How to choose a POS for your restaurant or cafe: a 9-point checklist
A POS is the one system your team touches all day. Pick well and service runs smoothly; pick badly and you'll fight it every shift. Most owners compare price and features, but the questions below decide whether a POS actually works in a busy shop.
1. Does it keep working without internet?
Connections drop, usually at the worst moment. A good POS keeps taking orders and printing tickets offline, then syncs when the connection returns. Ask for this to be shown, not just promised: unplug the router during the demo.
2. What hardware do you need to buy?
Some systems lock you into proprietary terminals that cost a lot up front. Others run on standard tablets, printers and cash drawers. Ask for the full hardware list and price before you sign, and check whether you can reuse devices you already own.
3. Is inventory built in?
If stock lives in a separate spreadsheet, it will be out of date by Friday. Look for a POS that deducts ingredients or items as you sell and warns you before something runs out. See our guide to restaurant inventory management for what to track.
4. Can it take online orders too?
Running the till and online ordering in two unconnected systems means re-typing orders and reconciling two sets of numbers. A POS with online ordering built in puts every order, in-store or online, on one screen. If you like your current POS, look for an add-on that works alongside it instead. Read more in own ordering website vs. delivery marketplaces.
5. How good is the reporting?
Sales totals are the minimum. You want best-sellers, busy hours and repeat customers, because those drive decisions about menu, staffing and marketing. We cover this in the three numbers every restaurant owner should track.
6. How does it handle staff?
Cashiers, waiters and managers need different access. Check that you can give each role only what it needs (for example, only managers can issue refunds) and that shifts are easy to manage.
7. Can it grow with you?
One branch today can be three next year. Ask whether a second branch means a second system, or just another location in the same dashboard. Also ask whether you can move up to a bigger plan without migrating everything.
8. Does it include accounting?
Sales data is only useful for the books if it flows there cleanly. Some platforms include basic bookkeeping, Profit & Loss and a Balance Sheet, so you are not exporting and re-importing every month.
9. What does setup and support look like?
The best software still needs to be set up with your menu, taxes and staff. Ask who does it, whether training is included, and how quickly someone answers when service is running and something breaks.
How to use this checklist
Score each POS you are considering from 0 to 2 on each point, and ask every vendor to demonstrate the offline mode and the reports live. The one with the best total, not the lowest price tag, is usually the cheapest over two years.
Bisserv is built around these points: a POS that works offline, standard hardware, inventory, online ordering, accounting and analytics in one system. Book a demo and we'll walk you through it.