For a lot of people, being self-employed is their ultimate dream. They'd love to throw off the shackles of the office and travel around serving people who share their passion for whatever it is that they're selling. Of course, it helps if what you are selling is part of a booming business, and the food industry is certainly growing. While other markets contracted during recent recessions, both the restaurant and the food truck business have seen a rise in sales, as people have become more and more interested in convenience. This is a great time to be in the business of food trucks!

So, chances are, if you've just started a food truck business, the sales have been rolling in more or less steadily. Hungry customers are flocking around your mobile restaurant, eager to sample your dishes in the middle of whichever random parking lot you're serving today. You hand them the food, and they hand you cold, hard wads of cash in return...except when they don't. 

“Oh, I'm sorry,” says one of your customers, her tone apologetic, if a bit nasally. “Do you take cards?” 

That is the question, isn't it? Well, do you? Nowadays, cashless is the way, and if you're only relying on the old locked metal cash box with a couple of rolls of coins thrown in, you're probably missing out on a lot of potential sales. Yes, you can just get an old school stand-alone credit card machine and try to keep track of a million sheets of receipt paper (“Merchant's Copy!”) like they did back in the days when people need to swipe their little magnetic strips—but things are a lot different now, and in the complicated society that we live in, you're going to want a point of sale system to keep track of sales—both cash and electronic—and to give you some idea of what kind of inventory you used up. The more volume you expect to sell, the more urgent it is to have a POS.

Now, maybe all of the dirty specifics are what have you procrastinating and leaving that old school “cash only” sign outside your window. Maybe you're just confused. Maybe you don't know which POS to choose for your business. Luckily for you, we're about to clarify things a little; let's take a look at the best POS systems, what they can do, and whether they might work for your business: (Get Your FREE Mobile Card Reader Now!)

What's so great about the PA PAX E700 Smart POS+? Well, just about everything, but there are some main features that make it perfect for a business that's just getting started or that needs to finally get organized: 

Easy to Use

Not a computer wiz? Why would you need to be? You're in the café business after all! If tech support is something you simply don't want to deal with (or pay an arm and a leg for), then this is the kind of POS you want at your restaurant. It is extremely easy to set up and includes a wizard that will do all of the heavy lifting and help you to get started. Updating can also be a hassle with most modern operating systems, but you won't have to worry about that with the PayAnywhere Smart POS+. It takes care of the updates automatically so you don't have to fiddle with anything to get the latest security features installed. 

Customizable

Your business is unique, so the interface on your point of sale system should be, too. Luckily, the software that runs on these machines is very modular and you can add or remove elements from the screen easily at your leisure. This means that if you have a very simple menu, you don't have to suffer from an overly-busy screen if you don't want to. It also means that you can use trial and error to determine what kind of interface is most efficient for you and your employees. 

Advanced Technology 

You want the most advanced software for your store, and thats exactly what this POS is running. The system is cloud-based, so you'll have the convenience of being able to keep an eye on sales and other figures whether you're at your coffee house location or need to step out to address your latest emergency. If you lose Internet access for any reason, though, don't worry: this system is still capable of storing information locally, and it will sync with the cloud as soon as you're re-connected, so you'll have the best of both worlds. This POS is also capable of taking several different payment methods, including cash, credit card, and Apple Pay, so you'll never have to lose a sale simply due to an inability to take your customer's money. 

Great Hardware Overall

This is a very modern, very sleek and well-designed POS system that you'll be proud to have sitting on your counter-top. Unlike the old, bulky registers of yore, this system is thin and easily portable, and uses and extremely intuitive touch interface. The screen even twists around to face your customer so that they can sign off during a credit transaction, and it's just as easy to read and comprehend for them as it is for your employees as it mirrors the mobile interfaces that most of your customers will already be used to. The screen is just about the size of a large tablet at over 13”, so it's certainly big enough to to comfortably use, but not so big that it takes over your counter space. Don't worry about keeping your customers waiting, either, since this system is really fast. It uses a flash storage system rather than the old style of hard drive, so all of your orders can be taken and stored quickly. 

Great Support

As mentioned, the interface is extremely easy to use, but as with any kind of technology things can certainly go wrong. If you find that you need tech support, the company will provide it 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, so you never have to worry about being caught in a tight spot because they are always there to help. Another nice aspect of their support is that if your equipment ever actually physically breaks, they will replace it for you for free. 

Low Cost 

Shaw Merchant Group offers a few different solutions, but the PayAnywhere Smart POS+  is the best value. It's one of their cheapest, costing only a small monthly fee (currently less than 40 dollars) to serve a small company with a few employees. Best of all, there is no upfront cost. For just a bit of pocket change practically, you can be up and running immediately, using some of the most advanced POS technology. There are many costs to not organizing your business properly, and considering how much this POS could save you in terms of time and labor, it will pay for itself many times over. So if you're looking for a POS that can serve you and your customers at your coffee shop, the PayAnywhere Smart POS+ is certainly one of the simplest, easiest, and cheapest options out there.

For years, Shaw Merchant Group has been the preferred partner of those that want more out of their payment processing experience. Shaw Merchant Group is a merchant services company that offers a unique and comprehensive suite of solutions to help business partners around the globe. With our distinguished suite of products and services, attentive customer service prioritization, and a world-class sales staff, Shaw Merchant Group is truly the ideal partner of merchants everywhere and in every industry.

Our Products and Solutions

To provide our merchants with the very best when it comes to merchant services, we feature a wide range of products and solutions that enable us to serve merchants from any industry.

Processing

Processing is the backbone of any business, and without a reliable partner to provide processing for your business, no transactions can happen. We are happy to provide processing services to our merchants all around the world and make it easier for any business ranging from small to large to accept payments and facilitate day-to-day transactions.

Ecommerce

Though in-person payments are not yet a thing of the past, ecommerce capabilities are growing by the day. While ecommerce grows in market share, you can’t afford to miss out on the benefits of working with a reliable partner to facilitate ecommerce payments. We collaborate with multiple platforms to deliver a full-service ecommerce payments package for our clients.

Back-End Solutions

Every business depends on back-end solutions to enable the front-end operations to work. We offer a comprehensive suite of back-end solutions that allow you to focus on what is really important--growing your business. Leave the back-end solutions to us to achieve high-quality, robust solutions that work for your business.

Mobile Payments

Mobile payments are becoming more relevant and necessary with each day. To facilitate these new kinds of payments, you need a partner that you can trust and one that has years of experience adapting to change. Shaw Merchant Group has been that partner for so many clients and we are ready to be that partner for you, as well.

Customized Solutions

Need something that you haven’t seen listed yet? We offer a suite of customized solutions that are sure to help you succeed in your goals. We work with companies on a daily basis to create solutions that are specifically designed for their needs and we’re ready to do it for our business too.

Why Choose Us?

Shaw Merchant Group has been the preferred partner of hundreds of clients for many years. Here is why they continue to come back to us time and again for their merchant services needs.

Experience

When it comes to experience, we are unmatched in the industry. We have years of experience facilitating credit card payments for our clients and guiding them through the complicated world of merchant services. If you are looking for a partner that can not only serve in a business sense, but also be a knowledge center for your business to guide you through the services you need, then we are the right choice for you.

Product Suite

In our years of experience we have also, several times, expanded our products and services offerings to make it easier for your business to get the services that it needs to thrive and succeed. We offer an expansive product suite that is scalable and customizable to address any need that your business might have when it comes to merchant services. Explore our products and services today to learn more about how we can help you.

Customer Service

At Shaw Merchant Group, we will always prioritize customer service. It is one of the most important pillars of our business and the main reason that so many of our clients come back to see us time and again. When you work with Shaw Merchant Group, you’ll be gaining the benefit of a teammate on your side to help address any issue that might arise.

Affordability 

With some of the most affordable and competitive rates in the industry, we are the right partner for any business on a budget. We'll help you simultaneously expand your business and reduce your processing costs to give you a distinct edge over your competition. Work with us to discover the benefits of affordable, fast, and reliable processing and what they can do for your business.