Restaurant technology buyers are facing a paradox for 2025 – the need to balance diners’ desire for increasingly innovative, personalized service with market realities including rising costs, smaller workforces, and a dearth of vendor innovation. Fortunately, strategically integrated point-of-sale technology and systems are helping restaurateurs meet these challenges and exceed diner expectations.
According to the 2024 POS Software Trends Study, if the kitchen is the heart of the restaurant, the POS has truly evolved from just a payments tool “to become the brain” or “transaction engine” with its benefits including: streamlining restaurant operations, providing data-driven insights, improving customer experiences, managing inventory, managing the workforce, ensuring security and more.
Going Mobile
Eighty-four percent of survey participants said they plan to add new functionality, features, or modules to their current POS software, underscoring the need to improve customer service and streamline operations, while 50% plan to develop and deploy POS solutions for use on mobile devices. This is because more than half of diners want to place orders (66%), and pay for food (58%) via mobile devices, according to the 2024 Customer Engagement Technology Study. Furthermore, the report revealed that in full-service restaurants, 32% of diners said they want to pay their bill through a table-side device. Because of this, any future POS investment should prioritize flexibility in payment and ordering processes, and user-friendly interfaces for staff, robust reporting, and AI-driven analytics will become essential.
In multi-use environments like resorts featuring pools, golf courses, or other attractions, mobility is a must. At minimum, guests expect F&B staff to manage the entire guest experience, from placing orders to printing checks, accepting payment, and posting to rooms, from a single handheld device. Adding new features and functions to current POS software also remains a key driver of operators’ POS purchasing plans.
POS ROI can be measured through improved operational efficiency, reduced manual errors, and increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. In the latter area, the CETS revealed that 82% of guests want to receive discounts through loyalty programs. Guests value the ability to automatically earn and redeem loyalty points through a restaurant’s mobile platform. Providing these capabilities is crucial for retaining customers and reducing customer acquisition costs.
With digital engagement a priority — the 2024 Restaurant Technology Study shows that 59% of restaurant operators want to improve their digital customer engagement — metrics like repeat visits, increased spend per customer, and faster service times are crucial. An effective POS should reduce labor costs through automation, streamline ordering, and minimize transaction times. Additionally, real-time reporting can track performance and spending, helping operators see the immediate and long-term value of their POS investment.
To achieve digital engagement, restauranteurs report that they are leveraging data gathered from the POS to enhance customer experiences and drive revenues: 85% are reaching diners via text, email and browser, 60% via their loyalty programs, 54% via upsell promotions or discount offers, and 51% via personalized offers based on prior buying habits.
Addressing Lack of Innovation
Although 85% of restaurateurs cite integration with other systems as a top feature driving their POS purchases, there appears to be a disconnect between restaurant technology buyers and vendors — 44% of respondents in the restaurant technology survey ranked integration with legacy systems as their top operational challenge. And only 30% were satisfied with their vendors’ innovation regarding existing solutions.
Operators say they need a POS system that connects seamlessly with tools like CRM, loyalty, reservation systems, inventory and workforce management, and payroll. Most customers want best of breed in the foregoing areas, and purpose-built integrations allow for seamless flow between various platforms. Without these integrations, operations can become fragmented and inefficient.
Operators also say they want tabled-based POS software (83%), cloud-based POS (68%), software-as-a-service (66%), and an enterprise wide/centralized POS (63%). To achieve this, they must seek vendors who are proactive and forward-thinking in their updates and offerings. POS vendors should empower clients with the tools, data, and cohesive platform required to elevate the guest experience, from digital ordering solutions for in-room dining to embedded CRM to better understand guest behavior and curate service.
For operators planning today, investing in a platform that has built long-lasting relationships with the industry’s most well-recognized brands is essential. Trust is earned over decades, and investing in a scalable technology provider with robust integrations and cloud-based architecture will set a foundation for future updates and expansions.
All-In-One Advantages
With multi-use facilities increasingly seeking seamless all-in-one solutions, having a POS that integrates with the PMS and embedded payments streamlines both the guest experience and operational efficiency. Guests benefit from faster checkout and greater security. Additionally, having a single, connected ecosystem that spans lodging, dining, and event spaces helps operators reduce costs associated with managing separate systems, centralizes guest data, and enhances service quality. In 2025, IT budgets are expected to reflect this demand, allocating more resources toward comprehensive systems that allow operators to provide seamless digital-focused guest experiences.
In restaurants, seamless integration allows operators to make menu changes within the POS without having to repeat those changes on an unintegrated third-party platform. Sharing menus across all POS platforms (fixed, mobile, and/or guest-facing) generates further efficiencies. Integrating a contactless digital platform with a POS system also simplifies synchronization of prices and availability while supporting upselling. Such platforms must be intuitive and user-friendly for guests placing orders from mobile devices.
By 2030, POS systems will leverage AI for predictive analytics, recommending staffing levels, menu adjustments, and personalized guest interactions. Autonomous ordering through devices and voice recognition may become standard, transforming the guest experience into a fully interactive one. Restaurants that aggregate data and properly arm staff with information to service individual guests like VIPs will likely thrive.
About the Author:
Alex Thalassinos is President of Silverware, a company providing enterprise solutions for restaurants, large venue operations, hotels and resorts, and deploys systems to meet the specific needs of multi-revenue operations with restaurants, bars, lounges, room service, banquet, and retail facilities. Silverware’s obsession is to drive efficiency and improve clients’ profitability by relentlessly delivering the most innovative solutions on the market. The company strives to enhance every aspect of the guest experience, from when the first guest walks in, until the last one walks out.
