How to Run a Successful Deli

Your deli brings fresh and convenient food to your local customers. Many delis even function as community gathering locations where locals eat together and have a chance to catch up. If you recently started a deli or have plans to build your deli into the top local eatery, we’re here to help! We have put together a list of proven methods that will help your deli stand out:

Create a Smart Store Layout

The layout of your business is important for deli employees and for customers. Your employees behind the deli counter must be able to easily navigate the space so they can prepare food quickly. If your employees don’t have room to move, or there is not enough space for multiple employees to prepare food at once, you will lose time and business. A good strategy is to have your employees stand at the counter in the order they do work. For example, your cashier is the last step in the process and should be placed at the end of the counter. You can also sell more buy placing popular impulse items in highly visible areas of your store. Try moving popular snacks to the front of your store near the cash register so customers are encouraged to add a bag of chips to their order at the point of purchase. We often see the beverage refrigerator stuck in the back of the store behind tall gondolas. Make sure your beverage refrigerator is lit up and highly visible to your customers.

Make a Unique Menu

Your deli gives you many creative opportunities. You can create a menu full of food that only you can make. However, many delis only sell basic menu items and products. Buy paying attention to food consumption trends (Avocados are Hot!) and inserting your own creativity into the menu, you can put yourself ahead of the competition. Even small personal touches create a big difference. If you have a menu creation you feel proud of, you can sell it as your famous recipe. Give this item more attention on the menu and advertise it in a promotion so people can enjoy your best work. Think about making more ingredients by yourself instead of buying them already made. You can make your own bread, sauces, pickles and more. Who knows? Your special ingredients could even become popular enough to sell on their own!

Provide a Fast Checkout Experience

Deli customers move through the store in one big line. You need to take orders and ring them up as fast as possible in order to keep your line moving quickly. Paying attention to the layout, like we discussed before, can help you have a faster checkout process. You should also have a fast and easy-to-use point of sale (POS) system.

Running a Deli With POS+

We offer a Point of Sale bundle called POS+ that helps small business owners succeed. A POS system like ours will let you:

• Ring up products quickly: You can create quick buttons for menu items and add-ons that let you ring them up with just one touch.
• Accept popular payment methods: Cash payments force you to count the money and exchange it. Payment methods like cards work faster and make check-out quicker. Accepting more payment methods means you can cater to customers that don’t carry cash.
• Count your inventory: Tell POS+ the number of items you have that you want to track. It will count them as they sell and save you time looking through your stock.
• Create your own special promotions: The NRS POS+ is unique in that it lets you run your own custom ads on the customer facing screen. The system also has loyalty software that allows you to create special promotions on products.

Besides making checkout faster, POS+ helps you manage your store more effectively. Learn about its features and affordable price when you request a quote. You can also buy it today.