5 Best POS Cash Registers for Small and Medium Businesses
Small and medium businesses need a wide range of capabilities from their POS systems. While some businesses might be able to get away with a […]
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Lightspeed
iPad ePOS
Quick service restaurants
Casual & fine dining
Bars & Pub ePOS
Delivery platform integrations
Lightspeed Payments (Adyen)
Epos Now
Epos Pocket
Hospitality POS system
All-in-one restaurant solution
Online ordering & delivery
Pizza POS
Syrve (ex Iiko POS )
Coffee Shops
Quick Service Restaurant
Stadium and Arenas
Franchise operations
Fine Dining
Oracle Simphony POS
Cloud-based POS
Small restaurants, franchise operators and coffee shops
Hardware Add-Ons
Multi-channel KDS
Self-Service Kiosks
Revel Systems UK
Restaurant Management system
Hospitality POS
iPad Point of sale
Ingenico payment processing
Epson POS printers
10 Best Hospitality POS Systems in the UK: 2023 Comparison
While it may seem costly to try out new technology, investing in the best hospitality POS systems integrated with EMV (Europay Mastercard Visa) capabilities is essential. Running a hotel, restaurant, spa, gym, food truck, cafe, takeaway, or bakery can be more manageable.
Hospitality POS systems are integral tools for modern businesses. These systems combine advanced technology and user-friendly interfaces to streamline operations. Such systems enhance customer service and manage every aspect of a hospitality establishment, from taking orders to processing payments.
We have taken the time to explore and review some of the best hospitality POS systems. Our team of experts goes into the depths of making the proper recommendations to help you make the right decision. Let’s journey together.
Lightspeed Restaurant: Best overall hospitality system
The LightSpeed Restaurant POS system is a versatile and comprehensive solution designed specifically for the hospitality industry, including restaurants, cafes, hotels, and more.
Key Features
Lightspeed’s software provides robust inventory management capabilities for businesses, allowing them to track stock levels of both software and hardware accurately. This is especially beneficial for ordering in restaurant POS systems.
We were impressed with the kitchen display as it speeds up the ordering process. The kitchen staff will start preparing orders as they come in. The staff profile feature allows you to provide tailored access for each staff member.
This POS is big on integration, and the most significant benefit is integrating with delivery management software like Deliveroo and Uber Eats. With the system, you can manage multiple stores in different locations.
Pros
- User-friendly interface for ordering hardware in a restaurant POS system
- Intuitive design simplifies staff training and reduces errors
- Integrates seamlessly with a wide range of third-party apps
- Lightspeed provides excellent customer support
Cons
- It may take longer than a month to implement.
- Higher pricing compared to other ordering options in the market.
- Limited offline capabilities
Lightspeed Restaurant Pricing
LightSpeed Restaurant POS has different pricing plans, starting at 69 EUR
Read our Lightspeed Restaurant POS Review
Epos Now: Best for small business owners
With Epos Now, you can optimize your restaurant’s efficiency and maximize monthly profits. Let’s take a closer look at the key features of this POS system, its pros and cons, and the pricing options available.
Key Features
Epos Now’s POS system stands out with its strong capabilities in business management, stock control, and user-friendly interface while also offering a wide range of app integrations for a comprehensive point-of-sale solution.
Epos Now’s uncomplicated interface and comprehensive training mode are designed to streamline and reduce the time required for this procedure.
Epos Now left a remarkable impression regarding business management, stock control, and user-friendliness. Moreover, it provides extensive app integrations, adding to its appeal.
The only downside is the lack of CRM features, and the reporting function is somewhat limited.
Pros
- Easy-to-use interface that requires minimal training for staff members
- The POS platform offers extensive restaurant integrations to enhance functionality and customization options.
- Affordable pricing plans make Epos Now suitable for small to medium-sized restaurant businesses.
Cons
- Some users have reported occasional software glitches or bugs when using Epos Now at a restaurant. These issues can occur at any time during the month.
Epos Now Pricing
Epos Now’s cloud-based POS costs £538.80 INC. VAT
Zettle By PayPal: Best for restaurants and coffee shops
Zettle By PayPal offers a range of features that make it a top choice for restaurants and businesses needing a reliable hospitality POS system. Whether running a small cafe or a bustling restaurant, Zettle has the tools to help you manage your operations efficiently.
With its user-friendly interface and robust functionality, Zettle is the perfect solution for restaurant owners looking to streamline their operations and improve their bottom line.
Key Features
- Contactless payment acceptance through card readers or mobile devices is convenient for customers to pay at a restaurant. This POS system allows for easy and secure transactions, making the payment process hassle-free.
- Restaurant inventory management tools with POS capabilities can track stock levels and automate reordering, ensuring you always have popular items.
- Detailed sales analytics from your restaurant’s POS system provide valuable insights into your top-selling items and trends, enabling you to make informed business decisions every month.
- Integration with restaurant accounting software (POS) for simplified financial management, making it easier for restaurant owners to keep track of their revenue and expenses every month.
Pros
- Setting up a restaurant POS system is simple without lengthy contracts or hidden fees.
- You can quickly and easily start with a POS system for your restaurant in a month without any hassle.
- Competitive transaction rates that are transparently displayed upfront.
- User-friendly interface suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Cons
- If you require specific functionalities beyond the basics of your restaurant POS system, you may need to explore alternative options.
- Restaurant hardware compatibility may be limited compared to more established POS providers.
Zettle Pricing
Till Systems: from £189
Square: Best for quick-service restaurants
Square for restaurants is one of the best restaurant hospitality POS systems in 2023, offering comprehensive features to streamline your business operations. Let’s look at what Square offers for restaurant POS systems.
Key Features
Square POS is a well-recognized name within the quick-service restaurant industry, renowned for its strong reputation and affordable pricing. This system offers specialized solutions tailored to the needs of various establishments, including table service, counter service, bars and lounges, coffee shops, bakeries, and food trucks.
One of the standout attributes is the Square dashboard – a real-time, comprehensive overview of your business, enabling you to monitor precisely what’s selling and what’s not. Square excelled in our evaluation, delivering remarkable results in various aspects, including business management, stock control, business development, user-friendliness, affordability, and customer support.
Pros
- Intuitive interface.
- It is easy to use.
Cons
- Customer support
- Some advanced POS features may require additional paid add-ons
Square POS Pricing
Square has no monthly cost, no contracts, or hidden fees. There are costs for additional features.
Goodtill By SumUp: Best for for mid-range hospitality business
Goodtill POS System is one of the best hospitality POS systems in 2023 that offers a range of standout features, making it an excellent choice for businesses in the food and beverage industry. Let’s look at its features, pros, cons, and pricing.
Note: Goodtill was acquired by SumUp
Key Features
While many POS companies provide takeaway tools, Goodtill stands out for its dedicated focus and commitment. In our testing, our experts discovered that Goodtill demonstrated outstanding performance in business management, stock control, and user-friendliness, although its areas for improvement were price and customer support.
- Stock management
- Self-checkout mode
- Staff clock-in/out function
- Multi-user access
- Customer database
Pros
- Goodtill’s POS system features a user-friendly interface, making it easy for staff members to navigate.
- Minimal training is required to use the POS effectively. This makes it easy for businesses to onboard new employees without spending excessive time on POS training sessions.
- Goodtill offers excellent customer support for POS systems, providing responsive assistance via phone or email.
Cons
- The add-ons can make this POS quite expensive for some businesses
Goodtill POS Pricing
The pricing starts at £49, and the add-ons begin as low as £9
Touchbistro
Key Features
Touchbistro is a comprehensive restaurant management system offering advanced features and an intuitive platform to enhance sales, delight guests, and save time and money.
Moreover, the TouchBistro reservation feature streamlines the reservation process, enabling you to provide personalized service to expected guests. With this feature, you can track who will be visiting your restaurant and make note of their allergies, dining preferences, and special occasions through customized notes.
TouchBistro’s robust reporting feature provides in-depth insights and analytics to help restaurant owners make informed decisions. It offers detailed data on sales, inventory, customer preferences, and more, allowing for data-driven strategies that enhance restaurant efficiency and profitability.
Pros
- TouchBistro is a POS system specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the hospitality industry.
- The POS system’s easy-to-use interface significantly reduces training time for staff members.
- Dedicated customer support is available 24/7.
Cons
- While TouchBistro excels in the food service sector, it may not be as suitable for businesses outside this industry, especially those looking for a reliable POS system.
- Some advanced POS features or integrations may come with additional fees.
Touchbistro Pricing
TouchBistro offers flexible pricing plans tailored to different types of establishments. The solo plan starts at £59 per month.
Read our Touchbistro POS Review
Toast POS
Toast POS is one of the best hospitality POS systems in 2023 that offers a range of features to streamline your restaurant operations. Let’s look at what Toast brings: its point of sale (POS) capabilities.
Key Features
Toast offers a user-friendly interface and cost-effective option for businesses utilizing Android hardware. However, it’s important to note that the POS lacks integrated payment processors and relies on external integrations for CRM tools.
A notable feature of the Toast POS system that we found appealing is its ability to facilitate tableside orders taken by servers, effectively relaying them to your kitchen and bar staff. However, being exclusively Android-based restricts its accessibility to iOS businesses, limiting its adoption within a significant portion of the restaurant industry.
The inclusion of a dedicated cost management feature enables managers to effortlessly analyze labor and dish costs, incorporating fixed overhead expenses to provide a simplified, unified perspective on overall revenue.
Pros
- User-friendly interface: One of the standout features of Toast is its user-friendly interface.
- It simplifies order-taking and staff training, ensuring your team can quickly adapt to the system without much hassle.
- Extensive integrations with third-party apps
- Reliable offline mode
Cons
- It is rather pricey
- Required long-term contracts
Toast POS Pricing
Toast has different price bundles, starting at £59/mo
Oracle Micros
Key Features
Oracle Micros delivers rock-solid, trustworthy, and fortified point-of-sale (POS) systems, catering to various industries worldwide, including restaurants, hotels, resorts, casinos, stadiums, arenas, cruise ships, transportation hubs, and retail establishments.
Our clients can harness accelerated innovation, unparalleled security, and seamless POS system integrations by integrating industry-specific applications from MICROS with Oracle’s comprehensive technology stack.
Enhanced by cloud-based access to real-time analytics, inventory management, flexible scheduling, and seamless integration capabilities, Oracle MICROS POS solutions are the foremost choice.
Pros
- As an industry-leading technology backed by a reputable brand like Oracle, Micros brings reliability and innovation.
- Dedicated support team that is available to assist users with any issues or queries they may have.
Cons
- Due to its advanced features and customization options, the implementation process of Oracle Micros can be complex and time-consuming.
Pricing
The pricing for Oracle Micros is customized based on individual business needs. It offers a $1 POS hardware.
Revel Systems: Best for restaurants and retailers
Revel stands out as a cutting-edge iPad-based Point of Sale (POS) solution, adaptable to an extensive array of industries, including the dynamic realm of hospitality, notably restaurants.
Key Features
What sets Revel apart in our eyes, beyond its remarkable flexibility, is its unwavering offline functionality, ensuring your operations continue smoothly even when the internet goes down.
Revel provides an extensive range of hospitality features, such as online appointment bookings, table reservations, CRM, delivery management, customer display, employee scheduling, restaurant reporting, and tableside ordering.
Apart from Revel’s inherent adaptability, other aspects have earned our favor. Revel offers a robust offline mode, ensuring uninterrupted business operations without an internet connection. Furthermore, Revel is committed to continuous feature additions and improvements, further enhancing its attractiveness.
Revel Systems Pricing
The pricing starts at $99 per month.
Iiko POS (Syrve): Best for restaurants
Iiko POS (Syrve) seamlessly combines various facets of hospitality management with the multifaceted features of restaurant management systems into a unified cloud POS. Whether your goal is to enhance your servers’ focus on customer care or better understand your financial allocations, Syrve is your solution.
Key Features
Iiko’s distinctive allure lies in its automation capabilities, making it one of the most intelligent POS systems available. It harnesses AI in exceptionally clever ways to enhance its functionality.
By seamlessly integrating this robust software with Eat App, a well-known reservation and guest management platform, restaurant operators can effortlessly harmonize their reservation data with Syrve POS. This synchronization empowers them to optimize table turnover, elevate customer service, and enhance financial performance.
Crafted to address this sector’s intricate and ever-changing demands, Syrve is your partner in achieving success.
Pros
- Allows for easy menu updates.
- The system assists in tracking inventory levels, ingredient costs, and vendor information
- Access to comprehensive reports and analytics supports data-driven decision-making
Cons
- High initial setup and ongoing costs associated with Syrve.
- Although it has an offline mode, some features may be restricted in this mode.
Iiko Software Pricing
The pricing starts at £49/mo
What is POS Hospitality?
In the hospitality sector, restaurant management relies on a Point of Sale (POS) system to streamline transactions and enhance customer service in food businesses.
The POS system is essential for managing restaurant features and ensuring efficient payment processing. It’s a technology-driven solution that has revolutionized the way companies in this industry operate, improving their products, services, and customer service.
Understand the Impact of POS Technology
POS technology has revolutionized the hospitality sector’s payment processing and management, benefiting restaurants and food businesses. With online ordering and processing software in place, businesses can efficiently process payments, manage inventory, and track sales data.
This is especially beneficial for quick service establishments. This saves time, reduces human error, and increases overall efficiency in the online ordering program, using the tool to cut costs.
Key Features and Functions of Hospitality-Specific POS Systems
Hospitality-specific POS systems for restaurants come equipped with software features tailored to meet the unique needs of establishments in this industry. These features include kitchen displays and service options. Some key features include:
- Online ordering: Order Management allows staff to take online orders directly at the table or counter using the restaurant POS system, minimizing errors and improving order accuracy. The countertop POS also enables seamless payment processing.
- Inventory management: Hospitality POS systems have revolutionized inventory management. These systems track inventory levels in real time, ensuring optimal stock levels and reducing wastage. By automating the process, costs are minimized, and sales are maximized.
- Seating arrangements: POS systems can help optimize seating arrangements and track restaurant table availability. This helps streamline the dining experience for customers and improves the overall efficiency of the kitchen. With a well-planned table management system, restaurants can ensure customers are seated promptly and efficiently.
- Reporting and Analytics: Provide detailed reports, reviews, and ratings on sales performance, customer preferences, and other metrics to inform business decisions. The service also includes software for analyzing data.
What are the benefits of POS systems for hospitality businesses
Improve Efficiency
POS systems in the hospitality industry offer numerous benefits. One of the key advantages of using online software services like Lightspeed is improving efficiency by automating various processes.
With an ePOS system, businesses can automate online order-taking, payment processing, and inventory management.
This software automation reduces manual errors and saves valuable time for restaurant staff members using the online restaurant POS system.
- Automate order-taking, payment processing, and inventory management.
- Reduce manual errors and save time for staff members.
Enhance Customer Experience
Another benefit of using a POS system is enhancing the customer experience with efficient payment processing software and online service. These online ordering systems enable faster service for restaurants as orders can be processed quickly and accurately using software.
With an online POS system’s ability to store customer data, businesses can provide personalized interactions based on previous preferences or special requests. This service allows for efficient software management and secure online payment processing.
- Process orders quickly and accurately for faster service.
- Provide personalized interactions based on customer data.
Gain Valuable Insights
POS software systems also provide valuable insights to help restaurants make informed decisions. With a POS service plan, restaurants can efficiently manage their operations and gain valuable data for decision-making.
By analyzing sales trends, customer preferences, and staff performance through real-time data reporting, managers can review software and service plans to identify areas for improvement and develop effective strategies.
- Analyze sales trends, customer preferences, and staff performance.
- Make informed decisions based on real-time data reporting.
Minimize Errors
Accuracy is crucial in the hospitality industry, especially. POS software systems minimize errors by providing accurate reporting and real-time data updates.
With this POS service, businesses can easily manage payment transactions and choose the best plan. This ensures that discrepancies are minimized or eliminated.
Minimize errors with accurate reporting and real-time data updates using our software service. Get the most out of your plan with our comprehensive review.
Choosing a POS system for your Hospitality business
Having an efficient and reliable point-of-sale (POS) system is crucial. But with so many options available, how do you choose the best one for your establishment? Let’s dive in and explore the key factors to consider when selecting a POS system for your hospitality business.
Understand Key Factors
To begin with, it’s essential to understand the key factors that should influence your decision. These include:
- Business Requirements: Evaluate your specific business requirements, such as the size of your establishment, type of operation (e.g., restaurant, hotel), and budget constraints.
- Customer Reviews: Research customer reviews and ratings of different POS providers to gain insights into their reliability, ease of use, and customer support.
- Industry Recommendations: Seek recommendations from industry peers or consultants with experience in the hospitality field.
Consider Different Options
Once you have a clear understanding of your requirements, it’s time to explore different POS options available in the market:
- Restaurant POS Systems: Look for systems specifically designed for restaurants offering table management, menu customization, and integration with kitchen printers.
- Countertop vs Handheld POS: Decide whether you need a countertop system or handheld devices based on your operational needs and mobility requirements.
- Mobile POS Solutions: Consider mobile POS systems that allow staff members to take orders directly at the table or anywhere on-premise using tablet POS systems or smartphones.
Wrapping Up
We hope you found the information helpful and insightful as you navigate the world of point-of-sale systems for your business. Now that you know the options available, it’s time to take action and choose the right POS system for your hospitality business.
When selecting a ePOS system for hospitality, consider your specific needs, such as inventory management, tableside ordering, or integration with online platforms. Remember to factor in pricing and customer support as well. Remember, finding the perfect fit may require trial and error, but investing time in research now will save you headaches.
FAQs
Can I use a hospitality POS system on multiple devices?
Yes! Most modern hospitality POS systems are designed to work across multiple devices like tablets, smartphones, and traditional cash registers. This flexibility allows you to streamline operations and provide efficient service anywhere within your establishment.
Do I need an internet connection to use a hospitality POS system?
While internet connectivity is generally required for real-time reporting and cloud-based features, many hospitality POS systems offer offline capabilities. This means you can continue processing transactions even if your internet connection temporarily goes down.
Can a hospitality POS system integrate with other software I use?
Absolutely! Integration capabilities vary depending on your POS system, but many providers offer integrations with popular software like accounting tools, reservation systems, loyalty programs, and more. This helps centralize your operations and improve efficiency.
How secure are hospitality POS systems?
Security is a top priority for both businesses and customers alike. Reputable hospitality POS systems employ encryption technology to protect sensitive data during transactions. They often comply with industry standards such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) to ensure the highest level of security.
Can a hospitality POS system help with inventory management?
Yes, many hospitality POS systems come equipped with robust inventory management features. These features allow you to track stock levels, automate reordering, and generate detailed sales and inventory performance reports. By leveraging these tools, you can optimize your inventory management processes and reduce waste or shortages.
Choosing the proper hospitality POS system is crucial for streamlining operations and enhancing customer experiences.
