Last Saturday I realised how times have changed for restaurant workers. From the days when restaurants were ran by waiters yelling at the chef “two steaks, two chips” to today’s fast and organised service.

Two words have made all the difference: EPoS System.

On Friday I called to make a dinner reservation at one of my town’s most popular places to eat. Of course there was no table for four available at 20:00 but we could get, if we wanted, an “early dinner at 18:00” said the receptionist.

I grasped the opportunity and the next day I was with 3 of my friends outside the restaurant at 17:55.

We walked in and felt nervous; the restaurant was only small and full of people drinking at the bar or sat eating.

Were we going to taste the locally famous steak for dinner or would we spend our evening waiting at the reception holding a pint of beer?

I didn’t have to spend much time worrying. The receptionist asked me about our reservation, tapped a couple of buttons on her screen and a few seconds later a waiter showed us to our table. We were able to order and get our drinks in a matter of minutes, since the waiter used a handheld device.

And that’s when I relaxed, assured that our evening was going to run smoothly.

Our orders were placed with the waiter who passed it along to the chef via the EPoS system’s handheld device. Our food was delivered to our table less than 20 minutes later! And although the place was getting crowded, no one complained about delays or being served the wrong dish.

When it comes to restaurants and busy lunch or dinner hours the right EPoS system can save the day (and your reputation). The table planning goes through the system, so at any moment you can visually see whether your clients have arrived, ordered their meal or been billed.

All the listed menu dishes and prices are added to your EPoS system – yes, even promotions or special menu items – so each order can be selected and sent to the kitchen in a matter of seconds where it’s printed out as a clear, easy to read receipt.

In addition to the above, the EPoS system keeps a thorough inventory that gets updated constantly; at the end of each day you can keep track of which and how many items you’ve sold and what you should order for restocking. Last but not least, you can run reports on which dishes are your business’s big hits or which are the most profitable just by clicking a button!

So if you want to boost your restaurant’s success don’t hesitate to integrate an EPoS system or update your old one!

(ED: This article was first published on 8th April 2013)