4POS - POS Software for the Independently Minded Retailer! - 4POS POS Software for YOUR Restaurant business.

I own a Fast Food / Restaurant / Pub & for many years have been using a cash register. I am looking at options to have better control in my business.

Please let me explain;

Question 1 : How do I control the items that is being made in my kitchen?

Dr. 4POS : Firstly, you need a printer in your kitchen which will print all orders once it has been rung up. You may also opt for a Kitchen Monitor – a computer screen that will display the order as it is rung up. This is typically used in Drive-Thru operations because the items will appear on the screen immediately once the button is pressed. 4POS caters for both of these options & you can even use it at the same time!

Question 4 : And what about extras?

Dr. 4POS : Extras will be charged & freebies will stop!

Question 5 : And cash-ups – how easy is it?

Dr. 4POS : 4POS does a cash-up declaration. In other words, the cashiers will declare their monies in the drawer & all overrings will be for your benefit!

Question 6 : And specials or promotions?

Dr. 4POS : Promotions can be configured to apply to certain products & the promotional price that should be charged. Eg. Normally a Coke will cost R6.50 but on promotion it is R5.00. The promotions can be set up to start @ a certain time and end on a certain time on another date. This is great to set up promotions to promote sales in your quiet times. In a PUB, this could also be you’re your Happy-Hour promotion!

Question 7 : And stock control? How do I do stock of my Patties which comes in a box of 50?

Dr. 4POS : Some call it menu explosion, some Bill of materials. It simply means that you could break the burger up into a bun, patty & a slice of tomato! As you sell the burger, the bill-of-material items will be deducted from stock! 4POS will also calculate the actual cost of your burger for you! Perfect control!

Question 8 : Re-ordering is a nightmare as I constantly have to worry about cash-flow and what my expected sales is going to be over the next 2 weeks.

Dr. 4POS : 4POS has a re-ordering wizard! You can set up the period which should be used to create a projection. 4POS will then calculate the average sales per day & multiply it with the number of days for which you wish to keep stock eg. 10 days. These days should coincide with the frequency in which you get a delivery. You can then let 4POS create the order based on the re- order level!

Question 9 : There is more than 1 flavour of certain products (Eg Liquifruit), & I do not have the time to maintain all the costs & selling prices.

Dr. 4POS : Ah-Ha! In 4POS we link these items together in a Pricing Set! As soon as the major Pricing Set item price changes, ALL products linked in the Pricing Set, will change accordingly! Eg. if Liquifruit Apple changes (Major Item) all other flavors will automatically change!

Question 10 : When I meet with the reps, I do not have all the sales statistics w.r.t. the products available from them.

Dr. 4POS : 4POS keeps full history of a product's movements (Sales & Purchases) which will give you on-the-spot info on YOUR sales w.r.t. this item & whether it is an item that you wish to stock & also what quantities you would like to keep.

Question 11 : I also sell to customer & give them a special price, so when I am not in the shop – they can’t place their orders.

Dr. 4POS : 4POS keeps 7 (SEVEN) different price structures per product! You can also link a pricing structure to a customer! In other words, you can specify that Customer A is using Price Structure #2 & Customer B uses Price Structure #3! So, when the customer comes to your store to purchase, simply select the customer from the list & ALL prices are set up automatically!

Question 12 : And of course – my biggest nightmare – my empties! Is there a solution?

Dr. 4POS : Of course! 4POS keeps track of the content separate from the container. This means that when you purchase your stock, you enter the content & then the containers & crates. Exactly as the invoice from ABI lays it out! Deposits are also kept separate for stock taking & even gives you the value of your empties at any given time!

Question 13 : Stock control is obviously required, but is it easy to enter the Invoices from my suppliers or do I need a bookkeeper?

Dr. 4POS : Yes, 4POS links all products to the suppliers & this means that when you enter your purchases, you simply select the items from the list. Remember that your ordering will also be easier if you let 4POS place the order & you can just check the quantities ordered!

Question 14 : With all these Power Failures, what happens if my main Computer (Server) Breaks?

Dr. 4POS : Firstly, it is strongly advised that you install a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply or Battery-backup) for your system. Also, please ensure that the UPS that you purchase is Generator Compliant as a lot of the cheaper UPS‘s is not. Our 4POS system runs independent from a server. In other words, each PC has it's own Database & can therefore do sales even if the server is off or the network is down! This is one of the pre- requisites of any good POS system!

Question 15 : Can I see what my cashiers are selling in real-time (While they are doing it?)

Dr. 4POS : Yes, 4POS has the ability to emulate the POS machine & you can even do a void from the office, when required!

Question 16 : Can I see which items are giving me the best return in terms of profit?

Dr. 4POS : Yes, 4POS prints a Product Performance Report that you can sort by Selling Quantities, profit percentages, etc. So your best seller can be compared to your best Profit item.

Question 17 : I know I am pushing it, but, we only pay for a 45-hour week. How do I know when to give my staff a break?

Dr. 4POS : Use the 4POS Hourly Report to show you what times are most hectic & even the number of cashiers you need for the period.

Question 18 : And maybe some commission on sales?

Dr. 4POS : Commission on 4POS is calculated before VAT & can easily be set up to record sales per cashier. Now you can have an incentive or even just see who is actually doing some work!

Question 19 : If I go away for a week or so, can I see which deliveries have come in & if the prices have been entered correctly?

Dr. 4POS : Yes! 4POS keeps a copy of all deliveries made & also prints a report of all price-changes made in the last week or month!

Question 20 : At the same time – all my customers should pay within 30 days. Can I monitor this as I have commitments to my suppliers.

Dr. 4POS : Debtors reports in 4POS makes it easy for you to recover that bad debt! Set up interest calculations & credit limits to stop your debtors-book to run away from you!

Question 21 : I have been told that on all POS systems & Cash Registers, the biggest fraud is done through VOIDS & discounts?

Dr. 4POS : Yes, and worst of all is that the biggest crooks are the managers! 4POS now gives you the power back to view all transactions for which VOIDS have been done & for YOU to determine if this is OK or not! Keeping an eye (Or stopping it) on discounts given another big way of theft, is now simpler & faster!

This all sounds great, but once we have installed 4POS, how do we proceed & get going?

Question 22 : Do I have to create my items in store one-by-one?

Dr. 4POS : Now comes the good stuff! 4POS has a Restaurant Database of over 2,000 products already set up with suppliers, shrinks, pricing matrix etc.

Question 23 : And if I need more than 1 POS machine?

Dr. 4POS : No problem, 4POS supports multi-terminals and have sites that run 16 terminals or more.

Question 24 : The big question - License fees?

Dr. 4POS : No, we don't charge license fees & all our updates are freely available on www.4pos.co.za

4POS Software for YOUR Restaurant business.

24 reasons why 4POS is the BEST POS system for your Fast Food Outlet or Restaurant

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