Poster POS System Review, Features & Pricing [2020]
Article by Chris Costi, Last update at November 10, 2020
Poster is a new Point of Sale system that is specifically designed for the food industry. Their main offices are situated in Redwood City, California and they were incorporated in 2018. The four payment packages offered cover food trucks, bars, fast food and full blown restaurants. Poster offer a cloud based POS system which has a comprehensive management feature that can handle your inventory, finances, employees and anything else you will need to run a successful business. With full analytics and superior front office features, you can connect to Poster on iPad, Android and Windows.
Key Features
- Intuitive interface
- Management features
- Full analytics
- Works offline
- Free updates
- Compatible with all systems
- High security
- Personal account manager
- Transparent pricing
Pricing
Poster offers 4 payment packages, the first one, which is the Startup, is suitable for food trucks and offers up to 50 products and dishes, reports and inventory. This will cost $15.99 per month paid yearly or $21.70 per month.
The second plan is the Mini which is ideal for coffee shops and offers up to 100 products and dishes, plus cash shifts and costs $27.40 per month paid annually or $33.10 per month.
The Business plan which is suitable for bars and cafes offers up to 300 products and dishes with the addition of promotions, dish modification and payroll accounting. This plan costs $38.80 per month paid yearly or $44.50 per month.
The last one is the Pro which covers restaurants and up to 1,500 products or dishes and adds the Kitchen Kit and Reservation management features. This will cost $61.60 per month paid annually or $67.30 paid monthly. All packages include an extensive customer service, cloud storage, management console and free updates. One register is included in the price above and if you need to add another it will cost you an additional $21.70 per month. Poster offers a free 15 day trial on the Business Plan.
Things To Note
Poster have their servers in Germany and make automatic backups three times a day. Their Management console uses secure HTTPS protocol for added security. You can also set password protection for actions that require advanced security. Poster POS also connects to a barcode scanner which will help you speed up order taking and quickly allow you to add items to your inventory. Automatic cost calculation can be set by adding all your ingredients into your inventory.
Once items are sold they will automatically be removed from your inventory keeping you informed when you run low on stock. Poster only charges a subscription rate without any lengthy contract or cancellation fees. Setting up is easy and you can set up the program to suit your type of restaurant by adding your logo and address on all receipts. The subscription does not include any hardware and you can use your existing equipment, if compatible, or buy customized kits directly from Poster. Ready to use equipment is sent to you and you will have a personal account manager who will help you get connected, fill in the menu and set up accounts. It is easy to download the app to your tablet. You can find it in the App Store or Google play by the key word ‘Poster POS’
In A Nutshell
With Poster you will be able to manage your business from anywhere at any time. You will be able to access your management console with your login and password to check on you sales and manage your business. With helpful insights and business data you will be able to make educated decisions on improving your performance, streamlining your business and making it more profitable.
Reports offered are grouped by location, waiters, customers, stations, products, categories and payment methods. These analytical reports will show you clearly what your sales, profits, receipts, customer count, average check and any possible combination you need. You will be able to accept card payments via Ingenico and Verifone bank terminals.
Let’s Dive Deeper
Poster works with three major operating systems and supports iOS, Android and Windows devices. The minimal technical requirements for your device are iPad Air, iPad Mini 4 and newer, iOS 11+ and 2 GB RAM, 7″ — 1024×600 on Windows 8.1 + If you are moving from an existing POS system or starting a new business, filling in your products in your inventory management feature, is probably one of the most time consuming duties. The importance of accurate records cannot be over emphasized, with correct data you will be able to manage menu costs and inventory. There will be items like a can of Coke that are sold as is and then items that need specific ingredients to put together.
Every item used, up to the salt, must be calculated in order to get an accurate cost per menu item. You can set up different handling methods for every ingredient in your recipes so that total cost of menu item can be calculated easily. With this method you will also be able to keep track of your inventory and get a warning when you are low on stock. You can even set up products that are sold by weight by entering the weight manually or setting it up per unit. Separate prices for products in different locations can be set and synced into your POS system. You can setup stations within you establishment for every product you sell. This will allow you to get separate reports for sales at each station.
Poster offers a powerful marketing tool to help you set up a loyalty program for your customers. There are three loyalty programs that you can choose from, the first one is offering manual discount which you can set for a specific group. The second feature is the discount based program which will give your customers the opportunity to reach a certain amount of purchases before being put into a discount group that will be given a set discount on subsequent visits to your store. The third loyalty program is point based where customers are given points which will have a value that they can use in store at a later stage. There is also the possibility of importing and exporting your customer’s details to your email, SMS marketing or CRM system.
To accept card payments through Poster, you will need to have an Ingenico or Verifone bank terminal. Your customers will be able to split the payment of each bill anyway they please. Tickets are automatically printed for your bar, kitchen or other stations. The floor plan that is available can be turned on or off according to your needs. With the floorplan you can easily navigate open orders, add tables, resize and move tables around with a visual editor that is visible in the management consoles.
Poster also helps you control cash shifts and will detect any discrepancies with your employees accepting cash payments. Customize your tickets and add the appropriate taxes including VAT so they are clear to your customers and also automatically put into the correct category for your accounting needs. Poster also offers good quality hardware at reasonable prices through their website. You can purchase receipt printers, table stands, and barcode scanners, USB connections for all devices and cash drawers.
Poster Best Features
- Intuitive interface – easy to understand and use
- Management features – all restaurant management features
- Full analytics – reports on all aspects of the business
- Works offline – data synced when reconnected
- Free updates – cloud based updates automatic
- Compatible with all systems – Android, iPad and any computer
- High security – management console uses secure HTTPS protocol
- Personal account manager – to help you set up and customize
- Transparent pricing – clear pricing structure no hidden fees
