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Before restaurant point of sale systems, when you went out to eat you sat down and gave your server your order. He or she would write down your order, get your drinks, and hand your order over to the kitchen. The kitchen staff would make your food, return your order and food back to your server, who would handle the rest of the meal, including dessert. He or she would then total up your bill and write it at the bottom of your ticket. That was then.
With modern point of sale systems the procedure has changed. You still give your server your order, but now he or she will punch it into a computer terminal equipped with a touch screen which most likely mirrors the menu. Your server will be able to transmit your order to the kitchen, specifying any details like "extra mayonnaise" or "hold the potato" from the other side of the restaurant. Your server will get a receipt, as will the kitchen staff. At the end of your meal your bill is already totaled up, giving you a full record of what your ordered and how much each item costs.
Restaurant point of sale systems also allow for a quick overview of the day's sales, which is extremely helpful from a management's point of view. How well did the special sell? Did people order wine with their steaks? What was the most popular beer at the bar? Sales information can be easily sifted and categorized, allowing management to make more informed decisions when figuring out how to run their restaurants. Billing mistakes can easily be taken care of, and inventories can be taken quickly and without the hassle of paper-and-pencil inventories. Managerial staff can even keep track of table turnover and server performance, though what they do with the information is completely up to them.
Thanks to restaurant point of sale systems, the days of the hand-scrawled check are over, for better or for worse. Though many servers will add a personal touch to their check, adding a "thanks" or "come again" beneath the total, we are unlikely to see the familiar green "guest check" for a long time.
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