Restaurants have turned en masse toward safe alternatives to dining in because of the COVID-19 pandemic. While takeout, delivery, and curbside services soared, struggling businesses have also realized the potential in catering services—particularly when combined with intelligent Point of Sale systems capable of keeping up with the hectic day-to-day of foodservice.
Whether your restaurant used to offer it or not, catering remains a viable option that complies with current CDC guidelines. Recently, some have started to experiment with it for the first time.
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The Upsides of Catering
Many states still have bans on sit-down seating, and where it’s allowed, restaurants are typically hampered by capacity restrictions. Similar regulations will remain in place as we grow toward full recovery. Catering provides an opportunity to make revenue without exposing servers and unwilling guests to large parties. By holding their own events, people can freely gather to their comfort and still get the benefits of food served for them.
This way, your restaurant has ample time to plan ahead for the event too. With a guest list and plenty of advance notice, you can schedule the appropriate amount of employees without over or understaffing. Servers have plenty of time to call out or take days off if they need. Avoid excessive labor costs and keep as much profit as you can with smarter scheduling and workforce management. With everything planned in advance, your front-of-house can focus on customer service instead.
The kitchen staff also has more time to prepare. They can ready the food in plenty of time for the event. All of this advance notice increases revenue because of time management and because you’re opening a new sales channel. Manage your operations more effectively before and during the event to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty. By using a smart Point of Sale system to do it, you’ll streamline operations and make for much better catering events.
Capable Point of Sale Software
With a smart POS system, everything gets taken care of efficiently. Choose a system that has all the capabilities you need to run a better business. For example, some have booking reminders so you never forget when an event is coming up, whether they’re renting out your space or holding it off-premises.
Get a Point of Sale capable of giving you real-time information about sales and orders. For example, Kitchen Display Screens track orders so you can make sure you’re on schedule for the event. Integrating catering sales into the rest of your revenue reports gives you a more accurate view of your business’s prosperity.
That’s not all. With a capable Point of Sale system, you also get…
a cloud-based system with remote access capabilities and more storage space.
delivery notes and modifications, so kitchen staff and servers mind allergies and other preferences.
a variety of secure payment methods for your customers’ security and peace of mind.
offline mode to support the flow of business even if you lose Internet connection. eatOS syncs your offline information back to the cloud as soon as you get reconnected.
For more storage and easy access to your business, upgrade your Point of Sale. eatOS powers a flexible, fast, secure, and efficient POS made to support your restaurant in every way.
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Catering and Your Restaurant
Catering is just another sales tool to use during a financially stressful time. Optimize and take care of this channel just as thoroughly as your delivery or sit-down services. eatOS offers a smart Point of Sale equipped to handle any size business and grow with you. Whether you’re adding sales channels or opening a whole new location, get all your information in real-time and on one comprehensive screen. We’re dedicated to making your restaurant run as smoothly as it can, in every way.
