If you are a food truck owner, then you need an efficient POS system that can help you manage the operations. Food trucks are highly popular for their quick service. The customers love the food due to its exceptional quality, taste, and delivery. However, on the backend, managing all the affairs without letting any hassles halt your operation is quite difficult.
The food truck workers need to instantly get the orders, proceed them to the kitchen, and then form the billing statement. They must also prevent the piling up of customers at the food truck. So, the service at the counter should be great, and to do that, you need a POS system that works well.
1.Toast POS
Features
Toast is one of the most popular POS systems, with its headquarters residing in Boston, Massachusetts. More than 60,000 food establishments use Toast POS to manage their business. It integrates top-notch features and helps entrepreneurs understand different aspects of their business.
Toast provides you with a range of devices along with the best POS system that can help you keep track of different tasks. The company provides you with its payment processing systems, and they are not transparent about the charges. Moreover, food trucks that have not built a relationship with any merchant can use this service.
If you have a stable internet connection at your premise, food truck POS systems such as Toast will be extremely helpful to you. It needs the network to process the payments and form the bill. It has offline features that do not work smoothly at food trucks and restaurants.
There are three different payment plans available. Toast offers starter, essential, and premium packages. The starter plan is quite basic, and most food trucks cannot manage their operations with it. The essentials can help you keep track of payroll and staff hours and manage online orders at your food truck.
Pros
- Multiple hardware devices
- Instant
- Tracks staff hours
- Excellent customer service
Cons
- Does not disclose processing fee
- It has no free trial
2. Square
Features
Square is a flexible POS system, and its operations are conducted in San Francisco. It has numerous features and has gained the credibility of being one of the best POS systems available. Most restaurant owners consider Square to be the best POS system.
POS systems like Square have an online payment processing option and accept all kinds of credit cards. You can also use third-party tracking software to keep all the transactions in check.
If you use the app of such POS systems, then they will let you proceed with payments through Apple Pay. You can also maintain your pantry by syncing the products in the system. It lets you know if you’re running low on something and helps you restock so that your food truck stays busy.
Depending on your plan, it provides you with a variety of card readers. These are suitable for all kinds of large and small-scale establishments. However, in cases of heavy loads, it may get slow due to constant payment processing.
The systems may even hang, and you might have to seek help from a customer service representative. Their customer service may require some time to thoroughly assess the problem. Therefore, such incidents can halt the progress of your business.
The cost of maintaining the Square POS system is quite high, and it comes directly out of the restaurant owner’s pocket. Additionally, the hardware cost and the monthly subscription fee can also become burdensome. Owners have to pay a large sum from their earnings; therefore, it is not ideal for startups and food trucks.
Pros
- Highly functional
- Suitable hardware
- Instant processing
- Accepts multiple cards
Cons
- Not efficient in processing multiple orders
- Customer service is not efficient
3. Clover
Features
Multiple food trucks consider Clover the best POS system. The company began its operations in 2012 and was later acquired by different groups. The frequent management changes have allowed Clover to welcome innovations in its POS systems. Therefore, it now has the most diverse features and is highly appropriate for food trucks.
Clover has numerous tools that can help you efficiently manage your food truck. The food truck POS system constantly tracks your inventory. You can also set a range that lets the POS system notify you when the inventory falls below it. If you already have a third-party payment processing feature for your food truck, you can integrate it with the POS system.
It accepts transactions from all kinds of cards and payment apps, making it convenient for the food trucks to provide for every customer. The software provides you with a set of trackers that can help you check your progress in different domains.
It can help you analyze the revenue and daily peak sales of your food truck. If you have trucks in different localities, then this food truck POS system will gather data from all of them. It will also help you draw out a comparison to help you find the most successful food truck.
At food trucks, you need cash every day to sustain the business, so this POS system lets you instantly access your funds. They offer multiple plans, but the quick service package is suitable for food trucks.
The Clover food truck POS system lets you store customer information such as email addresses. The POS system will occasionally send promotional emails and gift cards from food trucks. It also allows customers to, later on, pay with these gift cards.
Pros
- Delivery trackers
- Efficient
- Low fee
- Instant fund withdrawal
- Cost efficient plans
- Diverse features
Cons
- Multiple hardware devices can confound new owners
- It can be pricey
4. Revel
Features
Revel is an esteemed food truck POS system that provides you with multiple benefits. The POS system can be expanded and helps you connect information about your employees and different sources of income. Revel has been on the market since 2012. The experience has helped them utilize the latest and most reliable working models.
The software constantly updates the customer database and sends frequent promotional offers. It supports multiple payment methods and apps and is highly convenient for food trucks. The POS system charges 2.5% on every deposit; therefore, you must assess your finances before opting for it.
There are numerous payment plans, but the basic one costs $99 and is popular among food truck owners. The changes to the menu will be reflected in the POS system, which will also offer online ordering and delivery. Moreover, it also helps you calculate the revenue and see the total profits of your food truck.
Pros
- Reliable
- Swift
- Multiple features
Cons
- High transaction fee
- It is difficult to update
Choosing the Right POS System
Numerous factors determine the efficiency of a POS system for food trucks, and the following are some of them:
Business Requirements
Before selecting a POS system for your food truck, you must assess your business. If you have a startup, then there is a high chance that the sales at your food truck are low. Therefore, it won’t be suitable if you choose a highly functional POS system.
Low Fee
Such POS systems will not only charge a high transaction fee, but the installment and plan payments will also be a burden on your wallet. In such cases, you should opt for food truck POS systems that provide you with the most cost-effective deal. You must also ensure that the POS system operates transparently and that all charges are disclosed to you.
Cash Availability
Most food trucks require daily cash. There can be multiple domains in which you need to invest if you have a new food truck. At such food trucks, maintenance issues are also quite common. Some owners also stock up their inventory daily or weekly. Therefore, they need a POS system that provides them with instant cash.
Cash Transfer Fee
The best POS systems may charge a 1% fee and let you get the money on the same day. Moreover, you must also keep some amount with you in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Therefore multiple food trucks are options for the clover POS system as it gives the owners instant cash.
Features
Multiple food trucks opt for the best POS system because it provides them with the features to support their businesses. A food truck’s point-of-sale system must quickly show you the menu so you can choose what you want to eat and move on with the orders.
It should update your inventory to prevent the food truck from running out of any item. The best POS systems also keep track of staff availability and daily sales. It is difficult for food trucks to maintain a stable internet connection due to constant relocation. Working in offline mode is the most essential feature of food truck POS systems.
Conclusion
Food truck POS systems can significantly reduce your burden and responsibility. They can relieve the pressure on you to keep your customers. With the best POS systems, you can keep customers coming back to your food truck business.
The POS systems on the food trucks will give them several ways to pay, and you can also offer cash discounts. Reliable food truck POS systems can help you boost your business.
Paul Martinez is the founder of EcomSidekick.com. He is an expert in the areas of finance, real estate, eCommerce, traffic and conversion.
Join him on EcomSidekick.com to learn how to improve your financial life and excel in these areas. Before starting this media site, Paul built from scratch and managed two multi-million dollar companies. One in the real estate sector and one in the eCommerce sector.