After your customers have conquered their grocery lists, the last thing they want to do is go home and cook dinner.
Fortunately, adding a quick-service restaurant to your grocery store can solve your customers’ problem — and give your sales a major boost.
A grocerant is a unique business model in which you operate a grocery store and restaurant alongside each other. Your grocerant’s customers have the convenient opportunity to enjoy a delicious meal and pick up some grocery staples, and you get the chance to boost your profits by making two sales instead of one.
So, how do you turn your grocerant dreams into a reality? You need grocerant point of sale (POS) software.
In this blog, we’ll explain what grocerant POS software does and how to find the right solution for your small business.
Why Do You Need Grocerant POS Software?
As a grocerant owner, you have a lot on your plate.
On the grocery store side of your operations, you’re responsible for stocking your shelves, providing excellent customer service on the sales floor, and keeping your checkout lines moving.
As a quick-service restauranteur, it’s your job to craft a crowd-pleasing menu, keep your kitchen running smoothly, and provide your customers with a convenient, delicious meal.
Investing in POS software specifically designed for the grocerant industry can help you juggle all these duties. Grocerant POS software processes all of your sales transactions, monitors stock levels, and gives you and your team the tools to curate the best possible customer experience.
Most of all, grocerant POS software should be versatile enough to handle everything happening in your small business. Let’s explore the essential features to keep in mind as you search for the right grocerant POS solution for your small business.
Ordering at a quick-service restaurant looks much different than checking out at the grocery store — so why would you expect your cashiers to use the same POS touchscreen menu in both places?
Grocerant POS software should allow you to tailor your POS software’s interface to your unique needs, so you can create custom touchscreen and button layouts for your grocery cashiers and restaurant staff.
With the most important features right at their fingertips, your team will be able to provide quick, stress-free service to each of your customers.
Regardless of what’s on your restaurant’s menu, accommodating dietary restrictions and preferences is critical for keeping your diners satisfied and your sales high.
Whether they’re asking for extra mayonnaise on their sub sandwich or a gluten-free tortilla for their wrap, your grocerant POS software should make it easy to modify customers’ orders and add, remove, or swap ingredients.
3. Kitchen Printing
In a grocerant setting, speed is paramount, and a grocerant POS system with kitchen printing capabilities plays a major role in streamlining your kitchen operations.
After a customer places an order, your POS system will communicate seamlessly with an integrated kitchen printer, enabling your kitchen staff to start preparing the meal immediately.
Along with boosting your kitchen’s efficiency, a grocerant POS system with integrated kitchen printing enhances order accuracy and prevents mistakes, ensuring your customers receive the right food at the right time.
4. Tipping Features
Your team provides top-notch customer service at the restaurant counter, so your grocerant POS software should allow diners to show their appreciation through tipping.
To incentivize your staff to create an exceptional experience for your grocerant’s customers, look for a POS solution that suggests tip amounts and processes them quickly.
5. Inventory Monitoring
Effective inventory management is essential for grocery success on the sales floor and in the kitchen
Regularly running out of your customers’ favorite items will cause you to lose sales and see a dip in loyalty, and stocking too many of your underperforming items leads to waste and storage issues.
That’s why your grocerant POS software should allow you to keep a close eye on your inventory levels at any time, from anywhere, making it easy to keep your store stocked with the right products and your kitchen stocked with the right ingredients.
6. Employee Management
The right grocerant POS software can take the time-consuming task of employee management off your to-do list.
To save time and ensure your team is always compensated accurately, look for a grocerant POS solution that includes a built-in time clock, letting your employees track their time in one convenient place.
When it’s time to do payroll, all you have to do is consult your POS software to see how long each of your team members worked. If you’re planning to allow your employees to accept tips, we recommend selecting grocerant POS software with a time clock and a tipping feature to further simplify payroll.
7. Promotions and Discounts
Looking to attract new customers to your grocerant? Then you need to offer enticing discounts.
Whether you’re planning to offer a percentage-based discount on all seafood or a low-price lunch bundle including a salad, side, and drink, your grocerant POS software should give you flexible options when it comes to promotions.
Make sure you’re able to easily schedule, manage, and track these discounts to make increasing your sales a breeze.
8. Customer Loyalty Program
Another effective way to boost your grocerant profits is to launch a customer loyalty program.
This strategy empowers you to turn one-time visitors into regular customers by offering incentives like loyalty points, exclusive discounts, and special perks. Make sure to reward your customers for doing their grocery shopping with you and for stopping by for a quick meal.
The easiest way to implement a loyalty program is to invest in grocerant POS software that has this feature built in. You’ll be able to customize your program’s structure and rewards, easily enroll new members, and track the program’s success over time.
9. Reporting and Analytics
Another key feature your grocerant POS software should include is a powerful reporting and analytics suite.
Your POS reports help you understand your customers’ preferences and habits. They reveal how often customers visit your grocerant, how much they typically spend, and the items they’re most likely to purchase.
Equipped with this data, you can make informed inventory and menu decisions to tailor your grocerant’s inventory, operations, and marketing strategy to your customers wants and needs.
Get Started With the Best Grocerant POS Software
Since we covered so many features, let’s recap the functionalities that make grocerant POS software such a unique tool:
- A customizable interface keeps your grocery checkout and restaurant order lines moving.
- Menu modifications are essential for accommodating diners’ dietary restrictions and preferences.
- Integrated kitchen printing ensures speedy, accurate service and keeps your kitchen running smoothly.
- Tipping makes it easy for your customers to show your team some appreciation.
But these features aren’t all it takes to run a profitable grocerant. Your grocerant POS software should be versatile enough to handle your restaurant and grocery operations, so it’s crucial to look for a solution that includes robust inventory features, time-saving employee management tools, and a built-in loyalty program.
If you’re searching for grocerant POS software with all that and more, then Markt POS might be the perfect fit for your small business.
See Markt POS in action by scheduling your personalized demo today, or use our build and price tool to get an instant quote for your custom grocerant POS solution.
