Running a hospitality establishment in Scotland presents a distinctive opportunity. The industry has seen consistent growth lately, with more locals choosing to holiday within the country and a notable rise in spending from American tourists. Despite this, the sector faces challenges such as staff shortages, rising expenses, increased taxes, and stricter regulations. When choosing an EPOS system for your hospitality venue, what essential features and advantages should you consider to address these issues?

1. Labour scheduling

Employees are the most valuable resource for hospitality venues. Ensuring their availability during peak guest demand begins with efficient labour scheduling. Verify that your system can create staff schedules directly from the EPOS back office software. PixelPoint POS from RSS enables this and can recommend staffing levels based on historical sales data. Staff members can clock in and out through the EPOS system, while managers can track labour costs (sales compared to wages) in real time. If labour costs exceed a certain limit in relation to sales generated, a decision can be made to allow staff to leave early. This approach ensures that your most important resource (people) is present when guests need them the most.

2. Staff Contests / Competitions

Encouraging employees to upsell slow-moving items or higher-margin products can significantly reduce waste and enhance your venue’s profitability. Verify whether your EPOS System includes features that promote sales of these beneficial products. PixelPoint POS from RSS enables managers to set up multiple simultaneous contests for staff across different products or categories. You can assign greater points for selling items that boost your venue’s profit margin. Desserts, in particular, present a good opportunity for upselling; you might award points for each dessert sold and offer bonus points for those that are more profitable. Contests can be held over varying durations and can include all or select employees. Monitor performance during the contest to motivate staff to excel further. At the conclusion, you can recognise and reward your employees for their significant contributions.

3. Upsell Prompts & Options

In food and beverage service, employees may tend to provide extras at no charge if the EPOS System does not offer user-friendly options for adjusting or enhancing the standard menu. It’s important to have an EPOS System with clear prompts that are easy to program in the back office and straightforward for front-of-house staff to navigate. Additionally, ensure that the system can effectively suggest upsell opportunities when appropriate, such as extra sauces or additional toppings. PixelPoint POS from RSS provides these capabilities and more. Standard product prompts help ensure that upsell chances and necessary charges are not overlooked. Moreover, the system can automatically recognise ‘meal deal’ or ‘combo’ products that can be combined into a customer offer, either automatically or by notifying the operator to apply the deal.

4. Flexible Gratuity Handling

Tip and gratuity regulations can differ by country and region. Many tourists in Scotland may be used to seeing a gratuity recommendation included in their bill. In Scotland, tipping and service charges are typically optional. Verify that the EPOS system you are considering accommodates various gratuity handling options, such as automatic suggestions based on a percentage of the transaction or the number of customers. The PixelPoint POS system from RSS offers suggested gratuity amounts as a percentage of the total transaction. This feature can be activated automatically if the number of covers exceeds a certain threshold. The suggested gratuity will be displayed on the customer’s bill, and if they choose not to pay it, the final bill can be processed without the gratuity. The system allows for manual gratuity entries and offers flexible options for displaying suggested gratuities at different percentages, enabling customers to choose an amount they deem appropriate.

5. Easy to use Handheld System

The unpredictability of Scottish weather is widely recognised. If your venue features an outdoor space, it may be beneficial to input orders directly into the EPOS system using a handheld tablet. This approach can streamline operations and maximise order processing during favourable weather. Ensure that the EPOS System you are considering includes a reliable handheld option that is user-friendly and quick to set up for sudden weather changes. PixelPoint POS by RSS offers a handheld system that closely resembles the main EPOS terminals. The interface is typically nearly identical, allowing staff to transition smoothly from the fixed POS terminal to the handheld without requiring special training. These handheld devices can be utilised to serve customers in outdoor seating areas or to alleviate long queues. When lines extend outside, staff can take orders from customers in line, which will then print in the kitchen or prep areas. They can also process payments from those waiting, reducing the likelihood of customers leaving for other options and minimising wasted food and drink from abandoned orders.

Conclusion

This brief article aims to stimulate your thinking as you consider your next EPOS system. Given the distinct characteristics of Scottish hospitality venues, opting for an EPOS system designed with flexibility can help your business save both time and money, rather than forcing you to modify existing processes to conform to more rigid alternatives. Choosing a versatile and adaptable EPOS system like PixelPoint from RSS can better prepare you for ongoing challenges in the hospitality industry. To find out more about how RSS’ EPOS solutions can benefit your venue, please reach out by sending us a message or calling us.