iPad POS for restaurants in Jordan: a buyer's checklist
An iPad can take an order at the table, send it to the kitchen and close the bill. Whether it does that well on a busy evening depends on a few things that demos rarely show.
Before you compare vendors
Ask whether an iPad suits the way you serve. It works well for table service, and for staff who take orders away from a fixed till. A single counter with no table service may need less. Write down your tables, kitchen stations, tills and delivery apps before you compare anything.
The seven checks
1. It keeps taking orders when the internet drops
Ask what happens to open orders when the connection fails, whether the device can keep working offline, and how orders sync afterwards.
2. Each order reaches the right station
Orders should go to the kitchen screen or printer for each station, not to one place for everyone. Ask how you add a new station, and what changes when a dish moves from one station to another.
3. Menu changes take minutes, not a call to the vendor
Prices, modifiers (sizes, add-ons and notes) and sold-out items should change from the device or the back office. Ask who can make those changes, and how long it takes.
4. The devices fit your staff and your floor
Ask which iPad models the system supports, how many devices a shift needs, what the stand and card reader cost, and what happens when a device breaks. Keep a spare, so one broken tablet does not stop service.
5. Staff can only do what they are allowed to do
Check who can void an item, apply a discount, refund a bill or open the cash drawer. Ask whether every void and discount is recorded against the name of the person who made it.
6. Reports show what sold, and by whom
Sales by item and by hour, by staff member and by payment method, every day. Ask what the daily reports show.
7. Someone answers when service is down
Ask who installs the system, who supports it, during which hours, and how quickly they answer a call during dinner service. Get the answers in writing.
Ask every vendor
- The full cost over three years: devices, licence, monthly fee, support and updates.
- Whether an order needs the internet to be taken, and what happens if the connection fails.
- Who installs the system on your floor, and who supports it during opening hours.
- Contract length and exit terms. Can you export your data if you leave?
- Screens and receipts in Arabic and English, and staff training in Arabic.
- The cost of adding a branch, a kitchen station or a device later.
Ask us the same questions about AlienPOS
AlienPOS is our own iPad point-of-sale system for restaurants. It has touch ordering, a kitchen display, inventory, loyalty and multi-payment, and you can manage it from anywhere. Put the same seven questions to us, and ask for written answers.
This guide is general information for buyers. Talk to us if you want a demo, or a written answer to any question in it.