That a point-of-sales system can be a pivotal part of a guest’s experience at a quick-service restaurant isn’t a novel idea. But it’s rare to find a large national chain that takes that stance. New Orleans area–based Smoothie King will be the first brand of its size to roll out an iPad POS with that reason in mind with the help of Revel Systems.
“You’d never hear a customer comment on an old, legacy POS system; they don’t even see it,” says Revel CTO Chris Ciabarra. “But when they see an iPad, it gives them that edge and association with Apple.”
Revel’s iPad POS will also integrate Apple Pay, available to the masses next month. The new mobile wallet is said to be a game changer and should allow easy, quick, and convenient retail transactions. But Apple Pay isn’t the only reason more quick-serve brands are looking to next-generation POS platforms, Ciabarra says.
“The whole point of moving to this next-generation system is that it’s easier, flexible, and intuitive—you can learn the whole system in five minutes while you’re taking transactions,” he says. “So you’re saving all sorts of hidden costs.”
An added benefit of Revel’s iPad POS is an enterprise system design that allows franchisors control across all locations from one central device, Ciabarra says. This allows franchisors to group and designate certain stores for certain promotions, product pushes, or price changes. And with all the uncertainty over secure transactions lately, an Apple POS platform may mitigate some consumers’ fears.
“If you look all over the new right now, malware is hitting companies’ point-of-sales systems really hard right now, and it’s because Windows gets malware,” Ciabarra says. “An iPad cannot get malware.”
For operators, Apple’s compatible operating software versions can be another benefit. While the same application may not run properly across all versions of Windows, it will across iOs, Apple’s operating software, Ciabarra adds.
For Smoothie King, which just introduced the Revel system into its first store this week, the new POS has already been a hit.
“Smoothie King just opened one of the shops with the new system, and people commented on it,” Ciabarra says. “And it creates more sales. You can do faster transactions.”
By Tamara Omazic
