Fast Casual: Why Universal POS Systems Are Essential in Franchising

The modern-day franchisor is a jack-of-all-trades. From overseeing training and providing ongoing business support to expanding operations and spearheading reputation management, franchisors have no shortage of tasks lining their to-do list. Such responsibilities are even more overwhelming when dealing with multiple franchisees and having to deal with manual reporting.

Traditionally, franchisors received self-reported metrics from franchisees, making inventory management and sales analysis an unnecessarily lengthy process. To free up valuable time and receive a more accurate understanding of overarching operations, franchisors should consider technology solutions that streamline measurement. Investing in a universal point-of-sale system, for example, makes it easier to standardize operations and offer franchisors real-time access to hourly reports and inventory.

This type of standardization, especially when utilizing cloud-based technology, can drive increased sales across all franchises. Franchisors collect more royalties when a franchisee functions more efficiently. While franchisees have some operational liberties, franchisors should encourage the usage of cloud-based POS solutions and management technology.

Here are some key ways these systems benefit both parties.

Inventory management

Whether QSR or fast casual, pizzeria or taqueria, franchisees typically purchase the bulk of ingredients directly from franchisors. Through a cloud-based POS system, franchisors can keep tabs on inventory in real time to ensure franchisees never run out of product, managing thousands of goods in bulk, giving managers the flexibility to pinpoint top-selling items and set alerts to buy needed ingredients.