Online ordering has become an established part of the restaurant industry. As technology grows ever more advanced, customers expect their favorite restaurants to offer easy, convenient ordering options for takeout and delivery.

For restaurant owners, the increasing popularity of off-premises dining has the potential to boost revenue. However, it can also make the kitchen workflow more complex. To help streamline kitchen operations and maximize revenue, Grubhub offers a handy solution: POS integration.

What is integration in POS and how do you set one up?

In a restaurant, POS integration is the process of connecting your point-of-sale (POS) system with an online ordering partner such as Grubhub. Think of it as a bridge between the two systems that allows data transfer. When the integration is complete, delivery and takeout orders flow directly into your POS system — no need to worry about managing multiple tablets and printers.

Depending on your restaurant, your point of sale system might also be integrated with an ecommerce platform. You might need an ecommerce integration if you sell nonperishable food items via an online store.

A successful POS integration helps streamline operations for your employees. It simplifies the process, saving time and reducing the risk of human error. Many POS integrations also help you manage resources efficiently, analyze data, and capitalize on automation to boost order efficiency. The end result? Faster, more accurate orders and happier customers.

Typically, integrating your POS system with your online ordering system requires the services of a third-party provider. At Grubhub, we handle the process for our restaurant partners. We can offer POS integration for most standard ordering solutions and POS software, including Clover, Deliverect, Otter, Toast, and Lightspeed.

5 benefits of food delivery POS integration

Is it worth it to integrate your POS system? Every restaurant has different priorities, but most establishments will see a few key benefits after POS integrations.

1. Bring in more online orders

A POS integration makes your order-acceptance process more efficient, leaving employees freer to support a boost in productivity. When they’re not juggling multiple devices and checking on orders manually, team members can use the extra time to prepare and package more meals for takeout and delivery.

Grubhub’s POS integrations offer even more benefits — partnering with Grubhub exposes your restaurant to the more than 33 million customers on the platform. Since these customers already trust Grubhub, they’re more likely to take a chance on a new restaurant. You can also use the built-in marketing, promotions, and loyalty tools to increase orders and order volume.

2. Improve the employee and customer experience

Restaurant employees benefit directly from POS integration. Orders flow right from Grubhub to your POS system and the kitchen, all without disrupting your standard workflow. In a busy restaurant, this simplicity goes a long way toward reducing stress and preventing confusion and frustration.

The advantages of a calmer, more organized work environment can be significant. It improves employee well-being, which may help reduce turnover. Your restaurant’s bottom line benefits when employees are happy and loyal, too — it takes $5,864 to replace a single employee, according to the National Restaurant Association.

While customers might not be privy to the practicalities of an integrated POS system, they’ll certainly feel the difference. The straightforward system ensures both delivery and in-house orders are processed quickly and accurately. And when your employees are happier, they’re better able to deliver top-notch service 

3. Better inventory management

Effective inventory management is critical to a restaurant operation. Before you can refine your inventory system, however, you need to collect data for all orders. An integrated POS system can help — it allows takeout and delivery data to flow into your primary system in real time, without the need for manual data transfer.

Enhanced order and customer data collection enables your inventory management software to accurately adjust stock levels and recommend reordering plans. Over the long term, it can help you prevent over-ordering, reduce inventory waste, and increase profits.

4. Improved data analytics

The comprehensive data you collect from an integrated POS system can provide valuable insights to help improve your business. If you notice that customers rarely order a specific menu item, for example, you might replace it with a more profitable alternative.

Restaurant POS data tends to get more valuable over time. With a few years of order information, you can spot overarching trends in foot traffic and ordering patterns. The ability to predict swings in demand makes it easier to schedule employees and adjust ordering effectively.

Not sure how to analyze data on your own? You don’t have to — look for software with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) that can scour historical data and make reports and recommendations. Your POS system, inventory management program, or restaurant management system may even have built-in AI analytics.

5. Focus more time on things that matter

As a restaurant owner, you have a limited amount of bandwidth to operate the business. A POS system integration can free up some of your time, ensuring you’re able to focus on mission-critical projects such as training employees or dreaming up new seasonal menus.

Take Grubhub, for example. When you upload a new photo or edit a menu item in your POS, the system automatically pushes the updates to other integrated locations. It streamlines the marketing and promotions process, enabling you to reach more customers without demanding ad campaigns.

POS integration through Grubhub for Restaurants

Is POS integration right for your restaurant? Grubhub takes the hassle out of the process — we work directly with your POS system provider to ensure a solid connection and a smooth transition. If your restaurant is already using Grubhub for delivery and takeout, contact us today to start the integration. To learn more about our POS integration and other business-building resources, get started with Grubhub today.