Having the right types of restaurant operation equipment can significantly increase your restaurant's efficiency by allowing you to do more in less time. Don't waste your valuable time troubleshooting your clunky computers or fixing your cash register that continues to break down. Investing in a POS (point of sale) system can help you save time and money, allowing you to focus on what's important: your customers!

Also, a well implemented POS system can give you a new level of control over your operations, increase efficiencies, boost profits and help you fine-tune your business model. In addition to efficiency gains over your cash register, quality POS software provides information and reports that can help you make more informed business decisions.

And the best part is that Point of Sale is always changing and adapting to help restaurateurs be more successful and efficient. The last couple of years have seen the emergence of web-based point of sale. This new take on point of sale is starting to gain momentum as people realize the benefits and security of the web.

With a traditional point of sale system, a back-office computer is required to run your entire POS operation and to store your data. With this model, you run the risks of losing all your data in the event of a natural disaster such as a flood, fire, or earthquake; theft, and there's a chance of your hard drive crashing. As well, it is your responsibility to back up and maintain your data - a very time-consuming task that takes away from you running your business. You are also required to update your system regularly when new versions become available. If that is not frustrating enough, you also need to be at each specific location to access individual location data and make changes to your menu prices, add discounts, and view revenue reports. This is a huge misuse of your valuable time!

A web based POS system eliminates all the above problems by taking care of all your data and storing it offsite. The internet is used to collect data from your terminals and transfers it to a safe and secure place. Even in the event of an internet outage, you can continue to keep your store operations running and the data will be available when the power is restored. Investing in a POS system can help you save time and money, allowing you to focus on what's important: your customers! If you are a restaurateur with multiple locations, you should definitely consider a web based POS system.

The first thing to do is find the right vendor: there are many of companies out there selling web based POS systems that all claim to offer the best service. Do your homework! Researching for the right dealer is a time consuming, yet necessary task! Do not take any shortcuts on this extremely vital step - you will thank yourself down the road. Make sure the company is experienced and has a reputable name. Ask questions - do not leave anything uncertain. Ensure the company will be there for you after the sale with ongoing customer support. Keep in mind that you are entering in a long term relationship with this company, and it is important to know their support system. As well, request a demonstration to see if this type of product is a right fit for you. Lastly, do not hesitate to ask for references - you can learn a lot from current users.

Some vendors can also customize software configurations to your specific restaurant as well as provide seamless upgrades with no disruptions to your business. They also back up your data on a daily basis so you can focus all your attention on making your customers happy!

After making this very smart investment, you will realize what you have been missing all this time! A web based POS allows you to access important reports and data in real time. It enables you to run the POS system from any location with internet access. You can download the latest sales reports and know what your top seller is in a given time period. This means that you can work from home, on the road, or if you really can't help yourself, on vacation! It will also allow you to view reports for multiple locations, allowing you to see how each store is performing and where/how your marketing dollars should be spent.

In the end, you will be able to access your store operations in real time and manage multiple locations from the comfort of one location. If you are tired of spending time managing your servers and compiling multiple reports into one, then a web based POS system can be the thing to remedy your IT headaches.