Slice, the pizza-focused technology provider, is launching a point of sale system designed specifically for pizzerias.
Slice Register, a cloud-based, digital-first order-taking system, will be available to the more than 15,000 restaurants in Slice's network. The idea is to help pizzerias streamline their operations and better leverage customer and sales data.
It will be a significant upgrade for many pizza shops that are still using systems built for walk-ins and phone orders, said Slice CEO Ilir Sela.
“The vast majority of the partners on our platform have a cash register, which is actually why we’ve named this the Slice Register,” he said. The hardware and software are free for Slice partners.
The New York-based company offers a host of digital tools for independent pizzerias, including branded websites, marketing and delivery optimization. It also has a consumer-facing marketplace. All are intended to offer mom and pops the same tools a Domino's franchisee might have.
"How do you take independent operators who by default are at a disadvantage because they’re working alone, buying alone, making decisions alone, and bring them into a community where we have over 800 team members at Slice," he said of the company's mission.
Slice Register is designed to meet pizza shops' complex workflow, which has to accommodate lots of modifications.
"You can’t put a coffee shop POS inside a pizzeria," Sela said. "When the pizzeria gets incredibly busy, if the user interface isn’t designed for a pizzeria, it's a challenging proposition," which is why many shops resort to hand-written orders.
Not only should the all-digital system ease the workflow, but it will also be able to capture more data, which Slice can help restaurants analyze and use to their advantage. They'll know how many orders to expect on a given day, for example, allowing their operations to be proactive instead of reactive. And it will enable real-time menu updates and order tracking.
Slice is also launching a rewards program for customers that use the Slice app. Users who place eight orders of $15 or more will get a large cheese pizza for free, redeemable at any Slice partner. A new version of the app will put the rewards program front and center, Sela said, in hopes of driving repeat business to local pizzerias.
Photograph courtesy of Slice
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