GRS Restaurant Technology Blog

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.   

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!

He’s about to celebrate his 16th year of success at Big Daddy’s Pizza in Burlington, Vermont. But if Francis “Cheech” Kehoe’s mom had anything to say about it, he wouldn’t be in the restaurant business at all.   “My family’s been in the restaurant business since 1939,” explained Cheech.  “When I told my mom I wanted to open a restaurant myself, she wouldn’t speak to me for 6 months.  She knew how tough this business can be!”

The busiest season for restaurants is now upon us. For pizza restaurants, Halloween, Thanksgiving Eve, New Years Eve, New Years Day and the Superbowl make up the biggest days of the year.  Prepare for that rush by making the most of your restaurant software, planning ahead, and staying calm!

"We Deliver!"  When you add those words to your menu, you've added the potential for headaches - but also the possibility of greater profit!  You need the right tools to help you succeed restaurant delivery.  The right restaurant delivery software - a point-of-sale system that specializes in delivery - can make all the difference. Here's some things to look for when evaluating restaurant delivery systems.

Coupons - love 'em or hate 'em, it's hard to get away from them in the pizza industry.   Most pizza restaurants issue coupons to grab the attention of their customers, to encourage new customers to try the restaurant, to compete with the other pizzerias in their area, to introduce new products, and to encourage 'bundling' of products together.  But what's the best way to know if your coupons are effective and working? 

Every restaurant owner understands, innately, that customers like customization.  From "Hold the mayo" to "Can I have a salad instead of fries", custom requests happen daily.  

Terry Black, owner of Jimmy and Joe's Pizza (2 locations in Mesa and Chandler AZ) has a passion for his product and connecting to his community.  We chatted with him about how his marketing strategy has helped build up an enormously loyal customer base over the 5 years they've been in business.  One tool he can't do without:  GRS SalesBuilder, an automated customer loyalty solution that powers his VIP Rewards Club.

Kevin Knudson, owner of daVinci's, the Italian Sidewalk Caffe, in Lincoln, Neb., grew up in the pizza business. His father opened a restaurant in 1978. Together, the Knudson family has grown the business into a successful six-location plus service (call) center operation. Along the way, they've kept close family ties and a commitment to food that "just tastes better!" It's that quality of people and technology that drew daVinci's to FireFly point-of-sale.

"We'd been with RapidFire since 1990, but had been doing our own support for five or six years. Then hardware availability became an issue, so we decided to upgrade. At Pizza Expo, our managers visited all the POS vendors, some with the call-center functionality that we wanted.