7 POS Systems For Drive-Thrus
In the retail industry, operating a successful drive-thru can be a tricky but ultimately rewarding proposition. With a high level of customer turnover and orders being taken in rapid-fire, you need a streamlined system in all facets to maximize your profits. You may also be dealing with a large number of employees, all utilizing the same equipment in a frenetic environment. This makes the selection of a quality point of sale system extremely important.
While many of the top-rated foodservice systems on the market are suited to meet at least the basic needs of most restaurants, a few have some unique integrations and functions that can give you a leg up on the competition, make sure you are maximizing your profit stream, and ensure as much return business as possible.
Here are some of best POS systems for businesses with drive-thrus…
Revel:
Top-rated Revel (see our review) is one of the most functional POS systems currently on the market, both for its feature-depth and its versatility. This POS can be used in a single-location kiosk or easily handle a restaurant with multiple franchises. It also has some very convenient features for drive-thrus. Revel now even offers the ability for customers and employees to interact face-to-face before they even approach the window. The employee’s face will show up on the order screen and, in turn, they can also see the customer in his or her car. (This is a nice feature if the customer is anticipating it but maybe not so much if he or she is silently mouthing “Shut up for 30 seconds or I will personally murder Caillou” to rambunctious kids in the back.) This option helps eliminate the problem of a customer receiving someone else’s order and, if you enjoy seeing the face of an enthusiastic barista early in the morning, can increase the pleasure of each transactional experience.
Revel’s easy employment management system also comes in handy as both hours and payroll are kept on the same platform, cutting down on confusion in a system that dozens of employees may be using each day. Revel features an “Always On” mode which will keep the system functional during any internet issues. Inventory is also tracked in real-time so, in a business where ingredients are flying off the shelves, you can know the instant a product is getting low.
Bepoz:
Australian-based Bepoz (see our review) is an exceptionally powerful POS option with more reporting power than you could probably know what to do with. But it also has something for nearly everyone and aims to customize its software to any client’s retail or restaurant needs. What’s more, Bepoz has a handful of unique features made with the owner of drive-thru establishments in mind. The company offers a wide variety of unique graphic and visual elements that can increase efficiency and accuracy from order to delivery. Its interface is easily customizable and changeable so that frequently sold items may be placed in convenient locations. It also allows each order to be easily tracked and timed to gauge efficiency, a must-have feature in an industry where even seconds count.
Bepoz’s inventory tracking is a strong selling point as well. Owners or managers can keep tabs on item levels remotely and information can be shared from store to store so changes or purchase orders can be made on the fly. With scores of reports to choose from and customize on the back end, it’s also easy to track busy sales hours and discover when particular items are selling.
Breadcrumb POS by Upserve:
Breadcrumb (see our review) has prided itself on exceptional usability since its inception. Founded by a group of former restaurant workers, the POS is remarkably friendly for employees, has a high level of mobility, and offers plenty of integrations to suit a wide variety of businesses. Breadcrumb can be run at a wide variety of locations and performance at each store can be quickly and effectively monitored by the Upserve Live function, available on any smartphone.
Managers can keep tabs on sales of a busy drive-thru, see what items are selling quickly, and even track what customers are returning and what they’re purchasing. Breadcrumb’s extremely intuitive interface also walks employees through fast-paced orders, cutting down on costly mistakes. One of the more unique features of this POS is its easy-to-read heat map which displays busy times of day and can even match up a company’s most capable employees with the best possible shifts for them to work.
Toast:
Toast (see our review) continues to be one of the most innovative POS systems on the market, and the areas in which it thrives (customization, integrations, and loyalty programs) make it a terrific option for a fast-moving drive-thru operation. Toast is highly mobile with the ability to be run on most smartphones, and its design is intuitive and accessible. Reporting is a highlight, giving managers access to information in real time, showing sales, wait times, net sales, tips, etc.
Toast is also one of the more user-friendly POS systems for customers. Not only is there a way for customers to access their loyalty points remotely, they can also use Toast’s popular online ordering system, making pick-up at a drive-thru window hassle free. With Toast, all locations of a particular business can be accessed from the same device. Even more complicated changes, like price switches, can be done simply and quickly on a mobile device. Like nearly all good POS systems, Toast is also highly customizable, giving you the ability to put frequently ordered items in easy-to-find locations.
NCR Silver:
NCR Silver (see our review) is a sleek program that strives to fit in with a client’s unique retail or restaurant needs. Despite having the experience and expertise of software giant NCR behind it, Silver does a nice job of appealing to small to mid-sized operations. But NCR Silver’s versatility is also a big sell for multi-store drive-thru operations. The software is highly customizable and NCR offers a bevy of different card processors and printers to best suit your needs. With its self-explanatory interface and the ability to accessed on mobile devices, the POS is terrific for a small coffee stand or food cart. However, NCR Silver also has a wide array of reports and its inventory system supports multiple variations, all of which can be tracked easily with a few button pushes.
With its self-explanatory interface and the ability to be accessed on mobile devices, the POS is terrific for small coffee stands or food carts. However, NCR Silver also has a wide array of reports and its inventory system supports multiple variations, all of which can be tracked easily with a few button pushes.
talech:
talech (see our review) does a little bit of everything and it does it well. The POS works well across multiple locations, allowing managers to quickly make pricing adjustments and keep tabs on inventory. This POS’s inventory management is superb, a huge plus in the drive-thru industry. Product history can be easily tracked along with how well various products are performing. It’s also simple to group items and track materials and ingredients for all locations. Purchase orders can be created and auto-generated in the system to help with restocking. talech also has a relatively new and highly functional online ordering system that allows for online payments and easily tracks customer data, aiding in the pick-up process. While relatively simplistic, talech also has a user-friendly interface and basic set-up can be done in a matter of minutes and rather intuitively.
talech has a relatively new and highly functional online ordering system that allows for online payments and easily tracks customer data, aiding in the pick-up process. While relatively simplistic, talech also has a user-friendly interface and basic set-up can be done in a matter of minutes and rather intuitively.
Lavu:
Another exceptionally versatile POS for the restaurant industry is Lavu (see our review). Lavu has a modern and appealing interface that is highly customizable, even allowing for intricate menu building. The Quick Serve option for order taking is designed to speed up the process and get customers through a line quickly and, in a business with both walk-in and drive-thru customers, orders can be assigned to specific printers.
The employee management feature, which can assign restrictions to workers, is useful for businesses with a wide variety of employees alternating on a POS system. Lavu features solid multi-location management as well, helping to maintain consistency with menus, tax profiles, and inventory. Lavu has a local server integration and a cloud version that can help a company endure an internet outage or slowdown as well. Its KDS 2.0 integration also eliminates printed tickets, simply displaying orders on a TV screen to aid kitchen workers. Additional add-ons, like Lavu ToGo, allow customers to view a menu online and place to-go orders while their information is stored for future use.
Final Thoughts
Many restaurants may be able to get away with purchasing a point of sale system that is simply “functional.” However, for a business with a heavily trafficked drive-thru, software that is even remotely clunky or confusing can be devastating. You need a functional interface, the ability to track orders over multiple stations, and an easy way for customers to place orders and receive them quickly. Fortunately, there are multiple POSs on the market that can provide you with exactly these specifications, as well as some other handy integrations. Check out our website for our full reviews of these systems and more.
Matt Sherman
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