As the restaurant industry grapples with rising operational costs, shifting consumer preferences, and the demand for seamless dining experiences, technology has become a critical tool for success. A fast-paced environment demands technology that can keep up with high transaction volumes, dynamic menus, and increasing labor shortages. Traditional POS systems often come with high upfront costs, slow updates, and limited scalability—challenges Jay Shavitz, senior vice president at Shift4 and head of SkyTab POS knows all too well from decades of experience.
“My whole life has been point of sale and payments,” Shavitz says. “I grew up in the restaurant business, worked my way through high school and college waiting tables, bartending, and managing. I was always a computer nerd, so I started my own point-of-sale dealership in 1990, integrating software and hardware for restaurants. It’s been incredible to combine my two passions.”
Restaurants face tight margins and operational hurdles. Rising food and labor costs, coupled with supply chain disruptions, put additional strain on businesses. SkyTab addresses these concerns with solutions that simplify processes and reduce costs.
For example, many legacy systems involve significant upfront investments and slow, cumbersome updates. “It wasn’t uncommon for a four- or five-station restaurant to have a $30,000 to $50,000 installation cost with traditional systems,” Shavitz says. “And those systems required on-site updates, which could be expensive and disruptive.”
SkyTab is built to handle the complexities of modern restaurants while keeping things user-friendly. Combining cloud-based capabilities with robust local processing ensures reliability even during peak hours. “Some cloud systems slow down when it gets busy,” Shavitz says. “We use hybrid technology to handle operations locally while processing transactions in the background. It’s completely transparent to the end user and significantly faster.”
SkyTab also offers tools that help operators make data-driven decisions. “Our business intelligence feature allows operators to analyze sales trends, food costs, and profitability,” Shavitz says. “It’s designed to help restaurant owners understand their business better—even uncovering questions they didn’t know they had.”
SkyTab’s ecosystem includes features like integrated kiosks, kitchen displays, and QR code ordering. These innovations streamline operations and reduce labor needs. “Our kiosks are easy to deploy and integrate seamlessly with existing menus,” Shavitz says. “Operators can quickly set up modifiers, pricing, and promotions. It’s been a huge win for reducing wait times and improving customer satisfaction.”
The system also supports mobile and contactless payments to enhance efficiency. “From QR code ordering to SMS notifications when an order is ready, we’re cutting down every fraction of a second to maximize revenue potential,” Shavitz says.
SkyTab reduces barriers to entry with competitive pricing and a single-source solution for hardware, software, and integrations. “We provide everything a restaurant needs in one place,” Shavitz says. “There’s no finger-pointing between vendors. If there’s an issue, operators know exactly who to call.”By consolidating all aspects of the POS system under one provider, SkyTab eliminates confusion and delays often caused by dealing with multiple vendors, ensuring faster resolutions.
This all-in-one approach extends to third-party integrations, such as inventory management and delivery platforms. “We handle the heavy lifting, ensuring seamless communication between systems without compromising security,” Shavitz says.
SkyTab is setting a new standard for POS systems while making sure development is driven by and for operators. “We listen to our customers,” he says. “Their insights shape our updates and help us refine the system. Good enough is never good enough—we’re always looking for ways to improve.”
To learn more about SkyTab’s innovative solutions, visit SkyTab.com.
By Drew Filipski
