy-peasy.
Rather than taking orders using pen and paper, you can simplify the process by integrating iPads. As many as you’d like. What you see on the iPad is an exact replica of the POS display.
The idea is to mobilize your troops and help them provide great customer service - 100% of the time. The entire order is registered at the table with a a few clicks on the display and ensures nothing falls between the cracks.
Additionally, portable payment terminals allow you to collect payments, split checks and print the final receipt without leaving the table. Instead: full focus on customer service, which leads to increased profitability and a higher chance of repeat business.
Would you like one of our experts to look at your setup and help you maximize your summer? Contact us today.