Not all food industries are created equal. The pizza industry is one of the most cut throat and competitive industries today. As the typical food customer has evolved, so has the pizza industry. According to Technoomic, pizza is trending at its highest level in the past four years. Think about the rise in Fast Casual establishments and how the millennial generation has influenced businesses. For god’s sake, even Dominos is offering salad options. Did you ever think you would see the day? Pizza has been around for a long time, and the industry shouldn’t expect to go anywhere anytime soon. That’s why pizzerias belong in their own category. Think about it, has the sandwich industry or breakfast industry evolved as much as the pizza industry has? Since pizza restaurants are in a category by themselves, they require their own set of technology or point of sale needs to run their business effectively and efficiently. Continue reading for a few POS features you should keep in mind when purchasing a POS system for your pizza restaurant.
1. Online Ordering
Did you know online pizza orders are 18% higher than pizza orders taken by phone? That’s huge! It’s easy to see why big pizza names like Dominos and Papa Johns have robust online ordering systems. Today, you can order a pizza in just a few easy clicks from your computer or smartphone device and it arrives at your residence within 20-30 minutes. The key aspect that people enjoy is the convenience of it. Think about if the tables were turned. You have had a long day, and cooking for yourself is out of the question, and you are not in the mood for a sit-down meal at a restaurant. What are you most likely to order online? Hopefully, it’s pizza. Online ordering systems can appear complex if you’re not the most tech savvy. However, most POS companies who offer online ordering add-ons can help set it up with you. As a plus, the POS system is integrated so you can keep track of your online menu as you would your in-store menu.
2. Menu Customization
It’s important you give your customers options. The typical cheese pizza just doesn’t cut it these days. Healthy, organic food options are trending right now. Millennials especially want something different. What’s better than finding a POS system that allows you to customize the pie by the slice? It doesn’t sound fun for the kitchen, but it gives your customers more options and sets you apart from the competition. What about different sauces? What about different crust options? When you appeal to every type of customer, you bring in more business.
3. Delivery Management
Today, when most people think food delivery, the first thing they think of is pizza. The pizza wasn’t the first meal that inspired food delivery systems, but defiantly was the reason for delivery evolution. With delivery, you have to think about timing, keeping your delivery drivers in line, and making sure the customer’s menu item gets to them in perfect condition. Seems like a lot, but a point of sale system built with the pizza in mind can manage all of this for you, plus some. From tracking your delivery drivers’ locations to routing your drivers on the fastest routes, a good POS system can make your delivery operations
4. Comprehensive Sales Reporting
There is a lot of moving parts when it comes to running a successful pizza establishment. Fortunately, there are also a lot of moving companies that can offer help. In order to be successful, it’s important to look at what happens from the time the pizza is ordered to when it reaches the table. You will want to identify which types of pizza, toppings, etc. are selling the most versus which ones aren’t. If you have an integrated online ordering system, you can compare and analyze your sales to what’s happening in-store. If there are menu items that are not selling online but are selling in-store, it’s an easy process of removing them from a quality point of sale system.
5. Inventory
Whether you are serving the picky cheese only customer or the customer who wants a pie with 20 different toppings, a good pizza always has a lot of ingredients in it. As the main cost for any restaurant, a POS system that has inventory management can be crucial to the success of a restaurant. Whether you’re serving a few pies a day, or your Papa John’s serving thousands, not calculating your inventory costs correctly can cost your pizza establishment hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Your goal should be to use every ingredient you pay for. It can seem overwhelming if you think about doing it manually, but if you decide to automate it, you can save a lot in money and you will surely see a decrease in food waste.
6. Loyalty
Customers are dying for a piece of the pie, and loyalty participation is what pizza power houses are making a killing with. Dominos and Papa Johns are pioneering and creating a new meaning for customer loyalty, and they aren’t making it difficult either. They both are constantly creating and implementing new loyalty programs, and most are pretty basic that even the local Mom and Pop could implement. Their secret is only listening to what the customer wants and giving it to them. The result is a huge payout and a killer customer experience.
Conclusion
You are probably asking yourself, aren’t these features important for other restaurant types? The answer is yes, but a POS system that caters to these features and is pizza specific makes things only so much better. Not all POS systems are created equal and not all come with customizable menu options specific to pizza, loyalty programs with pizza specific programs, a robust inventory management system, and delivery management capabilities. You should never buy a POS software because you were told it worked in many restaurants nationwide. What types of restaurants is the better question? It’s important you find a POS system that works for your pizza restaurant. Don’t necessarily listen to what works for someone else. A Pizza POS software is an investment in your business, and pizza specific features can only mold and grow your restaurant to bigger and better things.