Pub EPoS
Step 1: Learn
Understand what EPoS can do for your business
Step 2: Quote
We’ll find appropriate systems for your needs
Step 3: Choose
Choose a system for your business
Integrations
Connect With Other Platforms
Payments
Process payments Quickly & Accurately
Data
Use your data with other platforms for accounting, delivery partners and marketing
Speed & Accuracy
Provide your customer with options and ensure order accuracy and provide speedy customer service.
Loyalty
If you want to track and reward your best customers this is easy to do with your POS system
Inventory
Understand what your business is using to make sure you don’t run out of stock while optimising against waste
EPoS For Pubs
While the requirements for pub EPoS systems are often very similar to a bar EPoS system (LINK) as food has become a bigger part of the overall pub business the requirements have diverged for some businesses. Whether you are wet-led, food-led or you need an pub POS that can handle both, equally well we’ve got you covered.
While for a customer a pub is a place to meet friends, have a few drinks and a great meal, as the business owner delivering that experience requires a lot of magic behind the scenes. From managing your team, to making sure you have the right stock available at the right time to the joys of accounting the central purpose of a great pub epos system is to help you manage many of these tasks efficiently. Meanwhile the data it will collect about your business provides the insight which helps you understand what’s going on and can guide you to make improvements and changes to help you grow. Modern pub tills systems make running your business easier and more profitable.
How does a Pub EPoS System Help?
Drink Service
Accuracy
With so many different drinks available ensuring order accuracy is vital both for customer service and pricing.
Bar Tabs
Making it easy for customers to spend money, helps them spend more. Tracking bar tabs removes the friction of constant payments for each round of drinks. You can pre-authorise a payment while setting up the tab if required for your own security.
Data
If data is the new gold, then the information your system collects allows you to understand your sales and profitability so you can make informed business decisions. This data can then flow into other parts of your business like your accounting, marketing and strategy. If you’re trying to get ordering for your pub optimised to your sales – this data is priceless, both for ensuring you don’t miss out on potential sales and minimising waste.
Happy Hour & Promotions
If you offer time of day based offers, like happy hours, pricing for these promotions can be adjusted directly in your Pub EPoS system. If you’re running other promotions on certain products these can also be adjusted within the terminal as requried.
Inventory Tracking
Keg tracking software like Kegtron connects with some EPoS systems for pubs to monitor pours vs sold at the tap level. This can help identify patterns of spills, over-pours and shrinkage.
Payments
Whether you choose to have a standalone payments system or payments integrated directly into your EPoS terminal, you can quickly take payments to streamline customer service, while ensuring accurate pricing. Integrated payments, if supported by your pub epos system take out an extra step in the process, speeding up service and reducing staff errors.
Speed
Speed of service is paramount – quick order entry and fast payment processing is good for customers and good for you (reduce missed sales). If your business experiences periods of exceptionally high traffic it’s important to understand how a system will perform. This is of particular interest if you’re in a large venue with multiple networked POS terminals or if you’re using a cloud based system. What you don’t want is the lag of a system where the hardware, software, networking of web connectivity causes long lags and holds up service and payments
Stock Control
Having accurate stock information helps with re-ordering, so you have the right products at the right time and don’t miss out on sales. Particularly for shorter life products like a guest ale – you can react to changes in consumption and get those re-orders placed in plenty of time.
User Access Controls
If you’ve got multiple staff it’s important to monitor system usage. Individual staff usage of the system can be tracked with fobs, swipe cards, RFID cards, fingerprint scanners or PIN numbers so you can identify who did what and when, whilst not slowing down service.
If your products are limited to drinks and bar snacks that’s all you need to know and you can skip forward to the guide on choosing an epos system for pubs. If is food sales are a significant proportion of your business (or you’d like it to be) read on about the benefits of EPoS for pub food service.
Food Service
Bookings & Reservations
Whether you want to use a 3rd party platform like OpenTable or Seven Rooms, or have native support in your EPoS system for table bookings, this creates a constant pipeline of future customers who are planning to visit. The 2 way communication between your EPoS system and the booking engine ensures you know how many tables you need to keep aside and how many you can keep for walk-in customers.
Loyalty
If you want to use a loyalty scheme to reward your best customers it can make sense to run this through your POS system. You can then look to incentivise repeat customers and help your business grow with targeted marketing campaigns.
Ingredients
Important for legal allergy and nutrition requirements – providing this information directly within the EPoS system allows staff to provide immediate and detailed product information to customers ordering at the table or bar.
Integrations
Depending on your requirements you can integrate your system into other platforms. Working out whether you need to be able to integrate with 3rd party software accounting software like Xero or connecting with reservations platforms like Opentable, or pub specific solutions like Kegtron will help you pinpoint the right pub epos system. Some larger EPoS suppliers may even offer a dedicated app store with proprietary and 3rd party apps designed for specific tasks and needs. By integrating your EPoS system with these platforms you can open up new sales channels and move your business data where you need it for other administrative tasks.
Inventory
Understanding your stock in an pub environment is absolutely vital. When you understand your sales and the volume of individual product sales you can begin to adjust your ordering to both meet demand and avoid wasteage. Keeping track of your sales and predicted sales also allows you to order the right ingredients so you won’t find yourself missing a vital ingredient to your top selling food menu item.This allows you to ensure you have the right products based on sales. It can also help you optimise your ordering to minimise wastage and maximise sales.
Kitchen Displays
Most EPoS systems aimed at the food market will support the ability to send the order directly from the EPoS terminal to the kitchen and instantly print an order ticket in the kitchen for the food order. This is an obvious enhancement as it stops the constant need to go back and forth with new orders. If you’re upgrading an older system or haven’t considered an alternative to a paper based order printer, it’s worth checking out the latest digital kitchen displays. Easy to read and the ability to update in real time. For example if the customers at table 12 move to table 23, updating this after the order will update the display – not the case if you are relying on a paper based system.
Modifiers & Upsells
Being able to send changes related to the standard menu items directly with the order to the kitchen ensures that customer requirements are being met (no cheese on a cheeseburger etc). Equally if you have upsell modifiers like extra cheese, bacon – these can be added to the order during order taking and the appropriate charge can be made
MPoS
Mobile point of sale (MPOS) devices can really come into their own in a hospitality environment. A portable device in ‘waiter mode’ becomes a portable version of your epos system. It ensure nothing gets lost in translation – you can enter and check the order with your customer at the table, no danger of a scribbled note getting misread. For drink sales, table service, especially alongside food or bar tabs can increase sales and smooth the chaos of a busy bar area. So customers can enjoy their time drinking and not queueing and you can enjoy the extra sales. If you’ve got a large site or garden area this can prove to be even more useful.
Stock Control
Alongside the stock control requirements of the wet side of the pub business, if you’re selling food you’ll have this to consider for food. Tracking what you need based on how well it’s selling whilst minimising waste.
Split Bills
No need for mental acrobatics, if a table wants to split a bill you can quickly and easily work out the individual payments with many different options to split the bill based on the groups requirements.
Table Plans / Floor Management
Being able to see table availability alongside your commitments for reserved tables allows you to maximise sales opportunities and prevent disappointment.
Tip Sharing
Complicated pooling and tronc systems mean that the ability of an EPoS system to track tips to individual staff members is vital information to make sure that payroll data and taxation are properly accounted for.
How to Choose a Pub POS System?
Why It Matters
As you consider the options provided by different bakery POS systems, it’s important to start building up a list of must have features. This will help narrow down the options and help you make an informed decision. If you need to make compromises based on costs or features you can do so having explored the options carefully. The best bakery EPoS system for you, is the one which helps your business grow with insights and actionable strategies.
Key Considerations
Budget & Costs
Integration
Ease of Use
Reliability & Service
Budget & Costs
There are a range of different options at different price points. It’s important to consider both the upfront costs of different options (often the hardware costs) and the ongoing costs (software subscriptions, payment processing fees). On the other hand, a good idea of what functionality you need will help you identify the right system – so while cost is an important factor what it can do for you in enhancing your business can often exceed a small difference in costs. Ultimately you want to feel this is a wise business investment, something that will pay for itself many times over with the improvements it delivers and business insight it provides. Even for a startup giving some thought to whether a system can scale to multiple terminals and offer you enhanced functionality as you grow can be an important part of choosing the right system for your pub. Only by truly understanding your requirements can you assess the total cost, some systems will price at different levels based on limitations (number of menu items, number of staff accounts), some will price for additional functionality (for example hosptiality functions like table plans which may be added to a base system which provides simpler retail functionality). There may be systems which include all the functionality you need, while others may require the addition of 3rd party integrations. So comparing pricing needs to factor this in, see Payment Processing below (LINK) and also Contracts and Commitments (LINK)
Business Priorities
Pubs come in all shapes and sizes. Depending on the products and services you offer you’ll need to consider if the system you are interested in has the flexibility to meet your needs. You may have a very busy bar alongside the food service, which could mean prioritising speed of service in your decision making. It’s natural to make compromises based on factors such as cost or functionality, finding the right balance to meet your own pubs priorities is something you’re best placed to do.
But my business is unique?
Some platforms will already have a number of integrated modules in areas like sales reporting, loyalty and stock control. You should check these meet your needs. If you need to integrate with other software for example accouting software like Xero or reservation platforms like Opentable you should check the platform can support this. If you’re using the same platform for both payments and POS these should work together – but if you’re planning to use a different payments supplier then you need to check that the systems will be compatible to benefit from the time savings with an integrated system. If you’re using or plan to use any current 3rd party software which would benefit from sales information from EPoS system you’ll want to check about compatibility before you make your final decision.
Cloud Based vs Local
Many of the most popular EPoS platforms are now based in the cloud, connecting via the internet to your data. This has advantages in areas like software updates, backups. However, it’s also important to understand what happens if you lose internet access – can you still use the cloud based epos system when it’s offline? For larger, multi-site businesses the benefits of a cloud based system become even stronger – the ability to monitor activity across a number of different sites and to be able to process the data centrally, provides stronger financial controls and decision making insight. Product and menu changes, along with new functionality can be updated centrally and pushed out to multiple locations at the same time.
Contracts & Committments
The advent of the cloud speeded up the separation of the hardware and software costs of an EPoS system. Historically you’d buy or lease the hardware and buy a licence for the software. Some systems are still sold like this but for cloud based systems you’ll increasingly see a monthly charge for the system. Alongside this, some providers will have a minimum contract (and we often see this for payment processing too). While some EPoS solutions don’t have any contract length terms, if you can’t use some or all of the hardware with different epos software for pubs that can also create an additional cost and complication if you change your mind later.
Digital Signage
Would you like to have digital signage for your menus or to use for your in store marketing?
Employee Management
Do you need your POS system to help you track employee worked hours, organise staff schedules? Being able to log worked hours and absences helps to simplify your payroll, while the ability to schedule staff for when you need them helps to ensure your staff are helping customers at the right times.
Ease of Use & Training
As a business owner, you’ll often be responsible for training new staff in how to use your system. When you’re considering different options it’s important to consider how easy it is to use as this will have a direct impact on the time you’ll need to spend training your existing staff and any new staff. You need to distinguish between the owner tasks like adding new menu items and the day to day usage for accurate order processing and taking payments.
Integrations
Businesses often hesitate to introduce technology into their business because they hold onto to the somewhat misguided belief that their business operates uniquely. It’s certainly true that no two businesses are identical but there will be processes and systems you use which will also be used by other similar businesses. While an EPoS system might change how you do certain things compared to now and that transition may require adjustments overall the benefits almost always outweigh the downside. Understanding your business and then taking the time to understand the capabilities of different systems is time well spent for the growth and future success of your business.
Invest your Time
Buying a system that doesn’t meet your needs will end up wasting far more time and money than investing time in the process of picking the right system. It needn’t be complicated but just like hiring the right staff, you need to ask the right questions. It’s always worth drilling down into the specifics. If an option offers a table planner and you’ve got a multi floor business, will it work in the way you imagine. The questions you don’t ask, can’t help you – so think carefully what you need to ensure a system can do for you. While the perfect system might not exist, the best system for you needs and budget will exist. Take the time to investigate. While the upfront cost of a system might not break the bank – the lifetime additional revenue from picking the right system is likely a big number, not one you should ignore. Providers may allow you to test a system, provide in-use videos of how it works and you can of course explore the web for reviews. If you’re testing out different systems, also consider that what seems overwhelming and complex at first, will quickly become routine.
Online Ordering & QR Codes
Many systems will provide a dedicated website often accessed from a table based QR code so customers can order and pay directly from their phone.
Payment Processing
Historically EPoS and payment systems were often separate. So orders would be tracked on the EPoS till and then payments would be handled as a seperate task. Integrated payments (where the payment could also be processed directly from the EPoS system) have become increasingly popular as it helped to speed up service and reduce the chances of staff error in entering in the payment amount on a PDQ machine. Nowadays many EPoS systems are being provided by payment providers themselves or EPoS suppliers have a preferred vendor for payments. This means that comparing card processing charges is something you need to consider when buying the system. You may be tied to the provider of the EPoS system and their charges, so you can’t necessarily shop around separately for the cheapest payments deal and need to consider the blended cost of both the EPoS system and the card payment charges at the same time.
Reliability & Support
Can the supplier offer you support when you need it? Are their support hours compatible with your working hours? How do they provide support – telephone, email, chat, web based ticketing system and how long do they take to respond. Your support needs will vary between time critical (when something is not working) and less time sensitive tasks like looking to find a new way to do things – so you need to make sure that you can get the support you need when you need it. It’s certainly not the case that bigger is always better – a small supplier with clued up, on-call support is just as capable as a large supplier with staff all over the world – but to make an informed choice it’s important to know what you can expect.
Tax
If you’re VAT registered, collecting accurate sales information and setting up the correct treatment for different sales is important particularly the complicated treatment and HMRC rules for hot vs cold food. While tax laws can change and you should always take specialist advice to ensure you are accounting for the VAT correctly, being able to track your different types of sales is absolutely vital given the potential for different tax treatment.
Training, Onboarding & Ongoing Assistance
The initial hours spent operating your new EPoS system can be daunting. For a very straight forward operation with very few additional features it’s likely you’ll be upto speed in very little time. More complicated setup will take more time to understand and to optimise over the first few days and weeks. Does the supplier offer training (either on site, remotely or online) or a dedicated onboarding process to help you make the first steps with the minimum of fuss? Overtime you’ll likely want to add features or adjust the way the system operates to better suit your particular business. While there are many changes and updates you can make yourself, you will occasionally have new challenges or business goals which you want to achieve using your POS equipment, is the supplier responsive and interested in helping you achieve your goals?