barcode scanners at posguys.com
Barcode Scanners Barcode Scanner Experts - Point of Sale Superstore Shopping Cart
0 item(s): $0.00

View Cart
Barcode Scanners
Search   Help Desk Downloads Buying Guides POS Reviews Contact Us
Free Shipping from POSGuys.com
Excellent Customer Service at POSGuys.com
Secure Transactions At POSGuys.com
Convenient Payment Options for POSGuys.com







Buyer's Guide for POS Software


POS SoftwareHow to Select the Right
Restaurant POS Software

Follow our the steps below to identify your restaurant point of sale software needs. At the end of this guide, Feature Comparison Chart of best-selling POS restaurant sofware packages.

 


STEP 1: Define Your Deployment Needs

Number of Locations & Number of POS Registers Per Location

POS restaurant software is manufactured for various deployment scenarios. Restaurant software manufacturers may design software for single pos register installation, multiple pos registers, and multiple restaurant locations. You can vastly narrow your choices just by understanding your locations needs.

Network Infrastructure of Multiple POS Registers and/or Multiple Locations
Operating system and hardware requirements vary among software packages and will affect the cost of implementing your restaurant POS system. While one software package might support a Windows peer-to-peer POS station set up, another may require a Windows Server operating system for multiple POS registers or restaurant locations. The hardware and costs for networking two or more point-of-sale registers running the same software at a single location or between multiple locations should be factored into the budget.

POS Hardware Compatibility
POS hardware compatibility varies among software packages. Be sure to consult the software's hardware requirements prior to buying touch screen computer, receipt printers, pole displays, card readers, cash drawers, and barcode scanners. If you own existing POS hardware components, be aware that your new restaurant software may not be compatible. Whether you need just one POS register or multiple POS stations, consider buying Complete Restaurant POS which bundles restaurant software with all required hardware, preconfigured for gauranteed compatibility. If you opt to purchase restaurant software separately from POS hardware, consult a reseller about the various operating requirements for the POS software packages you are evaluating, and find out if your reseller offers Onsite Installation Services.


STEP 2: Define Critical & Secondary Features

Identify the Features You Need
Determine the critical functionality you need in a restaurant POS software package. Use our Features Comparison Chart to identify features commonly found in restaurant POS software packages and build a list that suits your needs. Note which of these features are misson-critical, secondary needs, and which features are unnecessary for your POS needs.


STEP 3: Evaluate & Compare Software Packages


Contact Industry Resouces for Recommendations

Contact a reputable reseller with expertise in the POS industry. Based on the system requirements and features criteria you've identified, ask for a recommendation on a variety of restaurant POS software packages. Be sure to ask for demonstration or trial versions, which are usually downloadable.
If desired, directly contact the software manufacturer for names of restaurants who use their POS software. Contact those references for their feedback on ease of installation, usability, features, and performance.

Understand Software Manufacturer's Support, Upgrade, and Return Policies.
Support and upgrade policies vary greatly among POS software manufacturers. While one may require paid support contract with purchase, another manufacturer may include up to a year of free support with purchase. Some software manufacturers only include software patches, know as "bug fixes", for current versions with purchase, while others offer full version upgrades for the first year. Be aware that most software companies do no accept returns on software and do not guarantee the fitness of their software for any particular purpose; neither do resellers. This is an industry standard rule, making your evaluation of the free POS software trial version essential to ensure satisfaction.

Install Trail Versions to Evaluate Features & User Interface
Once you've narrowed your choice down to only POS software packages fitting your critical features criteria, and hopefully secondary criteria, install the demonstration versions on your PC. Evaluate each software's depth of functionality for those features. In addition, consider ease of use and the intuitiveness of the user interface. Restaurants with large staff and high turnover may place greater weight on ease of use to save the expense and time associated with training new users.
Once you've had a hands-on evalutation of critical features and usability, it's time to narrow your choice and make a purchase decision. Revisit the software system requirements and have a list of final questions ready for your reseller.


Restaurant POS Software at POSGUYS.com POSGUYS.com offers a variety of restaurant POS software packages including. See Restaurant Software Comparison Chart for itemized feature comparison for all of the software.

Aldelo Pro for Restaurants
A full featured restaurant POS software offering dine-in , delivery, and take out functionality with extensive inventory, recipe, and menu control, employee scheduling, and financial reporting. Aldelo Pro is suitable for multiple POS stations, multiple locations, and a multi-lingual staff, with built-in support for English, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. It is also fully programmable (outside of the application) to support any language of your choice.

Aldelo Lite for Restaurants
This is a scaled-down version of Aldelo Pro for take-out and delivery style establishments. Aldelo Lite does not include the inventory and employee management functionality found in the Pro version, but offers superior functionality for counter service and delivery, especially where multiple POS stations are deployed. Aldelo Lite also exhibits identical multi-lingual capabilities as Aldelo Pro.

Aldelo Wireless for Restaurants
With Aldelo Wireless, servers no longer need to write down customer orders at the table and re-enter the order at the computer station, instead orders are entered wirelessly on a Pocket PC device running Aldelo For Restaurants® Wireless Edition, and then automatically submit the order to the kitchen / bar for fastest turnaround time and accurate orders everytime. Orders can be recalled and edited on any table side order that is not yet closed on the PDA device, improving wait staff efficiency and customer service. Aldelo Wireless also exhibits multilingual capabilities.

Amigo POS
A restaurant pos software designed with an intuitive, easy to use interface, Amigo POS features full-service dine-in, take-out, and delivery functionality and includes a data interface to Quickbooks Pro. Job-type user security and system scalability are other top selling points for Amigo POS. Suitable for single station, multiple station, or multiple location installations.

 

ALDELO PRO ALDELO LITE ALDELO WIRELESS AMIGO POS
Supports Integrated Credit Card Processing YES (w/ Aldelo EDC Add-On) YES (w/Aldelo EDC Add-On) YES(w/ Aldelo EDC Add-On) YES
Multi-lingual Capabilties YES YES YES NO
Mult-currency Capabilities NO NO NO NO
International Taxes Supported NO NO NO YES (GST, VAT, HST)
Supports Multiple Locations YES YES YES YES
Number of Concurrent Stations 12 12 12 10
Database Engine JET 4.0 JET 4.0 JET 4.0 JET 4.0, MS SQL 2000
Supported Operating Systems Win XP Pro/ 2000/ WePOS, Windows Server 2000/2003 Win XP Pro/ 2000/ WePOS, Windows Server 2000/2003 Win XP Pro/ 2000/ WePOS, Windows Server 2000/2003 Win XP Pro/Home
Customizable Touch Screen YES YES YES YES
Kitchen Order Printing YES YES YES YES
Kitchen Display Integration ADD-ON Purchase ADD-ON Purchase ADD-ON Purchsase NO
User-Level Security YES YES YES YES
User Defined Menus & Modifiers YES YES YES YES
Automatic (Time of Day) Menu Item & Price Change YES YES YES YES
Edits Menus In Real Time YES YES YES YES
Menu Recipe Control YES NO YES YES
Dine In Functionality YES NO YES YES
Visual Table Layout Management YES NO YES YES
Reservation Management YES NO YES YES
Separate Bar Tab YES NO YES YES
Separate Bar Menu YES NO YES YES
Take-out/Delivery Service Management YES YES YES YES
Visual Delivery Map Integration YES YES YES NO
Delivery Dispatch & Routing YES YES YES YES
Split/Combine Checks YES YES YES YES
Gift Cards/Gift Certificates YES NO YES YES
Tracks House Accounts YES NO YES YES
Inventory Management YES NO YES YES
Vendor Tracking &/or Purchase Orders YES NO YES NO
Employee Scheduling/ Timecard Management YES NO YES YES
Financial Reporting YES YES YES YES
Export Report Data to Excel YES YES YES YES
Export Data to Quickbooks YES YES YES Limited
Schedule Automatic Data Backup YES YES YES YES
Integrated Barcode Label Printing YES YES YES NO
Supports Barcode Scanning YES YES YES YES Serial Only
Supports Scale Integration YES YES YES YES
Caller ID Integration YES YES YES YES
Manufacturer Support Policy Free Support for First 30 Days Free Support for First 30 Days Free Support for First 30 Days Two 30 min. support incidents within 30 days of purchase. 1 Year Free Email Support
Manufacturer Software Upgrade Policy Free Upgrades for First 30 Days Free Upgrades for First 30 Days Free Upgrades for First 30 Days Free Version Patches Only. New Version Release Requires Purchase.
Return Policy No Returns No Returns No Returns No Returns

Back to Top

For a downloadable version of this review click here
Sorry we're not here, please leave a message

McAfee Secure sites help keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams     








Barcode Scanners - Home | DirectoryTerms & Conditions

©2003 POSGuys.com, All Rights Reserved.