POINT-OF-SALE SYSTEMS
T he point-of-sale system has long been the nerve center of a restaurant, managing every order and capturing a treasure trove of data along the way. As restaurant operations grew more complex in recent years, the POS followed suit. What once may have been just a few shared terminals has in many cases blossomed into a connected network of handheld devices, self-service ordering, linked third-party platforms, and real-time business intelligence tools. Today’s POS systems not only enable fast, flexible order management from multiple channels, but they also unlock the power of that transaction data — including sales mix, channel volume and customer behaviors — to optimize operations and improve guest experience. Yet even as POS capabilities have exploded, many restaurants are using older systems — only about a quarter of operators have replaced their systems in the last two years — and increasingly are grappling with the challenge of integrating their POS with the rest of the tech stack. About 1 in 5 operators cite poor POS integration as a top challenge, in recent Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Business research. While the majority of operators surveyed say they are broadly satisfied with their current systems it remains a core target for near-term investment. In fact, more than half of operators in the 2026 Restaurant Technology Outlook survey by Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Business said they were planning to invest in their POS capabilities, up from 40% a year earlier.
TOP 5 POS FEATURES PRIORITIZED BY OPERATORS 1. Loyalty integration 2. Faster Payment Processing 3. Faster Order Processing 4. Real-time inventory integration 5. Automatic upselling and offer prompts
22 %
53 %
57 %
of operators say poor integration of the POS with the rest of the tech stack is a top challenge
of operators say they plan to invest in their POS systems this year
say the POS system is the part of the tech stack that provides the greatest return on investment
Source: Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Business research
4 | FSTEC 2026
Powered by FlippingBook