What are Tableside payments and how can they help my restaurant business?

There are many restaurant POS systems offering a variety of features including tableside payments. These payments are made in restaurants at a customers table. Smarter POS offers a unique and highly secure way to process payments in this manner without ever using a receipt.

How are payments made at a POS?

Payments are made at a POS system using a terminal or mobile device.  Equipment is available with or that integrates with your system and accepts credit cards, processes receipts, and completes a transaction.

In restaurants, there is often the need to move from a table to a dedicated terminal and back before a transaction is completed. This increases the time it takes to pay for products and services. A typical flow involves receiving a bill, offering cash or a credit card, and signing a receipt.

Can tableside payments increase my efficiency?

Not every tableside payment method is equal. Many require moving between a terminal and table. However, tableside systems do not require anything more than having the customer sign and pay for items in one step.

Smarter POS offers SecureTablePay. This software integrates with handheld devices and allows customers to sign and complete a transaction directly. When every step is combined, waiters handle more tables and increase your profit per person per hour.

How can I secure tableside payments?

Identity theft costs consumers as much as $16 billion per year. Fraudulent and stolen cards are an enormous problem. The issue can cost consumer trust and directly impact your income.

Securing payments is the same at the register as at the table. Credit card companies continue to incorporate new mechanisms while attempting to foil criminals. This includes using chip and pin systems.

SecureTablePay supports modern security mechanisms. We also include an additional measure. Receipts contain numbers could be used to piece together an entire card number. By closing a transaction without requiring a receipt, we grant your customer peace of mind and allow them to choose whether they need a receipt or not.

Our security measure not only increases security but reduces waste as well. Credit card receipts at a busy restaurant quickly fill waste bins.

Should I use an Ipad to process payments?

Ipads and other mobile devices are not inherently insecure. However, they are made for general usage and increase the number of ways a device can be compromised. Malware and viruses are more likely to affect these technologies as their operating systems and software offer more vulnerabilities in part because of the increased number of features.

Specific handheld devices tend to be more secure. Hackers do not normally target these types of equipment. Still, it is possible to gain access to your network which compromises more than just the device. It is important to secure your networks even if you are not processing payments at the table.

Smarter POS offers support in setting up your system. Our team of Microsoft certified industry veterans have extensive knowledge of hospitality technologies and the issues surrounding these technologies. We can offer advice to optimize your setup.

Improving efficiency is just a step away. Contact us today to find out how we can help you discover just what are tableside payments and figure out how they can help your restaurant business.

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References

• Byran, Nicole. The Benefits of Tableside POS for Restaurant Owners and Servers. (October 2017). Available at https://www.foodnewsfeed.com/fsr/vendor-bylines/benefits-tableside-pos-restaurant-owners-and-servers