Restaurant
Point of sales systems in restaurant environments operate on DOS, Windows or Unix environments. They can use a variety of physical layer protocols, though Ethernet is currently the preferred system.
Point of sales systems have revolutionized the restaurant industry, particularly in the fast food sector. In the most recent technologies, registers are computers, sometimes with touch screens. The registers connect to a server often referred to as a "store controller" or a "central control unit." Printers and monitors are also found on the network. Additionally, remote servers can connect to store networks and monitor sales and other store data.
The efficiency of such systems has decreased service times and increased efficiency of orders. Another innovation in technology for the restaurant industry is Wireless POS. Many restaurants with high volume use wireless handheld POS to collect orders which are sent to a server. The server sends required information to the kitchen in real time.
Restaurant POS refers to point of sale (POS) software that runs on computers, usually touch screen terminals or wireless handheld devices. Restaurant POS systems assist businesses to track transactions in real time.
Typical restaurant POS software is able to print guest checks, print orders to kitchens and bars for preparation, process credit cards and other payment cards, and run reports. In addition, some systems implement wireless pagers and electronic signature capture devices.
In the fast food industry, registers may be at the front counter, or configured for drive-through or walk-through cashiering and order taking. Front counter registers take and serve orders at the same terminal, while drive-through registers allow orders to be taken at one or more drive through windows, and then cashiered and served at another.
In addition to registers, drive-through and kitchen monitors may be used by store personnel to view orders. Once orders appear, they may be deleted or recalled by "bump bars," small boxes which have different buttons for different uses. Drive-through systems are often enhanced by the use of drive-through wireless (or headset) systems which enable communications with drive-through speakers.
Point of sale (POS) or checkout is the location where a transaction occurs. A "checkout" refers to a POS terminal, or more generally to the hardware and software used for checkouts, the equivalent of an electronic cash register.
A POS terminal manages the selling process by a salesperson-accessible interface. The same system allows the creation and printing of the voucher.
Web-based Operations
Web-based POS software can be run on any computer with an Internet connection and supported browser, without additional software. The POS software is hosted on secure servers in multiple data centers with real-time backups.
Retail
The retailing industry is one of the predominant users of POS terminals. A Retail Point of Sales system typically includes a computer, monitor, cash drawer, receipt printer, customer display and a barcode scanner. It can also include a weight scale, integrated credit card processing system, a signature capture device and a customer pin pad device. More and more POS monitors use touch-screen technology for ease of use, and a computer is built in to the monitor chassis for what is referred to as an "all-in-one" unit. All-in-one POS units save valuable counter space for the retailer. The POS system software can typically handle a myriad of customer based functions, such as sales, returns, exchanges, layaways, gift cards, gift registries, customer loyalty programs, BOGO (buy one get one), quantity discounts and much more.
POS software can also allow for functions such as pre-planned promotional sales, manufacturer coupon validation, foreign currency handling and multiple payment types. The POS unit handles the sales to the consumer, but it is only one part of the entire POS system used in a retail business. "Back-office" computers typically handle other functions of the POS system, such as inventory control and purchasing, receiving and transferring products to and from other locations. Other typical functions of a POS system are to store sales information for reporting purposes, sales trends and cost/price/profit analysis. Customer information may be stored for receivables management, marketing purposes and specific buying analysis. Many retail POS systems include an accounting interface that "feeds" sales and cost of goods information to independent accounting applications.
Hospitality and Hotel/Motel Industry
Hospitality point of sales systems are computerized systems incorporating registers, computers and peripheral equipment, usually on a computer network. Like other point of sale systems, these systems keep track of sales, labor and payroll, and can generate records used in accounting and book keeping. They may be accessed remotely by restaurant corporate offices, troubleshooters and other authorized parties.
POS software allows for transfer of meal charges from dining room to guest room with a button or two. It may also need to be integrated with property management software.
A checkout system generally involves the following components:
- General computer hardware
- General computer software
- Checkout hardware
- Checkout software
- Miscellaneous store hardware