GRS Restaurant Technology Blog

A recent international survey by Time magazine found that 80% of respondents felt they could not survive a single day without their cell phone.  50% of Americans sleep with their phone right next to them, and 20% compulsively check their phone every 10 minutes or more.  There’s even a new word for the the fear of losing your phone:  Nomophobia. Upwards of 67% of us may suffer from it.

Most pizza operators have point-of-sale systems to help them ring up orders accurately and account for their cash at the end of the night.  But very few owners take advantage of one of the most critical, money-saving features built in to their POS system - the inventory tracking. If you're shopping for POS, don't skip this critical system feature.

At Pizza Expo last month, I spoke with a number of restaurant owners who were in the market for a new point-of-sale system.  Many had been using their old system for over a decade, and were limping along with barely-functional hardware and ancient software.  They've been trying to postpone the inevitable, but have finally realized that the benefits of a new point-of-sale system are compelling and the time to upgrade is now.   

With 8 million tourists passing by yearly on the way to Yosemite, GRS customer Jeff Goschen, owner of Yogurt Station, prefers to focus on building a community among locals in his town of Oakdale, CA.  His approach may be unconventional but his results are remarkable!

It starts with the facility - not your ordinary strip-mall yogurt shop!  Jeff has turned a 4 acre property and former car wash into a community center of sorts, complete with arcade, outdoor scooter/skateboard area, ping pong table, community car wash facilities, outdoor movie nights and more.

The pizza industry has led the way in using technology to help better manage the restaurant. In pizza point-of-sale systems, innovative features help improve order taking and management.  In many cases, complex menus and challenging business models, combined with thin margins, have driven pizzerias to adopt new technologies before others in the restaurant industry.  Here’s a few POS features we love!

Perhaps you’ve read the studies. Certainly you’ve heard it from online ordering providers. Restaurants embrace online ordering in part because ticket averages are higher.  But is this pure magic?  Do customers automatically order more just because they are ordering online?  Is it guaranteed to work for your restaurant?

Today, more than ever, we love shiny new gadgets.  We line up for the latest technology innovation, even it its just a tiny bit better than the last big thing.  We blindly accept the notion that technology is good for us.  But if you are looking to grow your business, is technology the answer?  Will your investment pay off?  Here’s some common techniques you may try to grow your business - and how technology can help.

Ben Yehuda Pizzeria in Washington, D.C. may be keeping tradition alive with its kosher specialties, but owner Josh Katz is not afraid to embrace modern innovations, such as online ordering.  We spoke to Josh about the results his small business has had using our Let's Get online ordering solution. 

Want to help your restaurant win a favored place in the hearts and minds of your customers?  Stand out from the rest of the impersonal and inefficient businesses out there by treating every customer like a VIP.  “Crazy,” you think?  “My staff can barely remember their own name, let alone a customers!” you say?  Use these Restaurant Software Power tools - most likely available in the restaurant point-of-sale system you already own - to help you give exceptional customer service without extraordinary effort.