Point of Sale
The core of our all-in-one restaurant management system
From food trucks to FSRs, get the POS built for restaurants.
By Jackie Prange
Your point of sale (POS) system is packed with data, and POS reports transform that raw data into insights you can use. Those insights can help you make better, more informed business decisions about things like marketing promotions, menu item pricing, staffing, and much more.
Want to make the most of those valuable point of sale reports? Keep reading to find out:
A POS report is a collection of business data gathered by your restaurant POS software, which has been organized in a way that tells a story about your restaurant, bar, food truck, or catering company. Through these business reports, you can find out things like which menu items are selling the best, your profit margins on popular dishes, and even if your staff members are giving away free items.
Drive your business with sales reports, food costs, customer satisfaction survey, and more.
Your POS is the central hub of information for your restaurant. It keeps track of transactions, inventory, menu prices, and much more. The best restaurant POS systems collect and store this data and make it available through easy-to-digest reports.
If you’re using a legacy POS system, you can access reports through your POS terminals. Unfortunately, this means you can only review reports while you’re at your restaurant, which is inconvenient considering you probably think about your business even when you’re not on site. With a cloud-based POS like TouchBistro, you can access reports from anywhere via any web-enabled device.
If you’re a TouchBistro customer, you can log into the Cloud to access your reports.
While there are dozens of different POS reports for restaurants, these are a few key reports you should be checking on a regular basis. We’re also sharing examples of how to use the data from each type of POS report to inform business decisions.
POS reports that tell you about your restaurant’s transactions can help you optimize staffing and marketing choices, and more.
These are the sales metrics you should be keeping track of through your POS analytics:
Here are a few ways you can use the insights from sales reports:
Cash or card? These POS analytics give you a closer look at your customers’ preferred payment methods.
Check these performance indicators on a regular basis:
Here’s how you can leverage those point of sales reports to optimize business outcomes:
Coming in at about 30% of total spend, labor is one of the most expensive operational costs for restaurants. POS reports can help you keep your payroll costs in check and inform staffing decisions, both of which are critical during a labor shortage.
Keep a close eye on these POS reporting benchmarks to maintain control over staffing:
Use employee POS reports to:
According to our State of Full Service Restaurants Report, 40% of restaurateurs struggle to manage their inventory. POS reports can help you order the right amount of inventory every time.
Here’s what you should be paying attention to when it comes to your supplies:
Inventory reports can unlock powerful insights about your restaurant, including:
You wouldn’t be in business without loyal customers. The more you know about them, the better you can serve them.
Keep track of this data to better understand your customers:
You may need to add reservations, loyalty, and online ordering capabilities to your POS to access these reports.
Use these powerful insights about your customers to:
POS reports are a treasure trove of data about your business. Review each POS report regularly and use them to inform decisions about everything from staffing and menu prices to inventory orders and marketing.
Jackie was a Content Marketing Specialist and Social Media strategist at TouchBistro before moving into business development role. She covered the latest food, dining, and technology trends for the restaurant industry. A lover of all things coffee, Jackie’s hobbies include breakfast, lunch and dinner.
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