Cloud-based POS systems are at the forefront of industry change

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In the wake of COVID-19, many restaurateurs are recognizing the need for an updated business model that leverages new digital innovations. The point-of-sale, or POS system, serves as the central component for restaurant operations, and many are now opting for a cloud-based solution that prioritizes health and safety while boosting the bottom line.
To help navigate this new world of restaurant technology, companies such as TouchBistro, Oracle Food & Beverage, Smooth Commerce and Taliup Express are offering cloud-based solutions to help restaurateurs improve customer experience and drive profitability as the industry recovers.

In comparison to its traditional counterpart, cloud POS technology encompasses a range of features, including table management, table-side ordering, menu management, inventory management, online ordering, reporting and analytics, reservations, contactless payments and loyalty-program software.

“Our software is intuitive and it’s easy for people to learn how to use it,” says Samir Zabaneh, CEO of Toronto-based TouchBistro. “It has been proven to help turn the tables faster and run the restaurant more efficiently. We increase restaurant revenue and improve customer experience while reducing operating costs.”

When choosing the right POS system, restaurateurs must identify both current and future business goals, rank POS requirements, explore available options and secure a demonstration of the product.

“Within business goals, marketing and operations are key areas. We’re a technology platform, but the technology, to me, is just how it works,” says Robert Peterson, area vice-president, North America, Oracle Food & Beverage. “At the highest level, the considerations for any brand looking at POS is to make sure you’re satisfying your current requirements and that you’re looking into the future to ensure that you’re working with a company that will support you in technologies that don’t even exist yet.”

Additionally, some POS systems can integrate with existing eCommerce platforms such as Smooth Commerce.
“With Smooth Commerce being a white-labelled platform, it’s all branded to our customer and their needs. So as the consumer is experiencing this purchasing, it’s all branded by our customer so they experience everything from beginning to end,” says Che Baird, senior director at Toronto-based Smooth Commerce. “As a multi-unit brand, they’re seeing that across all restaurants. It’s not driving to third parties, it’s keeping the customer fully engaged with the brand through the whole experience.”

For small- and medium-sized restaurants that have limited capital and are forced to compete with larger companies, Toronto’s Taliup Express is working to provide them with the same tools and resources.

“Customers are used to technology in this space now, and restaurants that don’t have the technology available to their
customers are going to fall behind,” says Adam Mouyal, co-founder & CEO of Taliup Express. “Our goal is to bridge the gap between the large corporations and the small independents. We’ve built this platform to help them compete with large corporations and give them all the tools that they need to survive COVID-19 and thrive in this market. We’ve included curbside pickup, contactless dine in, promo codes, branded website and mobile app and more.”

Collectively, experts in this space want to re-assure restaurateurs that while the upfront cost might seem intimidating, implementing cloud POS software will drive consumer loyalty, phase out reliance on third-party-delivery apps and address the labour shortage that’s currently plaguing the foodservice industry.

“The [merchants] that adapt, push forward and commit to engaging their customers will be the ones that thrive and help the market recover,” says Jeff Szenes, co-founder of Taliup Express and CEO of Unity Payments and Canadian POS.

By Nicole Di Tomasso

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