What is the Best POS System for a Small Restaurant?

Having the right point of sale (POS) system (also known as electric point of sale or EPOS) for your small restaurant can make or break your business. Whether you are about to open your doors or you are an established venue, you will need an efficient way to manage sales in order to grow your business. 

A good POS system doesn’t just equip you with the tools necessary to process sales efficiently. It frees you up to focus on what you prioritise most: the customer experience. The best POS systems for small venues will streamline your processes.

In our complete guide, we’ll explore what goes into the best POS for your small restaurant. We’ll also analyse some of the top options available on the market today.

Did you know that ResDiary can help you bring your restaurant booking system and POS systems together? Find out your options here.

What to look for in POS systems in small restaurants

With different styles of POS systems suited to different models of hospitality businesses, it is important to choose the right one for you. The best POS system for your small restaurant will integrate well into your business practices. Here are a few features to look for:  

• Low fees: When it comes to choosing a restaurant POS system, cost is an essential consideration. POS systems often charge a fee per transaction. This is usually a percentage of the cost of a transaction - generally between 1 and 3%. Some also charge a flat fee on top of this. To avoid having to pass on these fees to customers, look for a POS system with lower fees.
• Ease of use: Staff turnover is a major issue in hospitality. Having a POS system that is easy to learn when staff turnover occurs is important for smooth and quick transitions, ensuring that your venue stays in full swing. 
  
  
• Integrations: As a small restaurant, you will want a POS system that not only processes transactions quickly and accurately, but features other integrations like restaurant booking and table management systems (TMS). This can help with everything from reservations to inventory management.
  
  
• Cloud-based functionality: Modern restaurant POS systems that are cloud-based can grant access to sales data, inventory levels and other information across multiple devices. This can allow for remote management and oversight of operations from anywhere. Look out for systems that make the most of cloud-based functionality and the flexibility it offers.

Best POS systems for small restaurants

With so many POS systems to choose from, it is important to take your time and do your research to determine what the best option is for you. To help out, we have compared five top picks for the best restaurant POS systems for small businesses.

Triniteq

PowerEPOS by Triniteq is a POS system developed by hospitality experts predominantly for hospitality and retail businesses. It offers:

• No hidden fees: PowerEPOS provides all POS features at one price. It also doesn’t charge for transaction or EFTPOS integration fees, allowing you to predict payments more accurately upfront.

• Easy-to-use POS solutions: PowerEPOS provides support for installation, training, and maintenance. This means you have more time to focus on your business.

• Advanced Reporting:  PowerEPOS offers comprehensive reporting, particularly for multi-site businesses. This helps you make data-backed decisions about your business.
  
  
• Integrations with industry-leading apps and software:  PowerEPOS integrates with popular restaurant booking systems like ResDiary to provide a robust management system for your restaurant. This helps consolidate bookings and payments into one place so that you can maximise revenue and actively engage with your customers. 
  
  
• Cloud-based system: With everything stored in the cloud, you have one reliable place to house information you can continually return to.

Oracle Hospitality

Oracle Hospitality provides stable, reliable, and secure POS systems for hospitality businesses. The cloud-based POS platform helps restaurateurs optimise their online and in-house operations in real time. It features: 

• Cloud payment service: Oracle Hospitality enables you to accept payments from consumers in many different ways. This consolidates all your transactions, payment data and associated costs into a single reporting and analytics dashboard. 

• No hidden service fees: With fixed payment processing fees, all business expenses are transparent. Oracle’s contracts are flexible with no long-term commitment required. 

• Conversational ordering screen: This feature allows orders to be taken the way they’re spoken, making for a smoother customer experience. It also allows for easy upsells and flexibility to change orders quickly.

• Integrations: Oracle partners with secure and open APIs to easily connect with your favourite online ordering platforms, delivery services, mobile payment processing and restaurant booking systems. This includes services from Deliveroo and Doordash to Resdiary.

SwiftPOS

SwiftPOS is another trusted POS software solution offering reliable, customisable features to suit your small restaurant, whether you are just starting out or expanding. It includes: 

• Customisable software and hardware: SwiftPOS offers opt-in features designed for your restaurant. This includes hand-held touch screen POS terminals, self-serve terminals for quick-service-restaurants.
  
  
• Integration: SwiftPOS integrates with hundreds of leading third party providers, ranging from accounts and payroll services like Xero to table management systems like ResDiary.
  
  
• Reporting: With over 250 reports available, SwiftPOS provides insight on daily and long-term performance so you can make data-informed decisions.
  
  
• CRM features: Create your own loyalty programs and measure its success with SwiftPOS’s in-built management tools.

Bepoz

Bepoz is an all-in-one hospitality solution for payments, customer engagement and sales. It boasts: 

• Advanced back office integrations: Bepoz software combines all areas of your business including sales, customer, inventory, staff into one fully integrated POS system. This gives you real-time visibility over your business operations and allows you to stay up to date with your venue’s activities.
  
  
• Customisable front-of-house software: This feature enables you to tailor the screen layouts to your venue’s requirements. You can add buttons for your most-used functions to make it quick, easy and intuitive for new staff.
  
  
• Any-time reporting: Bepoz gives you easy access to reporting from anywhere with their Snapshots mobile app.
  
  
• Over 220 Integrations: Bepoz’s ecosystem encompasses over 200 partners from table management solutions like ResDiary to marketing to online ordering platforms.

Idealpos

Idealpos is an Australian-owned POS solution catering to any industry. Its optional features are available in add-on modules, so you only need to purchase the ones you need. It includes: 

• Stock management: This helps you perform a stock-take on all your locations so you can manage inventory in real-time.
  
  
• Customer tracking:  Idealpos’s graphical view allows you to have visibility on your restaurant tables at a glance. The map is customisable and can be colour-coded for different statuses such as “ordered” or “waiting” to enhance the customer experience.
  
  
• Cloud reporting: Access your reports anytime, anywhere with a smartphone or tablet to ensure you track your KPIs and stay on top of performance.
  
  
• Customer Rewards Programs: Keep track and reward return customers with customisable programs or promotions. Store these in your IdealPOS database to help build meaningful customer relationships.
  
  

Access Hospitality EPoS

• Easily configured for table, mobile, quick service and kiosk service styles, the easy-to-use touchscreen helps you speed up service, promote sales and deliver an exceptional guest experience. 

• Reduce service times for an improved customer experience

• Future-proof software that supports all payment types

• Offer intuitive upselling, promotional and grouping prompts to increase sales 

• Deliver more accurate orders for a better guest experience 

Benefits of integrating POS systems and table management systems in small restaurants

Amongst other integrations, you will want to look for a POS system that integrates with a table management system to help streamline operations. As Stefan Overzier - Head of Customer Success & Support at ResDiary - explains in his webinar on table management, a TMS allows you to automate your processes and makes services easier. When “you know who’s coming… you know how many people you’ve got to roster, the kitchen knows what they have to order in [and] they can prep the right amount they need to prep... [ultimately] saving money and minimising wastage.” 

There are many benefits of integrating POS systems and table management systems for small restaurants, but the key ones include: 

• Streamline processes: Having your POS system and booking system speak to each other in real time minimises room for human error and saves your staff the need to flick back and forth between systems.
  
  
• Enrich the customer experience: Not only does a POS and TMS integration free up time for staff, it also gives them robust data on customers that can help you personalise their dining experience. For example, knowing a repeat customer’s order means you can have their favourite drink on hand waiting for them, or their favourite seat in the house set aside for them.
  
  
• Reduce operational costs: Having visibility over venue capacity and tables allows you to accurately manage stock levels and staffing. It also prevents you from under or over-catering. This can significantly reduce wastage.
  
  
• Drive additional revenue: Customer data such as average orders, sale history, and average table sizes enables you to be more targeted in your marketing efforts and build patronage through recognition.

Grow your small restaurant with ResDiary

In the hospitality world where things can change from hour to hour, integrating your table management systems and POS systems can help you maintain control and stay ahead of the curve. Integrating your POS system with a booking system like ResDiary can not only give you peace of mind, but can streamline your processes and costs. 

This ultimately frees you up to focus on providing the best dining experience for your customers. With ResDiary, you can be equipped with innovative tools built on proven technology that keep you and your venue in full swing. Book your demo today and discover all the ways it can bolster your venue.

Discover how your team can work more efficiently and grow your business with help from the right technology, like ResDiary's restaurant booking system. We've created a great guide on the most essential tech tools for successful your restaurants, bars, or hotels.