The Best Restaurant POS System for UK Restaurants: The Benefits of Redcat's ePOS

A great POS system not only simplifies order taking and payment processing but also enhances operational efficiency, boosts customer satisfaction, and provides valuable insights into business performance.

Redcat's ePOS system has emerged as a leading choice for UK restaurants, known for its user-friendly interface, advanced features, and adaptability to various restaurant types.

In this guide, we’ll explore the unique benefits of Redcat’s ePOS and why it could be the ideal solution to support the growth and success of your restaurant.

What are POS systems?

POS (Point of Sale) systems are digital solutions used by businesses to manage sales transactions, inventory, and customer interactions at checkout points.

They streamline operations by integrating functions like payment processing, order tracking, and customer management, often with advanced reporting and analytics for better decision-making.Commonly used in retail and hospitality, POS systems can be physical terminals or cloud-based software accessible to various devices.

Why UK Restaurants Need ePOS Systems

UK restaurants need ePOS (electronic Point of Sale) systems to streamline operations, improve customer service, and increase profitability. POS systems simplify order management by integrating directly with kitchen and bar areas, reducing errors and speeding up service.

They offer real-time insights into sales and stock levels, helping managers make informed decisions about inventory and staffing. With features like contactless payments, customer loyalty programs, and analytics, ePOS systems align with modern consumer preferences for faster, cashless transactions.

POS systems can also help with overall employee management, and often includes customer engagement tools such as loyalty programs and rewards.

The best ePOS systems also help restaurants stay compliant with financial reporting requirements, giving them the tools to maintain accurate records and reducing the risk of human error in daily operations.

Why Redcat ePOS Is Best for UK Restaurants

Redcat ePOS offers a reliable and user-friendly solution for managing a café, bar, restaurant, or franchise, whether using a terminal or tablet. Designed to suit single locations and nationwide multi-site operations, it’s fully customisable to meet your specific needs.

With central management capabilities, Redcat ePOS ensures fast, efficient service at the front of house and comprehensive reporting in the back office. Redcat ePOS, with its central management capabilities, allows for local or cloud operation and includes built-in redundancy for boosted reliability.

Another major advantage of Redcat is its POS hardware options. UK businesses can benefit from the powerful point of sale system with features, including receipt printers and barcode scanners.

Overall, Redcat ranks as the best POS system available for UK restaurants. In fact, the powerful POS system is perfect for any retail and hospitality businesses. As such, whether you own a retail store or restaurant in the UK, Redcat ePOS stands out as a fantastic option for boosting your day-to-day operations.

Ease of Use

Redcat ePOS is renowned for its reliability and user-friendly design, making it an ideal choice for hospitality businesses. Its intuitive interface is easy to hop on, making for efficient front-of-house operations, reducing errors and enhancing customer service.

The system's flexibility allows for customisation to meet specific business needs, whether for a single site or a multi-site operation. Redcat ePOS also offers both local and cloud-based deployment options, with built-in redundancy to maintain uninterrupted service during internet outages.

The combination of reliability and ease of use streamlines operations, allowing staff to focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences. The POS system includes options for:

• Modular design adaptable to various POS solutions
• Foldable counter POS solution
• Retractable wall-mounted POS solution and
• Pole-mounted and wall-mounted touch POS solutions.

Restaurant and Café Features

The Redcat ePOS system includes a range of features specifically designed for restaurants and cafes, making it one of the best POS systems available in hospitality. While Redcat itself does not impose transaction fees, the specific fees associated with payment processing depend on the chosen payment processor.

A few of the main restaurant and café features that Redcat offers is as follows:

Table and Staff Management: The system enables sales recording against tables and staff members, providing full tracking capabilities. It supports graphical floor plans that can be modified in real-time and integrated with booking and reservation systems, facilitating seamless table assignments and reservations.

Order Customisation and Communication: Redcat ePOS allows the inclusion of additional instructions with orders for food and beverages, maintaining precise communication between front-of-house staff and the kitchen. It also features countdowns of specials as they're ordered, helping manage limited-time offers effectively.

Order Processing and Flexibility: The system supports printing orders in the kitchen, bar, and other locations, streamlining order processing. It facilitates easy transfer of charges between tables, merging of charges from different tables, and splitting of a table account into separate accounts for each diner, providing flexibility in billing.

Inventory Management: Redcat ePOS includes full inventory management capabilities, allowing businesses to track stock levels, manage reordering, and reduce waste.

Customer Relationship Management: The system integrates loyalty and gift card programs, enabling businesses to reward repeat customers and encourage loyalty. The integration helps in building a strong customer base and increasing repeat visits.

Reporting and Analytics: Redcat ePOS offers powerful back-office reporting, providing insights into sales performance, staff productivity, and customer preferences. These analytics assist in informed decision-making and strategic planning.

Franchise and Quick Service Features

ePOS systems need to cater to multiple restaurant types, and Redcat does exactly that, with powerful features designed specifically for UK franchises and QSRs to benefit.

Centralised Management: The system provides a unified platform for overseeing all franchise sites, allowing head office to control product listings (PLUS), pricing, and online ordering portals. This centralisation maintains uniformity and simplifies updates across the franchise network.

Multi-Site Functionality: Each location can have its own unique hardware configuration, with system settings, features, and modules independently set up for each site. This flexibility accommodates the specific needs of individual franchises while maintaining overall cohesion.

Integrated Online Ordering: Redcat ePOS seamlessly integrates online ordering capabilities, enabling franchises to offer customers a consistent and efficient ordering experience across all locations. This integration streamlines operations and expands revenue channels.

Loyalty and Marketing Tools: The system includes integrated loyalty programs and direct customer marketing features, allowing franchises to engage customers effectively and foster repeat business. These tools help build brand loyalty and drive sales.

Hybrid Cloud Solution: Redcat ePOS operates as a hybrid cloud solution, offering flexibility in accessing site data and ensuring continued functionality even during internet outages. This reliability is critical for maintaining uninterrupted service in fast-paced QSR environments.

Comprehensive Reporting: The system provides detailed reporting and analytics, offering insights into sales performance, inventory levels, and customer behaviour across all franchise locations. This data supports informed decision-making and strategic planning.

Enterprise Features

Redcat's POS system is, of course, also well suited to enterprise and multi-location restaurants. Redcat ePOS provides each location with the flexibility to have a unique hardware setup, allowing businesses to tailor their POS system to meet specific operational needs.

The system supports independent configurations, enabling unique system settings, features, and modules for each location, making it adaptable for diverse environments within a single organisation.

Each location can also maintain its own client and management accounts, staff profiles, and personalised PLUs (product lookup codes) and keypads. This allows each site to function independently while still being part of the larger enterprise network.

The system also streamlines updates and data management, making it easy to apply changes to individual locations or groups as needed. For instance, if the POS software requires an update, it can be deployed to one site, a select group, or across the entire network, ensuring consistency while accommodating location-specific requirements.

The sales data retrieval feature is highly flexible, allowing managers to access the sales performance of a single site, multiple sites, or the enterprise as a whole. 

The structure empowers businesses with robust customisation options and centralised control, keeping each location operating effectively while contributing to the organisation's overall performance.

Loyalty Across All Touch Points

Redcat's integrated loyalty system offers several advantages to restaurants aiming to enhance customer engagement and drive repeat business: 

Enhanced Customer Engagement: By integrating loyalty programs directly into the ePOS system, Redcat enables restaurants to offer personalised rewards and promotions, fostering stronger relationships with patrons.

Increased Customer Retention: Loyalty programs reward repeat visits, encouraging customers to return more frequently. This consistent patronage can lead to higher lifetime value per customer.

Data-Driven Insights: The system collects valuable data on customer preferences and spending habits, allowing restaurants to tailor marketing efforts and menu offerings to better meet customer needs.

Seamless Integration: Redcat's loyalty features seamlessly integrate with its ePOS system, leading to a smooth experience for both staff and customers with no need for separate platforms.

Competitive Advantage: Implementing a robust loyalty program can differentiate a restaurant in a crowded market, attracting new customers and retaining existing ones.

Fully Integrated Add-On Options

Redcat's POS system also comes with a wide range of fully integrated add-on options, including:

• Polygon Accounting: A fully integrated accounting and financial management system.
• Polygon Payroll: Full use the standard clock on/off function at the POS terminal to log staff shifts and transmit this data automatically to Payroll.
• Polygon Inventory: A comprehensive stock control module.
• Polygon Payments: An integrated EFTPOS module.
• Polygon Loyalty: A fully integrated loyalty solution.
• Memberships: Selected Membership and Management Systems.
• Polygon Reports: A web-based and real-time reporting system.

Customer Support

The Redcat Hospitality IT Platform offers comprehensive customer support to maintain seamless operation of its ePOS platform:

• Phone Support: Customers can reach Redcat's support team via dedicated phone lines.
• Email Support: For non-urgent inquiries or detailed assistance, customers can contact Redcat's support team via email. Specific email addresses are provided on their official website.
• Online Support Portal: Redcat provides an online support portal where customers can sign in to open new cases or view existing ones. This platform facilitates efficient tracking and management of support requests.
• Knowledge Base: An extensive knowledge base is available, containing numerous support references created by Redcat's support professionals. This resource is continually updated to provide the latest information and solutions to common issues.
• Training and Documentation: Redcat offers initial training during installation and provides comprehensive software documentation with all products. Further training and refresher courses, both external and on-site, are available according to customer requirements.

These support options are designed to assist customers effectively, helping to maximise the benefits of Redcat's ePOS system.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right POS system is crucial for the efficiency, profitability, and customer experience of any restaurant, and Redcat's ePOS system stands out as a top choice for UK establishments.

With its rich features tailored to the unique needs of the restaurant industry, Redcat’s ePOS improves order accuracy, streamlines operations, and offers real-time insights that empower business owners to make data-driven decisions.

From seamless integration with other essential software to reliable support, Redcat's ePOS provides UK restaurants with a comprehensive solution designed to elevate service quality, boost productivity, and ultimately increase customer satisfaction and revenue.

At Redcat, our full hospitality IT platform is designed to help you get the most out of your operations. Reach out and speak to one of our hospitality tech experts or book your demo today.