How restaurant payment technology & solutions takes the hassle out of payments

According to most recent figures the restaurant industry in the UK is worth in excess of £89.5 billion. Therefore it’s vital businesses implement customer-first restaurant payment technologies and solutions to take the hassle out of payments and create revolutionary customer experiences.

The days of walking into a restaurant and having to decide between cash and card are mostly gone. Restaurants need to adapt their payment methods to follow suit. 

Customers today need to be able to pay for the food they eat either in your restaurant or takeaway in a way that suits them be it cash, card or via a digital wallet. Your diners want to be presented with a fast checkout process and have trust in you to have safe and secure restaurant payment systems. If you fail to do so it could have a negative effect on your business, leading to a bad reputation and ultimately a drop in sales. 

No matter what your restaurant offers, be it fine dining or traditional gastro food, you need to ensure you keep your daily operations on course and offer excellent customer service by providing efficient processes and the right restaurant payment technology. 

Popular restaurant payment methods

Payment methods are continuously evolving meaning it’s important restaurant business evolve with them too. The world is fast becoming a contactless society and digital wallets, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, are growing in popularity. Therefore your businesses must be able to offer a range of payment methods in order to keep lines moving and see customers returning. 

Technology is also making it easier than ever for quick service restaurants (QSRs) to address queuing and waiting to pay. 

Pre-ordering services and pay-at-table are becoming increasingly mainstream especially in light of the coronavirus pandemic where many restaurants have positively pivoted their business by offering takeaway services and having a more digital presence. 

Ultimately, your restaurant needs to ensure that payments are totally seamless, whether customers are sitting at a table, on your website, or pre-ordering via an app. They should be able to place an order and pay quickly, safe in the knowledge that their details are secure and that great food is on its way.
 
Popular payment restaurant payment methods include: 

Cash
Although cash isn’t as popular as it once was, cash transactions are the simplest form of payment. Although new payment methods are constantly refined, businesses should alway be aware there is still a market for cash transactions.

Credit and debit cards
Customers pay for their food via a card which connects their bank account to your restaurant’s bank account. Whenever a customer swipes, inserts, or taps a card via near field communication (NFC) at a restaurant, payment technology sends the card and bank information through a payment gateway to the acquiring bank, that then asks for verification from the issuing bank. Once details are verified the transaction may go forward. 

Apple Pay
Apply Pay allows users to upload their credit and debits cards, so they can use them via their iPhone or Apple Watch.
Customers can then pay at any restaurant which accepts contactless payment methods. Transactions are authorised by a PIN, fingerprint, or facial recognition from the customer depending on their device’s technology.

Google Pay
Like Apple Pay, Google Pay is a virtual payment service available for smartphones. Credit and debit cards are uploaded and can be accessed via the app and used in contactless payment transactions. 

App payment
Some larger restaurants have their very own payment apps where customers have their payment data saved and stored in their app. These apps allow customers to connect a credit or debit card and pay via this method when making an order.

Others connect buyers in the app to a third-party delivery system, which eliminates some responsibility on the restaurant’s part, but takes away from their profits.

Why restaurant POS systems can create an efficient service at all times

POS systems have come on a long way since the days when the system would largely include a cash register and card terminal.
 
If you run a restaurant business, your point of sale (POS) system is a hugely important piece of technology which allows you to collect payment from customers as well as help you to run a more efficient front of house service whilst providing you with a number of tools to help you manage stock, finances and your workforce. 

The nature of your restaurant business will determine the type of POS system you require. Popular restaurant pos systems can include countertop card machines, which allow you to serve customers at a single location, and portable card machines, which lets you take the payment to customers at their table or outside if your business operates on the go.

Restaurant POS systems allow you to: 

• Serve customers faster - less fumbling with cash and wasted time looking for change.

• Accept a range of debit/credit cards

• Attract and maintain customers by offering modern technology that other restaurants may not offer. 

• Potentially collect higher tips - customers are more likely to give higher tips when paying electronically versus paying in cash. 

• Streamline business operations

• Generate detailed sales reports, manages inventory, and simplifies end-of-day accounting

At Opayo, we offer a Pay @ Counter payment terminal which integrates with your existing till to save your customers time with a fast, simple, convenient restaurant payment solution. If you have customers paying at the till or bar of your restaurant this is a suitable solution for you. You can serve more customers by clearing your queues quickly as well as offer a contactless and mobile-friendly payment option.

What’s more, you can take the payment to the table with our Pay @ Table solution. Integrating your card payment terminal with your restaurant ePOS to upgrade your restaurant payment technology means you can clear tables and keep your customers coming back. 

With Pay @ Table you can input a table or cheque number directly into the terminal and retrieve a bill in seconds. Customers can split their bill, pay in their own currency with dynamic currency conversion (DCC) and include gratuity. 

Improve customer experience with restaurant ePOS systems

Unlike traditional POS systems, restaurant ePOS (electronic point of sale) systems present businesses with smart solutions to keep up with the latest technology in the hands of their customers. Essentially, ePOS systems can be used to meet restaurant specific needs. Not only do they make transactions faster and more seamless, but they also collect transactional data on every payment. With a restaurant ePOS system, you know exactly what’s happening in your business, at any time wherever you are in the world.

ePOS hardware typically consists of a screen, such as an iPad or a computer, a cash drawer, and a card reader. Depending on the nature of your business, you may even use a smart barcode scanner or a receipt printer, which are essential for the hospitality industry. You may also choose to use wireless hardware if your business operates on the move or you give your employees hand-held devices.
 
Benefits of a restaurant ePOS system 

1. Improve Customer Experience

In restaurants, speed of service is a very important issue which in turn can help improve customer experience. Firstly, staff can now enter an order into a handheld device at a table. Secondly chefs can start on the first course while the orders for mains are still being taken. Orders appear in the kitchen as printed tickets or on large kitchen display screens. Staff can also easily add or remove certain ingredients for a customer and add notes about particular allergies or food intolerances.

2. Inventory Management

Restaurant ePOS systems are pre-programmed with precise ingredients to ensure accurate inventories are available at all times.

3. Detailed Sales Analysis Reports

It’s essential that restaurant businesses react very quickly to changing demand and consumer patterns. An ePOS system provides real-time sales reports at any point during the day. This information can help you to make staffing decisions on an hour-by-hour basis, identify busy periods or poor sales in time to do something about it.

4. Staff Management

ePOS systems allow you to manage staff schedules and rotas. A staff member can check into work using either a code, a card or a fob. The hours can then go straight into a payroll system for automated payments. 

5. Accounting Integration

The most up to date ePOS systems are linked to accountancy software which can help manage invoices, bills and payroll for example.

7. Digital Receipts

Paper receipts are often frowned upon nowadays by customers so thankfully ePOS technology can send a digital receipt to a customers email address immediately. 

8. Marketing Opportunities

An ePOS system provides you with a number of reports so that you can identify trends and consumer preferences in order to steer effective marketing and advertising strategies to help you to reach the right people for your business.

Clear tables and keep your customers coming back

As already established, effective restaurant payment technologies are vital to your business in order to reduce customer waiting times and increase customer satisfaction which in turns keep them coming back. 

Another piece payment solution to help you achieve the above is technology such as Opayo @ table. Opayo @ Table essentially allows you to input a table or cheque number directly into the terminal and retrieve a bill in seconds, meaning that you can provide quick, efficient service to your customers.

What’s more you can make it easy for customers to split their bill, pay in their own currency and include gratuity.

Bring the till to the table:

• Make it easy for customers to split the bill.

• Allow international customers to pay in their home currency with dynamic currency conversion (DCC).

• Give customers the option to include gratuity.

• Avoid double-keying errors.

• Save staff from running between till and table.

• Work with a large variety of ePOS solutions, including Oracle.

Click here for further information about how Opayo @ Table can help your restaurant business. 

Get started with our restaurant payment technologies & solutions

Here at Opayo, it is extremely important to us to be able to assist you in finding the right restaurant payment technologies for your own unique businesses so that you can allow your customers to pay with greater convenience and ease whether that’s via a debit or credit card, contactless or a mobile and digital wallet. 

Ultimately, if you own a restaurant business, there’s never been a better time to invest in a payment solution that has the power to totally transform your bottom line and help grow business with Opayo, a payments company trusted by leading restaurants like Wagamama’s, Barburrito and Butlers Chocolates.