6 best POS systems for takeaway and delivery

COVID-19 came and swept the world, and UK-wide lockdowns are now a constant threat to restaurants, bars, pubs, cafés and other food venues. Consequently, it’s never been more important for food and drink businesses to offer takeaway, click and collect, contact-free orders or delivery services.

This has had an impact on electronic point of sale (EPOS) software. POS systems that couldn’t previously handle takeaway software are now making an effort to integrate online ordering. Still, not all tills for small businesses are ready for it.

We’ve found the best EPOS software for takeaway, pickup and food delivery.

Best for: Accessible, but professional, EPOS system for takeaway

Pricing: From £26 + VAT/mo

Compatibility: iPad

Pros: Versatile integrations, can switch to left-handed interface, 24/7 customer support

Cons: Extra cost for ordering features, limited trial, Delivery module requires annual plan

Full review

Lightspeed Restaurant is a highly-rated iPad POS app with add-on modules for delivery, takeaway and contact-free ordering on your premises.

There’s a choice between monthly and annual Essentials and Pro EPOS subscriptions, both including one till licence. The Pro plan also has customer loyalty, gift card and table service features. Plans can be cancelled any time, though fees are non-refundable. If you sign up for an annual contract, you will pay a lower monthly fee.

Image: Lightspeed

Lightspeed Restaurant has adapted well to demand for contactless and ordering features.

Through the delivery POS software Lightspeed Delivery, you can connect the existing food menu in your till with Uber Eats, Deliveroo. Orders will then show in your EPOS and prompt the kitchen to print the order.

Then you have the Order Anywhere add-on, which also comes at an additional cost. This allows you to create a self-order menu where customers can place orders through scanning a QR code at their table. You can also use it as a takeaway ordering system allowing customers to order for pick up through a web page.

Other online ordering software you can connect with include Kitchen CUT, LivePepper, 5loyalty and more.

The POS system is suitable for small-to-medium, busy takeaway operations that need to manage table and floor plans (only on Pro plan) and a team of employees. If you’re left-handed, you can even switch to an app layout that’s better for this.

The till works offline, so operations should not be affected by internet outages. All subscriber can use Lightspeed’s own payment system, but you have to buy a specific card machine through the platform to take advantage of it.

Lightspeed Restaurant provides a free onboarding session for every new user and 24/7 support through telephone, email or chat. The till software looks simple, but does require a bit of practice as not all the features are intuitive to navigate.

Payment integrations: Lightspeed Payments (built in), Zettle, Paymentsense, SumUp

Can you try before committing? Yes, you can try a limited demo version of the app or contact Lightspeed for info.

Full review

Photo: Square

Set up a free online ordering page via Square Online, integrated with the Square POS system.

Full review

Goodtill is a very customisable POS system for iPad. It is ‘modular’ because there’s a core POS module suitable for different businesses, and then there are optional modules with industry-specific features for e.g. food and drink. You have to subscribe to a minimum of 12 months, after which it becomes a rolling contract.

It’s recommended that food-and-drink businesses subscribe to the Hospitality module (£9 + VAT/month) on top of the Core POS Module (£29 + VAT/month). This will give you table, tab and customer management features not included on Core POS Module, which syncs nicely with online orders.

Image: Goodtill

Goodeats lets customers order food online for pickup, drop-off and delivery.

Online ordering is enabled through the Goodeats platform (created by Goodtill). There’s no need for customers to use a specific takeaway app like Uber Eats to access your store. Instead, Goodeats allows merchants to build a web page with your ordering menu which can be added to your website or linked on social media.

This can be used for several purposes:

• Customers can scan a QR code and order without talking to staff (good for social distancing, queue-busting and table ordering)
• Customers can order online for delivery or collection

Goodeats integrates with your POS food menu and kitchen display, and you can manage orders from the POS app or web browser. There are lots of customisations such as putting a limit to how many orders you can handle at the same time, opening hours, branding and types of services offered. The best part is perhaps that there are no monthly fees – you only pay a charge per transaction accepted.

Goodtill connects with no-contract card readers from Zettle, Square and SumUp as well as traditional terminals from Barclaycard and Paymentsense. You can also sync the system with Xero, QuickBooks, WooCommerce or your own website and food delivery software.

Customer support is limited to undisclosed opening hours (we asked them about opening times, but they evaded the question). Generally, Goodtill gets good customer reviews with positive feedback on the software.

Payment integrations: Barclaycard, Zettle, Paymentsense, Retail Merchant Services, Square, SumUp

Can you try before committing? You can book a free trial or demo of the software through Goodtill’s contact form.

iiko is a lesser-known POS system in the UK that nonetheless represents good value for money. The till software works only in a web browser, not iPad or Android tablets. Consequently, iiko will sell you a touchscreen computer, receipt printer and accessories to complete the setup.

iiko works in conjunction with a number of takeaway and ordering systems. For example, the software can be integrated directly with Deliveroo or Uber Eats for online delivery orders. You can also subscribe to a table-side ordering app for contactless ordering, or manage your own delivery drivers through a dedicated app.

Image: iiko

iiko EPOS has a good range of till features, with several options for takeaway.

Quick-service businesses can benefit from the handheld iikoNano, which is a portable touchscreen terminal with built-in POS software for on-the-go orders (card payments require a separate card reader). This is an affordable first step for those not quite ready for a computer till, or those who want a portable till to sync with the main point of sale.

The system has many features including the ability to take over-the-phone orders, table reservations, advanced inventory management, staff rotas and offline mode.

There are different amounts of features on the Basic, Professional or Enterprise plans (paid monthly, or annually for a discounted price), but they all have a generous selection of functions for the price. There is no lock-in, so you can cancel the plan any time.

Integrations with certain external software may require the higher subscriptions. But generally, iiko is suitable for any size business – in fact, it scales up pretty nicely with multi-store takeaway operations and can be adapted at any point.

Customer support is available 24/7 online or via telephone. It is limited how many UK reviews there are, but most of them are positive about their experiences with iiko. It is not clear which card machines can be integrated with iiko, but merchants can most likely choose one of the major payment providers in the UK.

Payment integrations: Ask iiko about options

Can you try before committing? There’s no trial, but you can request a free demo on iiko’s website.

Best for: User-friendliness of POS system

Pricing: From £49 + VAT/mo

Compatibility: iPad

Pros: Advanced EPOS that’s easy to figure out, many features for the price, good customer support

Cons: Online ordering limited to Uber Eats and Deliveroo, no Android compatibility, 12-month commitment

Full review

Image: TouchBistro

TouchBistro Self Ordering Kiosk is ideal for socially distanced orders on your premises.

Best for: Stable, high-turnover businesses looking for complete solution

Pricing: US$99/mo + US$674 installation

Compatibility: iPad

Pros: Custom web order platform, 24/ customer support, rich inventory features

Cons: 3-year contract, high setup cost, high monthly fees, slow service

Revel Systems is an all-in-one iPad EPOS system offered together with hardware bundles, payment processing, installation and an online ordering solution. You may be able to request the software separately if you already have compatible till equipment, but the Revel sales team are big on selling their own iPads and accessories.

Revel is not a cheap solution. Prices are only provided on request, with additional fees hidden in the small print. However, the software does have advanced inventory features, analytics and a fully customisable web order page for takeaway, delivery and collections (some features may cost extra). The EPOS can work offline and the user-friendly interface is good for speedy transactions.

Revel POS works with a customisable delivery or order-and-collect system.

Revel has its own payment processing system, but it’s unclear whether it works in the UK. In any case, it’s possible to integrate card machines from UK-based payment providers at varying costs depending on the solution.

Payment integrations: Zettle, FreedomPay, others

Can you try before committing? There is no trial, but you can request a free demo from Revel.

Summary