Best POS systems for restaurants 2023

Square is currently the best POS system for restaurants in 2023 overall according to our expert researchers, but the competition was tough:

• Square for Restaurants was determined the best fit for startup restaurants founded in the last three years. You can start serving your customers some delicious bills and receipts with just an iPad.
• Clover is best for small restaurants that also sell products, such as a delicatessen. It has a strong mix of inventory tracking and till management tools, making it perfect for restaurant-cum-retailers.
• Zettle is our top choice for low-maintenance restaurants that need a simple till system, such as food trucks.

Each restaurant POS system has different strengths, so read on or 🔍compare quotes to find out which may be the best choice for yours.

What is a POS system?

A point-of-sale (POS) system is used by businesses to take card payments from customers and stay on top of their sales. It is a set of hardware and software services working together so businesses to automate transactions, track sales data, generate reports, manage your inventory, track employee hours and much more.

Modern POS systems are entirely digital and allow you to fulfil customer needs wherever they are – as long as you have a POS app and an internet-enabled device.

Users are spending more money through mobile POS payments, with an average transaction value of around £2,100 per person per year in 2023, worldwide, according to Hotel Tech Report.

All in all, Square's POS system is great value for money, easy to use and packed with the features most restaurants need.

It was determined as best overall because we know that for bustling restaurant businesses specifically, floorplan customisation and booking capabilities are very important – so this is what we focused on as our core research areas including business and stock management, business development and usability.

Then we considered the stresses of inflation, labour shortages and the cost-of-living crisis. The UK may have technically dodged a recession, but business overheads are still rising dramatically. So we know that today's SMEs need to prioritise cash flow, which means searching for the POS system that provides the most value for money.

For expert advice on picking the right POS system for your restaurant business, simply select which options and features you need with our 🔍free cost comparison tool and get bespoke quotes tailored to the needs of your business.

🥘1. Square for Restaurants

Best for startup restaurants founded in the last 3 years

Our team of researchers analysed Square for Restaurants for pricing, help and support, customer reviews, and restaurant features. In every category, it achieved at least a top-three ranking compared to the rest.

Its vast library of features means Square can play the role of multiple systems, which makes it excellent value for money for small business restaurateurs.

Users are offered sophisticated table management features, and the option to integrate booking tools and delivery apps. The Square terminal is also one-touch, making for speedy transactions that can dramatically boost sales. 

Helpfully, users are not required to have a merchant account, which means you can start serving customers as soon as you’ve received the Square card reader and downloaded the Square for Restaurants software onto your iPad.

Indeed, ease of use is a big benefit of the Square for Restaurant POS, so it's easy to train new staff members on the system.

However, while the software is fairly rudimentary, it also comes with lots of possible integrations to be expanded upon as your restaurant grows. 

Square starts from free – here are some more of the best free POS systems we've ranked.

What don't we like about Square for Restaurants?

The one area that Square is lacking is front-of-house features. Managing orders or reservations isn't possible in-app – compared to Epos Now, for example, using which you can check or make changes at home from your mobile, desktop, or laptop. Consequently, we don't recommend Square to full-service eateries or restaurants with multiple service offerings.

You can integrate the platform with third-party extensions like restaurant management tool TapMango to access these functions, but Square's primary audience is definitely quick-service startups that want to design a simple payment process, like a daytime cafe or sandwich bar.

Square's restaurant POS pricing

🥘 2. Clover

Best for small restaurants that also sell retail products

One of Clover's biggest pull factors is its specialist focus on both the retail and restaurant industries, which makes it a great option for delis that focus on serving food, as well as selling products in-person and online.

Clover's reporting tools are all geared towards selling. You can use the software to generate a complete sales overview including total sales per item, order types, and VAT.

The platform's transaction fees are also low (2.3% + £0.08 per sale).

There's also a very large app store available with Clover, so you can tailor the software to fit your exact needs. Notably, it's one of the few POS choices that integrates with Mailchimp, which you can use to send marketing emails advertising special 2 for 1 dining offers or discounted products.

That doesn't mean Clover strays away from its core purpose as a restaurant POS. We gave Clover an impressive 4.6 out of 5 in our full Clover review for its impressive hospitality features. The app puts in a solid performance for staff management, sales forecasting, and even facilitates sophisticated actions like being able to edit menus directly from the till.

What don't we like about Clover POS?

Clover POS' lowest-priced software tier, Payments Plus, costs £4.12 per month. If this sounds too good to be true, that's because it is.

Payments Plus' thin library of features is lacking in areas like staff management. Unlike a POS system like Square, which provides a broader range of financial and business services beyond just point-of-sale, including payment processing, payroll, and more – Clover is much simpler with no bells and whistles, primarily offering hardware and software solutions.

Clover's restaurant POS pricing

🥘 3. Zettle

Best for food trucks and low-maintenance firms

POS systems can have a lot of extra perks or bonuses but the primary objective is simple: to process payments and transactions. Our analysis has shown that no tool does this better than Zettle – you can check out our full Zettle review here.

Zettle operates a pay-as-you-go model, which has been the main driver of the company’s popularity in the UK. You simply purchase the card reader, then use it however frequently or sporadically to take payments of any type.

Zettle has recently pushed up its payment processing fee from 1.25% to 1.75%. However, the software itself is much cheaper than Square for Restaurants, as it is completely free to setup.

That easily makes Zettle the best POS system for value for money, particularly if you're a startup that's looking to save on overheads. The Zettle hardware is also available for relatively little, with a Zettle 2 card reader at a very affordable £29.

The latest model is lightweight, fairly dirt resistant, and has some clever customer-focused features – like the rubber strips on the back which stop it from slipping off surfaces.

Used in conjunction with the Zettle POS app, you'll be able to take any payment from anywhere as long as you have a WiFi/4G/3G connection.

What don't we like about Zettle?

Our expert team of researchers found that Zettle performs well for an affordable POS system that's popular with users. However, when it came to restaurant features, Zettle was our lowest-scoring software choice for industry-specific functionality.

You can't use Zettle in offline mode, so if your restaurant has an outdoor eating area you might experience connectivity issues that can stop you taking orders. No delivery support means Zettle is also unsuitable for takeaways. (See here for POS systems that are suitable for takeaways).

Another drawback of Zettle is that, unlike other POS brands, such as TouchBistro, the app does not provide an internal CRM system within the app. Instead, you'll have to download third-party customer service extensions.

This lack of customer loyalty tools is another reason that Zettle is a better choice for businesses that don't involve a lot of customer interaction.

Zettle's restaurant POS pricing

🥘 4. Epos Now

Best for restaurants with 10+ employees

Epos Now is a great choice for large restaurants with 10+ employees thanks to its sophisticated staff management features.

Post-COVID, the hospitality industry is suffering from labour shortages as more workers go off sick, requiring complex shift scheduling to manage absences. All Epos Now systems come with a handy clocking in/clocking out function, enabling you to see exactly how many hours each employee has worked.

There's also its front and back of house synchronisation, its kitchen management features, and its workplace management system, Deputy. When you add all these to the above, you can see why Epos Now is the best option for established or chain restaurants with large staff volumes.

What don't we like about Epos Now?

Easily Epos Now's biggest flaw is its opaque pricing plans. Initially the costs seem clear: you can either choose to purchase the system through a one-off payment of £399, or for £25 per month.

This gets you the Epos Now software, a till system, printer, and personalised training and onboarding for every staff member – handy if you're hiring new workers regularly.

However, there are lots of hidden charges associated with this promise including an additional £39 charge for their payments, care and support package for example – compared to Square, for example, which has predictable flat-rate pricing.

The payment plan of £25 per month is also based on a three-year payment plan for startup businesses and could differ depending on your firm's financial position. It's best to contact the Epos Now customer service desk to understand exactly what you'll pay.

Unfortunately, it's a fact of life that EPOS systems are notoriously difficult to understand. That's why we designed our🔍free cost comparison tool that will match you to provider quotes in minutes.

Epos Now's restaurant POS pricing

🥘 5. TouchBistro

Best for high-end restaurants

TouchBistro’s specialist-restaurant POS software is rammed full of table management features to help you run and manage your business. These include sophisticated tableside ordering, in-depth back end reporting, and the ability to integrate with plenty of third party apps.  

For high end restaurants with cocktail bars, staff can process orders in just two taps, giving them more time to make customers feel welcome. At the table, naturally placed menu prompts enable servers to upsell on the spot, or inform customers of any allergy information. 

Similarly, the TouchBistro in-app floor view shows your wait staff how long the customers have sat there, so you can keep an eye on customer wait times and minimise the risk of complaints.

The indirect benefit of this POS system is that restauraters can increase customer loyalty, which is particularly important in this industry, given how competitive the restaurant market is.

Thanks to a built-in loyalty functionality, you can even collect information on what your members are ordering and send them targeted marketing material, such as offers on their favourite dishes or wines.

What don't we like about TouchBistro?

Just as we recommend TouchBistro for high-end restaurants offering a premium service, it unfortunately does not perform well for less-established firms or startups.

This largely comes down to cost. TouchBistro's first pricing tier, TouchBistro Solo, costs £59 per month which is over £50 more than our wallet-friendly provider, Clover.

On top of this, a second and third license for costs another £50 per month, while if you want 4+ users you'll pay £40 per additional license.

Plus, TouchBistro's significant number of drawbacks mean you'll also need to fork out for a lot of integrations that can manage basic POS tasks like reporting, payment processing, and online ordering.

Finally, Android users beware – TouchBistro is only compatible with iPad devices so it's a flat no if you're a die-hard Samsung or Google fan.

How does a POS system work?

These days, POS systems are more like little computers. Once hooked up to the internet, they provide a host of tools that help you to take transactions and manage your business. Your POS software works in conjunction with a card machine, and the transaction process runs a bit like this:

• Input the customer’s items into the system – they can be scanned or selected from a menu
• Once they’ve been inputted, store the sale if it’s part of a bill, or total the sale and select whether the customer wants to pay by card or cash
• If they pay by cash, enter the total amount. The cash drawer will then open. Give them any change they require, and the sale will be stored as a cash sale
• If they pay by card, the amount is either transferred to the card machine, or you input the sale amount into the card machine. The sale is then stored as a card sale
• You’ll be able to see how many card or cash sales you’ve taken in the back end of your POS system

What types of businesses are POS systems suitable for?

Every retail or hospitality business needs a POS system, regardless of the specific sector or size. However, there are different types of POS systems that suit certain types of businesses and restaurants better:

• POS Apps – best for small businesses with limited budgets who want a flexible and portable POS
• Mobile POS systems – best for vendors on the move or retailers who want to process transactions on the sales floor.
• Touch-screen POS systems – best for businesses that want to speed up ordering and checkout processes
• Cloud POS systems – businesses that want to access reports and POS data from anywhere
• Open-source POS systems – best for businesses with abundant technical resources who want to set up their own custom system
• Multichannel POS systems – best for businesses that sell online and in-person and need to sync orders and inventory
• Self-service Kiosk POS systems – businesses with self-checkout options such as quick service restaurants, ticketing and hospitality

Our Methodology

We’ve been helping small businesses for over two decades. In that time, we’ve carried out extensive research into what makes a great POS system based on our knowledge of the specific pain points of restaurant owners. For example:

• Value for money – Which software is the most value for money overall?
• Floorplan customisation – Does the software provide you with the ability to plan your layouts for maximum efficiency and experience for your customers?
• Booking capabilities – Does the software provide you with the ability to connect with your clientele outside of the establishment and organise it cleanly and digitally?

We conducted various rounds of research using a mix of user testing and existing customer reviews in order to try and reach conclusions to these questions – to reach conclusive scores, and to ensure that we're providing you with the most well-researched and up-to-date information at all times. 

Final verdict

According to our research, the best POS systems for restaurants are:

1. Square for Restaurants – best for startups needing a cheap all-in-one POS system
2. Clover – best for restaurants selling products on the side
3. Zettle – best for on-the-go food businesses such as market sellers or food trucks
4. Epos Now – best for restaurants employing 10+ workers or agency staff
5. TouchBistro – best for silver-service restaurants

All of the top five restaurant pos systems on our list offer all the features restaurants need to operate effectively during a pandemic, including delivery app integration, booking system integration, and table service facilitation. 

Still, POS systems have plenty of hidden fees and pricing caveats that can differ depending on your firm's traits, making it difficult to get an accurate cost measurement.

Before you decide on any POS software, we advise using Startups’ exclusive and 🔍free cost comparison tool to get bespoke pricing information.