Introducing: Split Payments on Zeller Terminal

Our latest payments feature is here and it’s revolutionising the hospitality experience. The payment process is often the Achilles’ heel of many restaurant experiences. How many times have you received the bill, placed your credit card down, and then had to wait another fifteen minutes before being able to finally pay for your meal? Countless. This is because, until now, many restaurants have been hamstrung by a disconnection between their point-of-sale machine and their EFTPOS terminal. The time it takes for a waiter to deliver the bill to the diners, retrieve the payment terminal, return to the table, then round off the table in the POS system , is considerable. Multiply this by the number of tables in the venue and you can easily understand the aforementioned delay. Pay at Table technology is changing that. By centralising the POS and payment process into one device, Pay at Table bridges the gap between tapping or swiping a card, and settling the bill in the system. Read on to understand how this technology works and how it can help turn over tables faster, and ultimately drive revenue for your restaurant. If your restaurant is currently not using a POS system and you value efficiency and improving customer experience, consider exploring the best POS systems for restaurants in Australia . These systems can further streamline your payment process, helping you turn over tables faster and ultimately drive revenue. How does Pay at Table work? Pay at Table is effectively an extension of your POS machine, on your EFTPOS terminal. Waiters pick up Zeller Terminal , view open tables, see total outstanding bills, take payments and close tables — all on one device. Rather than the customer paying at the counter or finalising the bill in the traditional, time-consuming manner, waitstaff can deliver the bill and the mobile payment device, all at the same time. The status of a table is updated in real time and synced across all machines, reducing human error and optimising the whole operation. Benefits of Pay at Table technology 1. Increased efficiency Being able to close a table independently of the POS machine means that the latter isn’t blocked by taking payments, it can instead be used to open and manage tables. Naturally, this reduces foot traffic throughout the venue, eliminates queues, and turns tables over more quickly. Staff are freed up to process orders faster, leading to improved service and ultimately, higher sales. 2. Improved customer satisfaction Leaving customers waiting to pay for their bill can leave a bad taste in the mouth — pun not intended. Zeller Terminal’s Pay at Table functionality makes for a smoother process and offers the added benefit of allowing customers to split the cost by the number of people or by a custom amount . 3. Encourages generous tipping Zeller Terminal comes with a built-in tool which can easily calculate the fair amount for a gratuity and will provide the customer with various tipping options to choose from. Displayed clearly for your customers to review, this feature can increase your server’s tip earnings and erase confusion surrounding tipping protocol. Zeller Terminal makes it as easy as possible to prompt your customers to leave a tip, either as a percentage of the purchase amount or a custom amount. Or, you can switch the functionality off altogether. 4. Helps build a customer relationship When wait staff use Pay at Table, an opportunity is provided to spend more time interacting with the customers, ensuring they’ve had a great dining experience in your establishment. The technology also means you can email digital receipts on the spot. Not only is this handy for your customer’s record-keeping and to reduce costs and waste associated with paper receipts, but it’s a great way to expand your customer database by capturing email addresses. You may be able to use these details to keep in touch with your diners, providing them with up-to-date news and special offers that will keep them coming back to your restaurant. 5. Safer transactions Payment security is front of mind for most consumers these days. By having a mobile payment device available, your customer’s card remains in their possession at all times. This offers them security knowing that no one else has had access to their card details or identity. It can also mean fewer chargebacks for your business to handle. The next generation of payment processing Pay at Table is just one example of the many ways that traditional payments are evolving to keep up with the times. New technology is affording us more flexibility to create industry-specific solutions while emerging trends are changing the way we pay. Get started with Pay at Table today Pay at Table is currently available to use with selected POS systems. Contact our Sales Team to learn more about installing Pay at Table on your Zeller Terminals today. 

Since making the switch to Zeller, Decoy Cafe has resolved its biggest frustration. Coffee is a family affair for the Spathis’. Brothers Bill and Chris have been perfecting the art of brewing for more than 30 years, ever since their first summer holiday job working in the family’s coffee lounge. These days, the coffee connoisseurs can be found on Melbourne’s busy Exhibition Street. Every morning, Bill fires up the roaster and Chris gets to work preparing the kitchen for the busy day ahead. The smell of fresh coffee wafts out into the street, welcoming Decoy’s loyal customers in for their morning cup. But Decoy had a persistent problem. Their EFTPOS terminal, provided by one of the big four banks, would frequently drop out during rush hour — forcing them to rely on an I-owe-you honesty system. We sat down with Bill to understand more about the Melbourne coffee scene, what makes Decoy unique, and how Zeller is helping business run as normal. How did you get started in the coffee business? We’ve always been involved in coffee, it’s in our blood. As kids, we didn’t get school holidays. We would jump on a train and head for the city, to dad’s coffee lounge. We’d arrive early in the morning and help dad take orders, serve customers and make coffees. Then, when my brother and I went to Sydney for a period in the early 90s, we continued the family legacy. We established and ran Retro Cafe for about 15 years, which was next door to Sydney’s State Theatre. It became a bit of an institution. We hadn’t started roasting our own coffee yet, though. Eventually, we came back to Melbourne and landed in Flinders Lane. This is when the cafe scene became very competitive — you had to do something different to stand out from the crowd. So, we decided to roast our own coffee. It’s difficult to roast beans in the middle of the CBD, due to council restrictions, so we ended up finding the site at 303 Exhibition Street. We’ve been roasting here for 14 years now. What’s changed in the three decades since? Back in the 70s, people ordered their coffee so hot it was sacrilegious — but that’s the way most people liked it. There was also far less diversity. At one stage, most people were buying coffee from the supermarket. People are more discerning now. Most are buying their coffees from local roasters. Single origins are our specialty, and we do it well. We roast single origins from Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, El Salvador, and beyond. All our beans are roasted in small batches, which helps us to make sure every roast highlights the beans’ unique characteristics and gives more consistency within each batch. The cafe industry has changed dramatically from the 70s to now, and it’s still constantly changing. You’ve got to keep up, whether that’s with a new offering like beans, better service, great staff, or new equipment. Last year, we renovated the cafe and installed a Modbar under-counter coffee machine for a streamlined coffee service. We also recently upgraded our EFTPOS terminals to Zeller. What made you decide to switch EFTPOS terminal providers? We were with one of the big four banks, and we were very unhappy with the number of dropouts. Our EFTPOS terminal would stop processing transactions at peak periods. Our upstairs area would be packed with diners eating breakfast, while downstairs would be busy with takeaway coffee orders and there would be a queue out the door. But the terminals would go down, so none of the customers could pay — they’re not carrying cash these days. We’ve built up a strong customer base. About 95% of our customers are regulars. So, when the terminals were down, we’d take a customer's name and they’d come back the next day to pay us. We don’t have any of those issues with Zeller, so I’m happy to say we don’t need to do that anymore. Our terminal has 4G and WiFi. If the 4G network goes down, WiFi takes over — business continues, as normal. "Taking payment from a customer is simple, as it should be." How did the outbreak of the pandemic affect the business? It's been tough, I won't deny it. We have a great product and a loyal customer base and that's allowed us to keep going. The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns impacted sales, as we lost all our corporate customers when offices emptied out in Melbourne's CBD. What's kept us going is essential workers and tradespeople from nearby building sites and an increase in the number of  “home barista” customers — people buying their coffee beans from us to make their own coffee, while working from home. Tell us about working with family. We believe that being a family business has helped us succeed and stay resilient even in these challenging times. Chris and l have worked together from the very beginning, starting in our late father’s restaurant as young boys. We work well as a team and I think it’s part of what makes Decoy a success. A lot of cafe owners these days will hire a manager, but we’re owner-operators, and there’s always one of us here. We do that because we really love working with customers. We give 100% when it comes to quality, service and staff. Chris and I share those values. We rely on each other. Decoy Cafe is located at 303 Exhibition Street, in Melbourne's Central Business District. Drop by for your morning coffee, a quick snack, or lunch, or pick up a bag of fresh coffee roasted on-site (also available on the newly-launched Dark Horse Coffee Roasters website).

Discover 8 simple tasks you can tackle today to streamline your EOFY processes. The end of the financial year brings with it a long list of administrative tasks. No business owner looks forward to all of the paperwork required. It’s a lot of work — particularly for hospitality merchants juggling 7-day trade at the same time. The trick to mitigating the extensive time commitments of EOFY is getting prepared sooner. Not only will doing the legwork now alleviate the time and paperwork required of you later, it will set your business in better stead for the new financial year. Plus, you may discover ways to minimise the money owed to the ATO and have the time to capitalise on them. To ensure you put the right foot forward as the end of another financial year draws close, we’ve put together a list of eight things you can do right now to alleviate the headache of tax time. 1. Chase outstanding invoices In Australia, invoices are paid an average of 25.5 days late. Getting on the front foot now will ensure your accounts receivables are reconciled in time for EOFY. Plus, you'll improve your cash flow as payments land in your account. To speed up the process, it’s best to invoice as soon as possible. The sooner you invoice, the higher the likelihood of being paid before EOFY. Better yet, take payment on the job with a mobile EFTPOS terminal . When you accept payment via Zeller Terminal, funds are swept to your Zeller Transaction Account overnight — available for spending on your Zeller Mastercard. It's the fastest way to speed up your cash flow. 2. Capitalise on the instant asset write off with some new purchases Considering a new commercial oven? Now is the time to purchase and install it. With an instant-asset write-off limit of $150,000 for each asset – now newly extended to the end of the next financial year – you can purchase major assets such as fridges, ovens and coffee machines and have the business portion immediately deducted. Again, with cash flow on your side, purchasing now can mean a sizeable tax break, allowing you to cruise into the new financial year with a bit more cash in your back pocket — rather than wait another 12 months for the end of next financial year. 3. Pay your invoices When it comes to footing the bill for wages and utilities, it’s not just what you pay — but when you pay it. It sounds obvious, but paying your invoices early could save you a lot of dollars. That’s because many merchants and suppliers are often willing to negotiate shaving a portion off the outstanding amount if you’re willing to pay early. If your suppliers are amenable, not only will you save money — you’ll be minimising the amount owed at the end of the financial year. 4. Do a stocktake It’s the last thing you ever feel like doing, but it could be one of the most valuable. Taking stock will give you oversight over what you have on hand. If you have a turnover of more than $10 million, you actually don’t have a choice as to whether to undertake a stocktake or not — you’re legally obliged to. If you have a lower turnover and can reasonably estimate stocks valued at more than $5,000, you may be eligible for tax deductions or GST credits. 5. Buy up on discounted products As time-consuming and laborious as they are, stocktakes can pretty quickly tell you if your product levels give you the room to capitalise on EOFY sales. A lot of your suppliers will no doubt be trying to offload excess stock, which leaves you in a position to cash in on the lower prices. If you have the room and the knowledge of how quickly stock moves, buying in bulk today could save you a lot tomorrow. 6. Get on top of your deductions Put simply, a tax deduction is something you paid for with your own money to support the running of your business or venue. This means when it comes time to do your tax return, you can deduct this cost from your taxable income — reducing the amount owed to the ATO. While something like the cost of a single chair may seem a marginal deduction, when you combine all of your costs across a whole financial year, it can save you thousands. The most common tax deductions for hospitality business owners include: uniforms tools and equipment, including payment hardware such as EFTPOS terminals car expenses travel expenses home office running expenses self-education expenses 7. Arrange for a depreciation schedule With each day that passes, the fit-out of your business or venue depreciates. If you’re properly prepared, you could be reaping the benefits of every cent. Regardless of whether you own or lease your premises, any building works completed or plant and equipment assets added in the last financial year could work in your favour at tax time as the depreciation can be claimed as a deduction. Think paint jobs, expansions, new flooring, renovated bathrooms – you name it, you can claim the depreciation of it. The cost of the depreciation schedule itself is also totally tax deductible. 8. Make the most of your spare cash If your cash flow is looking healthy, consider how you can put any spare funds to work to help lower your taxable income. This could include prepaying expenses — if you have an annual turnover of under $10 million, you can claim an immediate deduction for up to twelve months. Are there delivery vehicle lease payments you could pre-pay? Perhaps there are regular stock purchases you could also pay for now ahead of the new financial year? Whatever it is, paying for it now could mean footing a smaller bill after June 30. Being in the know about how to prepare for tax time is the biggest cost-saving measure of all. It’ll minimise stress, hassle, and most important of all – your tax bill. Now that you’re prepared for the end of the financial year, keep up with the latest Zeller updates and announcements by subscribing to the Zeller Business Blog newsletter below. To fully prepare your business for the end of the financial year, schedule time to speak with your accountant or financial advisor. Please note this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice.