Garden centres looking to improve their customer service and sales in their restaurants and cafes should be embracing new technology, according to industry experts.
Epos experts, Easitill, have said the implementation and better use of epos systems can benefit garden centres tremendously when it comes to customer flow.

Managing director of Easitill, Rob Gardner, explained: "These days it's quite uncommon to visit a garden centre that doesn't have its own restaurant or cafe but a lot of garden centres aren't making the most of technology within them, which can help themselves and their customers.

"There are three systems that cafes and restaurants can benefit hugely from. The standard checkout service, which allows customers to serve themselves and queue up to pay at the end, the table allocation service, which is table number driven and the waitress centred table service.

"By linking them directly into the kitchens where orders are printed out, service is much quicker, thus improving customer feedback and the number of diners that can be served."

Easitill supplies three different systems to the industry and its software is created in-house specifically for garden centres and nurseries allowing them to improve their efficiency, reduce errors, increase security and turnover and retention. It can also link epos systems with its various loyalty card schemes, which encourage customers to keep coming back.

Mr Gardner added: "Restaurant epos systems are extremely user-friendly and include touch screen technology. We can install a real-time set up that sends accurate product data to and from tills and master/back office as and when it happens. It can record accurate sales data using simple screen layouts, programmable touch screen keys and multiple button sets/layers.

"They will make the running of the restaurant or cafe much more efficient and we can arrange installation and staff training too."