Most restaurant owners pick billing software after one demo and live with it for years. These are the ten questions worth asking in that demo, whichever software you are looking at.
1. Does it keep billing when the internet goes down?
The connection always drops at the worst time. Good restaurant software saves the bill on the device and syncs later. Ask the salesperson to switch off the Wi-Fi during the demo and make a bill. (We wrote about why this matters.)
2. Can it send KOTs to the kitchen?
Billing without KOT means the kitchen works from spoken orders. Check that a table can send several rounds and that only the new items go each time.
3. Does it handle tables properly?
A floor map of tables, a running bill per table, moving a group from Table 3 to Table 7, and merging two tables. These come up every weekend.
4. Is GST worked out per item?
Most restaurant food is billed at one GST rate, but packaged drinks, bakery items or a mixed menu can carry different rates. The bill should work out tax per line and print a proper GST invoice with your GSTIN. Your CA will thank you at return time.
5. Which printers does it work with?
Ask about 58 mm and 80 mm thermal printers over Bluetooth, USB and LAN. Bring your own printer to the demo if you already have one.
6. Does it need a costly POS machine?
Many restaurants now bill from an Android phone, a tablet or a laptop browser. If the software only runs on its own hardware, you are paying for that hardware too. See running a restaurant POS in a browser.
7. Does it track stock by recipe?
Selling a plate of paneer tikka should take paneer, curd and spices out of stock. Recipe-based stock tells you what will run out tomorrow, before it runs out.
8. Can staff bill without seeing your profits?
Cashiers and waiters need to bill. They do not need your reports or the power to delete a bill. Check that access can be set per person.
9. Can you see your reports from home?
Daily sales, item-wise sales, payment modes and GST, on your own phone, without calling the restaurant.
10. What does it really cost?
Ask for the yearly price including GST, whether there is a per-bill charge or a setup fee, and what happens to your data if you leave. Then ask who picks up the phone when the printer stops at 9 PM on a Saturday.
How ZingBills answers these
ZingBills was built around this list: offline billing on Android and the web, tables and KOT, a kitchen display, GST per line, thermal printers, recipe stock, staff access per module and store, and plans that include GST with no per-bill charge. The restaurant page has the full feature list.
See it on your own menu
ZingBills is a restaurant POS for restaurants, cafés, bars, QSRs and cloud kitchens, on an Android phone or in any browser. Book a free demo and we will set it up on your own menu, or see the plans.
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A KOT printer is cheap and simple. A kitchen display shows waiting times, rush orders and what is ready. How to choose, and why you do not have to choose for ever.
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