Point of Sale system for a brewery taproom

[WitsEnd]

Any pointers on an affordable POS system for a brewery taproom/gift shop?

Is it even worth setting something up?

Oh, would I love to have the taproom be cash only, but I don't think I could get by without accepting credit cards, which got me thinking about some sort of system to track purchases as well.

Suggestions?

[Terroir]

ipad with touch bistro
cheap an easy

[CapeCodBeer]

We use Quickbook POS...but are not huge fans of it...
There are lots of bugs in the newest version .. v10 I think...and it turds all over your accounting system. Big fans of Quickbooks...just not their POS.

Cheers
Cape Cod Beer

[bheliker]

https://squareup.com/

Super easy, less fee than most CC systems. Works with any smartphone.

-b
http://www.4drillsbrewery.com/tools/mobile/

[Pompeiisneaks]

Here's another one I researched that supports ipad/iphone/ipod touch:

http://www.poslavu.com/

Seems really cool but I've not tried it. Does square have full POS services, I thought it was more just a payment system, but I've not yet really dug into it.

[bheliker]

Yeah. I haven't used it but their free "Register" app is supposed to take the place of a register: https://squareup.com/register

[CaptainEBC]

We use square and really like it. It's great for tracking data since all of the sales can be imported into excel.

[WitsEnd]

We use square and really like it. It's great for tracking data since all of the sales can be imported into excel.

Do you use the full register app? It looks good, but that would mean I'd have to take the dive into apple products...

[CaptainEBC]

We use the full register app. You would have to buy an iPad, but the little card reader and app is free.

I think its worth it. We give some pretty in-depth brewery tours and it always seems like people are way more amazed that an Ipad has a card reader on it than all of the mechanical goodies and technology in the brewery.

If you have a smartphone, you can also plug the square into that if you need to run cards outside of the brewery and don't want to take the ipad.

I also like being able to track sales on my phone if i'm away from the brewery.

[Pompeiisneaks]

By the way, an apple iPad is a LOT cheaper than most POS systems, they're like thousands of dollars, not hundreds. FYI.

[ChesterBrew]

By the way, an apple iPad is a LOT cheaper than most POS systems, they're like thousands of dollars, not hundreds. FYI.

Bingo. And there's usually an associated monthly fee to consider.

I have to say I'm impressed by the Square app but still have fears of somebody running off with an iPhone or iPad when you need to give it to them to sign it.

[thatjonguy]

We are going with a HarborTouch system, dependant on whether their loyalty portion programming will work with our loyalty program. We based the decision on several factors. Is it the cheapest, probably not. It it works for us on several levels. I now of a quick serve in my town that uses it and they love it.

I would at least review their website and go from there. The advice about the iPad is also very good.

[Brewtopian]

We're currently using Lightspeed but its centered on a retail environment. We're looking for a new POS system that will bridge retail and restaurant operations and have a few good options but at numerous budget levels. Micros is the most complete for our needs but for 3 terminals we're looking at $20k. Aloha is second in terms of features but double the price.

For a simple tasting room you might check out SalesVu, its similar to Square but with lower rates, retail and restaurant functions.

[Brewtopian]

We use EMS and they have been incredible. Great rates but absolutely fantastic service. When we need wireless machines for events off site I ask and they overnight them to us. If you'd like a contact DM me and I'd be happy to make a intro.

[Ken_H]

I would go with an iPad based concept. smooth and inexpensive.

If it lacks the features you need, which is possible, depending on the simplicity of your model, Adelo is a fairly powerful POS system. And it is cheap.(er than most restaurant systems)

I own a restaurant as well, and having used Adelo, we "upgraded" to a Radiant system. The hardware and service is better, but the Adelo software was actually a better product for us.