Restaurants and other hospitality businesses were among the earliest adopters of standard forms of credit card payment. Now, other industries -- such as quick serve restaurants, grocery stores and even convenience stores -- have leaped ahead with adoption of new card acceptance systems and processes that are more adaptable to changing consumer needs. Today's hospitality businesses typically utilize a cash register or standalone POS terminal that sits in a fixed location -- what VeriFone calls CounterPAY. This is a payment methodology that is well suited to takeout counters and cashier-centric points of service. However, it does not accommodate new demands where payment needs to take place in non-fixed locations, such as at the table and for carside pickup. In the fixed POS model, every card transaction requires multiple steps for the guest and staff to complete. It begins with customers waiting to receive their check, handing over a card, waiting for it to be taken to a counter or backroom, and finally being handed a receipt so they can add the tip, calculate the new total and sign, which the server later adjusts on their POS system.
With recent advances in technology and the development of innovative integrated solutions, card payment acceptance can now occur at the point of service even in full-service restaurants, without making trips to a remote POS system or payment device. This white paper examines how these new payment systems and processes will revolutionize speed of service, improve guest experience, and open up new revenue possibilities.
