Fans of the TV show Bar Rescue might be familiar with the 2Touch POS name. Formerly called Bar Touch, the 2Touch POS system was designed specifically for bars and pubs, but has expanded to offer functions for restaurants and nightclubs. Is it right for your bar, restaurant, or club?
What You’ll Need
In order to use 2Touch POS to take credit cards and manage your restaurant or bar, you’ll need the 2Touch POS bundle (includes hardware and the POS software) and a merchant account with Vantiv. (2Touch’s website says that it works with ”a few” processors, but we’ve been told that the POS system only offers direct integration with Vantiv.) You can optionally integrate with other industry products like Digital Pour.
2Touch Credit Card Processing Integrations
2Touch does not offer credit card processing itself; the company only provides the POS system. However, integrated credit card processing is available. In order to take credit cards with your 2Touch, you’ll need an account with Vantiv. Since 2Touch doesn’t offer processing services directly, your pricing for credit card processing will be set by Vantiv.
Features
The 2Touch POS system is fully PCI compliant, and comes with access to tech support. Additionally, it offers several features specific to bars and restaurants that can help make your business run more smoothly. 2Touch offers this video introduction that includes an interview with the CEO:
Tabs
Bar owners know that starting and managing tabs for customers is a necessity. The 2Touch POS system lets you easily manage multiple tabs, quickly prepare accurate bills, and recording all transactions for easy analysis later. If your customers want to split a tab, you can easily do that right through the system.
Real-Time Price Adjustments and Dynamic Pricing
If you need to update the price of a menu item, you can do it from any 2Touch station quickly. The 2Touch system will push the update to all connected stations in real time so that your staff is working with the most accurate information.
If you offer special pricing for “happy hour” or other events, the 2Touch POS system can enforce the timeframe for your specials and automatically adjust the prices for that period using dynamic pricing. Unlike with a cash register, employees won’t need to remember the special prices and check the time when ringing up customers.
Syncing with Kitchen Printers
For restaurants, seamless communication with the kitchen is key. The 2Touch POS system allows you to print tickets right to the kitchen so your cooks can get orders ready on time and free up your waitstaff to attend to customers for drink refills and other requests instead of running physical order forms to the kitchen.
Additionally, the 2Touch POS system website includes videos offering detailed information on facets of owning a bar or restaurant, such as menu design and engineering, price anchoring, and others sales management tactics. The system also integrates with related products like Digital Pour and the Compeat restaurant management system.
One of the things that the 2Touch POS system pushes on its website is the option to include the costs of credit card processing in your prices with the intention of offering a discount for cash payments. This is one of the alternatives to imposing credit card surcharges.
Reporting
For managing your business, 2Touch POS offers reporting options that include sales, average check total, average spending per guest, top selling menu items, labor costs as a percentage of sales, total sales by server, and more. Data is available real-time or in downloadable format. 2Touch POS lists an integration with QuickBooks, which can help you reconcile and manage transaction information. Information lives on the cloud so that you can have access to sales and employee hour info from almost anywhere.
Equipment and Accessories
2Touch POS is a full hardware and software bundle. When you purchase it, you’ll get all the hardware needed to use the software, including a touch screen display. If you’d prefer a tablet, you can use an iPad instead. Optional accessories (like kitchen printers, cash drawers, and more) may also be supported, allowing you to create a customized system that fits your bar or restaurants’ exact point-of-sale needs.
2Touch POS Pricing
2Touch POS doesn’t publish the costs for its system on its website, but does mention leasing. The company offers equipment leases through Lease Corporation of America, with contract terms ranging from 24-60 months and featuring a $1 buyout option at the conclusion of the contract. 2Touch includes a lease calculator on its website to provide estimates of costs for leasing the system. In general, we don’t suggest leasing credit card processing systems, as it’s typically an expensive proposition. Be sure to read the full details of any leasing contract before signing, and keep in mind that lease contracts are separate from your credit card processing agreement. In general, even if you cease credit card processing or close down your business, a lease contract will remain in effect.
The costs for the POS system are in addition to your credit card processing fees and to the costs of any accessories that you choose to purchase.
If you’re looking for quotes for credit card processing using a POS system, check out CardFellow’s quote comparison tool to see what pricing is available to you.
Ben Dwyer began his career in the processing industry in 2003 on the sales floor for a Connecticut‐based processor. As he learned more about the inner‐workings of the industry, rampant unethical practices, and lack of assistance available to businesses, he cut ties with his employer and started a blog where he could post accurate information about credit card processing. As the blog gained in popularity, Ben began directly assisting merchants in their search for a processor. Ben believes in empowering businesses by providing access to fair, competitive pricing, accurate information, and continued support. His dedication to transparency and education has made CardFellow a staunch small business advocate in the credit card processing industry.
by Ben Dwyer 