Restaurant innovation is all about delivering a better customer experience, from a ghost kitchen to in-person dining. Not only will developments in restaurant tech help restaurant owners streamline their service, but better restaurant tech can also reduce the impact of staffing shortages by allowing workers to better serve their customers, or for customers to help serve themselves through kiosks or tabletop tablets.
In this blog, we're breaking down the best tablets for restaurants, evaluating the pros and cons.
Samsung Galaxy
Best For: Heavy use environments
The Samsung Galaxy X is sturdy, and one of the most durable WiFi tablets on the market. For high-volume restaurants, especially those with close quarters, the durability of this tablet and its ability to take a beating even during busy shifts without damaging the internal workings will be appreciated.
The tablet uses Android 4.4 KitKat and has up to 64GM of memory, allowing users to add features like an e-menu and ingredients list for servers to quickly and accurately answer customer questions. Unlike many other tablets, the Samsung has a 10-hour removable battery, which can be replaced if it dies, rather than the whole tablet having to be recharged. During a dinner rush, being able to quickly swap out a battery can keep your waitstaff ready to serve your customers.
Beyond the ease of battery replacement and the durability, the Samsung also is equipped with an NFC chip, allowing your customers to use contactless pay through their smartphones. The tablet supports both Samsung Pay and Android Pay, plus PayPal, which gives your customers a variety of payment options and easy ways to split the bill. It's also compatible with Square, allowing you to accept credit card payments through this system.
Apple iPad Pro
Best For: Users already familiar with Apple products
It's likely that many of your employees already use Apple products for personal use, so when you opt for Apple products for your restaurant, the learning curve may be small. This particular tablet is from Apple's business line and can run all App Store applications. The bottom tier starts with a 32GB capacity, with 128 GB and 256 GB available. While there is no external SD slot, there are accessories that allow your employees to take payments tableside. Plus, the iPad Pro supports Apple Pay, which your customers may appreciate. However, iOS isn't equipped to process payments from other operating systems, such as Samsung Pay or Google Wallet.
HTC Google Nexus 9
Best For: The budget-conscious restaurant owner
Not every restaurant owner can afford the initial outlay for an iPad POS system, and with the HTC and Google Nexus 9 tablet coming in at under $300, small business owners have access to an all-in-one business tablet they can also use as a mobile POS. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and has a 2.3 GHz 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 processor.
The Nexus weighs less than a pound and has a Gorilla Glass Screen 3, one of the most durable screens available. Both easily portable and durable, it's great for busy shifts, and with the multitasking capabilities, you can use it after hours for business communication, too.
Like the iPad, there is no SD expansion slot, and due to this, the Nexus is limited to 16 GB and 32 GB of flash memory. You'll also need to purchase a separate magnetic stripe reader to accept credit cards.
What is the Best Tablet for Restaurants?
Restaurants are choosing POS systems with easy-to-use tablets and pay systems. Many POS systems, like Revel, allow you to choose what type of tablet you want to use their software with. Each of these three tablets fully integrates not just with Revel, but also several other major POS systems, including those that offer SaaS. SaaS, or Software as a Service, reduces the up front cost of POS systems that you own and instead is a leased system with upgrades available as they come out, including in your subscription. At Cuboh, we partner with restaurants just like yours.
How does Cuboh help restaurants manage tablets?
The Cuboh platform was built to address the real needs of actual restaurants using multiple tablets. We can help you to manage your restaurant’s third party delivery apps all in one place. Additionally, Cuboh can automatically integrate all of your orders with your POS so you can save money on order errors. We understand the restaurant industry and third-party delivery platforms, and have included features that make the entire process easier. For example, true tablet consolidation, extensive integrations and automations with your POS, printers, or KDs, and an industry-leading customer support team. Our support is offered 7 days a week and we have several onboarding resources to make sure your team is comfortable with the platform.
You don't have to live in tablet misery. Cuboh's tablet manager helps you take care of order adjustments, see driver information, 86ing, and more in one place so you can run multiple delivery apps at once with ease. We'll auto-accept all orders in 0.1 seconds so that you can rank higher on the apps and beat your competitors.
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