Best POS Systems for Restaurants in the UK
A restaurant POS has to handle tables, tabs, coursing, tips and a kitchen that's already on fire at 8pm. You want something staff can learn fast and that won't drop payments mid-service.
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Our top picks for restaurants
Dojo
4.1Built for growing businesses that want faster payouts and hands-on, sales-led support. Strong in hospitality and higher-volume retail. Rates are quote-based — read the contract and monthly structure carefully.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- From ~£15/mo (quote-based)
- Transaction fee
- Tailored rates (quote-based, often blended)
- Contract
- Contract terms vary — check carefully
- Payouts
- Next-day, as fast as same-day payouts
- Fast payouts (as quick as same day)
- Quote-based pricing — less upfront transparency
Square
4.5The strongest free POS software option. Tidy app, decent ecosystem, no monthly fee to start. Great for small retail, cafés and service businesses that want software without signing their life away.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- £0 (paid POS tiers available)
- Transaction fee
- 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard)
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- Next working day (instant transfer for a fee)
- Genuinely good free POS app
- 1.75% flat rate isn't bespoke-cheap at high volume
TouchBistro
3.8A restaurant-first POS built around table service, menus and floor plans. Strong hospitality features; not intended for retail or simple mobile card payments.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- Subscription (quoted)
- Transaction fee
- Via integrated payments partner (quoted)
- Contract
- Subscription terms vary
- Payouts
- Depends on payments partner
- Purpose-built for restaurants and table service
- Not for retail or mobile-only sellers
Lightspeed
4.1A serious retail/hospitality POS with strong inventory and multi-location features. More advanced and more expensive — overkill if you only need basic card payments.
Best for
- Monthly fee
- From ~£59/mo (plan dependent)
- Transaction fee
- Payments via Lightspeed or integrated provider (quoted)
- Contract
- Subscription, often annual
- Payouts
- Depends on payments provider
- Powerful inventory and reporting
- Pricier monthly subscription
What matters for restaurants
Table & tab management
Open tabs, move tables, split bills and add service charge without a maths degree.
Reliability under pressure
Connectivity and uptime matter more than saving 0.1% on the rate.
Fast payouts
Cash flow is king in hospitality — next-day or same-day settlement helps.
Tips handling
Proper tipping and tronc-friendly reporting for staff.
Fees to watch
Recommended setup
For table service, a hospitality-grade POS (TouchBistro or Square for Restaurants) paired with a fast-payout card machine like Dojo is a strong combo. Lightspeed suits larger or multi-site operations.
Compare these providers
Showing 4 of 4 providers
Prices last checked:| Provider | Best for | Monthly | Transaction | Reader from | Contract | Payouts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Square4.5 | Cafés | £0 (paid POS tiers available) | 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard) | £19 + VAT | No contract (pay-as-you-go) | Next working day (instant transfer for a fee) | Visit |
Dojo4.1 | Restaurants | From ~£15/mo (quote-based) | Tailored rates (quote-based, often blended) | Hardware/payment-plan pricing (quoted) | Contract terms vary — check carefully | Next-day, as fast as same-day payouts | Visit |
Lightspeed4.1 | Multi-location retail | From ~£59/mo (plan dependent) | Payments via Lightspeed or integrated provider (quoted) | Hardware bundles (quoted) | Subscription, often annual | Depends on payments provider | Visit |
TouchBistro3.8 | Restaurants | Subscription (quoted) | Via integrated payments partner (quoted) | iPad-based hardware (quoted) | Subscription terms vary | Depends on payments partner | Visit |
- Monthly
- £0 (paid POS tiers available)
- Transaction
- 1.75% in-person (no monthly/setup fee on standard)
- Reader from
- £19 + VAT
- Contract
- No contract (pay-as-you-go)
- Payouts
- Next working day (instant transfer for a fee)
- Watch out for
- 1.75% flat rate isn't bespoke-cheap at high volume
- Monthly
- From ~£15/mo (quote-based)
- Transaction
- Tailored rates (quote-based, often blended)
- Reader from
- Hardware/payment-plan pricing (quoted)
- Contract
- Contract terms vary — check carefully
- Payouts
- Next-day, as fast as same-day payouts
- Watch out for
- Quote-based pricing — less upfront transparency
- Monthly
- From ~£59/mo (plan dependent)
- Transaction
- Payments via Lightspeed or integrated provider (quoted)
- Reader from
- Hardware bundles (quoted)
- Contract
- Subscription, often annual
- Payouts
- Depends on payments provider
- Watch out for
- Pricier monthly subscription
- Monthly
- Subscription (quoted)
- Transaction
- Via integrated payments partner (quoted)
- Reader from
- iPad-based hardware (quoted)
- Contract
- Subscription terms vary
- Payouts
- Depends on payments partner
- Watch out for
- Not for retail or mobile-only sellers
Find the right POS for your restaurant
Answer a few quick questions and we'll match you to providers that fit how you actually trade.
FAQs
What POS do most independent restaurants use?
Square for Restaurants and TouchBistro are popular with independents for table management, while Dojo is widely used for the card machine and fast payouts. Bigger groups often run Lightspeed.
Is Dojo good for restaurants?
Yes — Dojo is popular in hospitality for reliable card machines, fast (even same-day) payouts and hands-on support. Just check the contract and monthly terms, as pricing is quote-based.
How we compare
We compare providers using publicly available pricing, contract information, hardware costs, payout details, software features and suitability for different UK business types. Some links may earn us commission, but providers cannot pay to change our editorial verdicts. Read our full methodology.
The POS editorial team
Independent UK payments research. We test, read the small print and write it up in plain English.