The pizza industry is one of the most competitive industries in the US. The typical food industry has evolved, and so has the pizza industry.

Reports suggest pizza has been trending at its highest level in the last four years. Pizza has been around for a decade, and it won’t go anywhere anytime soon. That’s why pizza restaurants are in a category by themselves. And this is why they need industry-specific pizza POS system to run their business efficiently and effectively.

But how can you choose the right POS software for your business? We share some tips below that you can use as a checklist.

Look for Simplicity

You should serve your customers with convenience and quality in mind. Your pizza POS system should do the same for you.

The system should be streamlined, lightweight, and user-friendly. Go for a POS system that can handle the customizations you need. Building a pizza on the POS terminal should be fun and easy.

Also, make sure the POS system doesn’t come with a steep learning curve. Your employees, including both the seasonal and part-timers, should be able to learn the system quickly. In this way, you don’t have to spend significant hours training new employees every couple of months.

Helps with Online Ordering and Delivery

If you run a pizza restaurant and haven’t started offering online ordering yet, it’s time to act now. Orders placed online have more than doubled in the last couple of years. You cannot afford to miss out on the customer convenience of online ordering otherwise, it would be hard for you to stay in business for long.

Go for an integrated online ordering system. With cloud-based POS software, you can take orders online and send them directly to the kitchen staff as if they were sitting at the front counter.

Also, you can minimize errors and avoid commission-based pricing and hardware expenses when you have an online ordering and delivery dispatch system integrated into your pizza software.

Offers Real-time Menu Management

Your online ordering system should be convenient for both you and your customers. You shouldn’t need to update your in-house menu and online menu separately.

Make sure the pizza POS system you plan to go for can automatically synchronize updates from your in-house menu to your online menu. This will help you save several hours a week. Also, you should be able to track and make amendments to your online menu instantly, from anywhere.

The POS System Should Have Built-in Loyalty Program

According to a study at Harvard, you can increase profits between 25%-125% if you can increase your repeat visits by 5%. And customer loyalty plays a key role here.

You may have options when it comes to loyalty programs. But you must check for it in the pizza POS system you plan to go for.

When a loyalty program is built into a POS system, guests can often tie their rewards directly to their credit cards and do not have to carry around a separate punch card.

Such a system enables to gather of valuable historical pizza customer information and it is much more convenient for customers too. This also helps you avoid the hassle and cost of yet another technology vendor.

The Pizza POS System Should Offer Sales Reporting

Your POS system shouldn’t only allow your customers to to place online orders but also lets you track the orders in pizza sales reports.

Figure out which menu items drive the most of your revenue and which ones are a drag on your bottom line to optimize your menu.

You should compare sales of individual items and menu groups with a specific time period.

Do you find any menu items from the previous owner that’s not being sold as well?

If yes, remove them.

Do you find any specific toppings that cost more than they are worth?

Remove them as well.

Your POS system should easily be able to monitor inventory and food expenses percentage so you can engineer your menu to your requirements.

While the above-mentioned are primary points that should be on your checklist but you should also make sure your POS system has an integrated caller ID ordering system and offers insight into employee productivity.