Restaurant EPOS System for UK Restaurants
Running a restaurant means juggling table numbers, kitchen tickets, modifiers, allergens, shift changes and end of night reporting, often all at once. A restaurant EPOS system (also called a POS system or till system) is the piece of software that ties all of this together, from the moment an order is taken to the moment the till is reconciled at close.
Epos Free is a browser based EPOS till system built with restaurants and cafes in mind. There is a free demo on the home page that you can try with no signup, so you can see how table numbers, order history and reporting actually work before deciding whether to sign in and save your own menu.
This page walks through what a restaurant needs from its EPOS system, how the day to day service flow works, and what to look for when choosing a restaurant EPOS for your own site.
Service flow: from order to kitchen to payment
A restaurant EPOS system should follow the natural shape of service. A server or counter staff member takes an order, the order is marked eat in or takeaway, a table number is added if relevant, and the order is sent through to be prepared and eventually paid for.
In Epos Free, orders default to takeaway, but staff can switch to eat in and add an optional table number in a couple of taps. A customer name can also be added, which is useful for larger restaurants running multiple tables or a bar tab system where several orders are open at once.
Table numbers and eat in orders
Table numbers matter for any restaurant with sit down service, because staff need to know which order belongs to which table without asking the customer again. Epos Free treats the table number as optional, so quick service counters are not forced to fill in a field they do not need, while full service restaurants can add a table number to every order.
Because eat in and takeaway are both supported from the same till software, a restaurant that does both, for example a pizza place with a small dining area, does not need two separate systems.
Modifiers, extras and allergen notes
Almost no dish is ordered exactly as printed on the menu. Customers want extra cheese, no onion, dressing on the side or a specific spice level. A restaurant EPOS system needs a straightforward way to add these as optional extras or modifiers at the point of sale, so the kitchen gets an accurate ticket and the till charges the right amount.
Epos Free supports optional extras and modifiers on menu items, so staff can build an order that reflects exactly what the customer asked for. It is good practice to use these fields consistently for allergen relevant notes too, such as no nuts or gluten free, so the same information reaches the kitchen every time rather than relying on a shout across the pass.
We would always recommend keeping a written allergen matrix separate from the till as your legal reference point, and using the EPOS system as a fast way to communicate specific customer requests to the kitchen on top of that.
Splitting shifts and handovers
Restaurants rarely run on a single shift. A lunch team hands over to an evening team, and each shift often wants to know how it performed on its own, separate from the day as a whole. Because Epos Free keeps a full order history with timestamps, you can look back over any period, including a single shift window, to see what was sold and when.
This is useful for splitting responsibility, for example checking whether a quiet lunch service or a busy Friday evening service drove more of the day's revenue, and for spotting which shift needs more staff on a given day of the week.
Order history and voiding orders
Mistakes happen during service, an order gets rung in twice, a customer changes their mind, or an item needs to be removed after the fact. A proper restaurant till system needs a clean way to void an order, rather than leaving incorrect sales sitting in the day's figures.
Epos Free lets you void orders when a mistake needs correcting, and keeps a full order history so you can always see what happened, when it happened and what was changed. This is far more reliable than a paper log or a verbal note to the manager, and it means your daily revenue figures reflect what actually sold.
Reporting: covers, average spend and popular products
Reporting is where an EPOS system earns its keep. Rather than adding up till receipts by hand, a restaurant EPOS should tell you daily revenue, average order value, which products are your best sellers, and whether you are seeing more new customers or more returning customers over time.
Epos Free includes reporting for daily revenue, average order value, popular products and new versus returning customer trends. For a restaurant, average order value is a useful proxy for average spend per order, and tracking it over weeks can show whether upselling extras and modifiers is actually moving the needle.
Popular product reporting also helps with menu planning, showing you which dishes are worth keeping front and centre and which are quietly underperforming.
Training staff on a new till system
Any new EPOS system needs staff to be comfortable using it quickly, especially in a restaurant where a confused server during a busy Saturday service is a real problem. A pastel, square edged, clearly laid out interface, like the one used in Epos Free, is easier for new starters to learn because buttons and menu items are visually distinct and the layout stays consistent across devices.
Because Epos Free runs in a browser, training can happen on a laptop or tablet before a new staff member ever touches the live till, and because it works on any device with a browser, staff do not need to relearn the system if the restaurant switches hardware later.
Publishing your menu for staff
Keeping printed menus in sync with the till menu is a common headache, especially when prices or specials change often. Epos Free lets you publish your menu to a shareable staff URL, so front of house staff can check current items and prices from their own phone without needing to be logged into the till itself.
This is particularly useful for restaurants running daily specials or seasonal changes, where the printed menu might lag a day or two behind what is actually available.
Payment methods for restaurant service
A restaurant till needs to record however customers actually want to pay. Epos Free supports Cash, Card, Contactless and Gift card as payment methods, which covers the vast majority of restaurant transactions without adding unnecessary complexity to the till screen.
Choosing a restaurant EPOS system: what to check
There are many EPOS providers on the market, and pricing and features vary considerably, so it is worth checking any provider's own site for current terms before committing. Below is a checklist of the areas most restaurants should think through when comparing options.
| Requirement | Why it matters for restaurants | Epos Free |
|---|---|---|
| Table numbers | Needed for sit down service and multiple open orders | Optional table number on eat in orders |
| Eat in / takeaway toggle | Many restaurants run both service types | Supported, takeaway is the default |
| Modifiers and extras | Customers customise dishes constantly | Optional extras and modifiers per item |
| Order history and voids | Mistakes need correcting without losing a record | Full order history plus voiding orders |
| Reporting | Owners need daily revenue and average order value at a glance | Revenue, average order value, popular products, customer trends |
| Staff menu access | Front of house need current prices and specials | Shareable published menu URL |
| Hardware | Restaurants should avoid being locked into one supplier | Works on any device with a browser, no hardware lock in |
| Cost to try | Testing before committing reduces risk | Free browser demo, no signup required |
Restaurant EPOS versus general retail till systems
Not every EPOS system is built with restaurant service in mind. Some point of sale systems are designed primarily for retail, where a single transaction is rung through and the customer leaves, with no concept of a table, a kitchen ticket, or a shift based reporting view.
A restaurant EPOS system needs to support eat in orders with table numbers, modifiers for kitchen instructions, and reporting that reflects covers and average spend rather than just per item sales. When comparing systems, it is worth asking a provider directly whether their software was designed for hospitality or adapted from a retail base, since this affects how naturally table numbers and course based ordering fit into daily use.
Frequently asked questions
What is a restaurant EPOS system?
A restaurant EPOS system is till software built to handle restaurant specific needs such as table numbers, eat in and takeaway orders, modifiers for customising dishes, and reporting on covers, average order value and popular menu items, alongside standard functions like taking payments and recording sales.
Do I need table numbers on my restaurant till?
Table numbers are useful for any restaurant offering sit down service, because they let staff track which order belongs to which table. In Epos Free, table numbers are optional, so quick service or takeaway heavy restaurants can skip them while full service restaurants use them on every eat in order.
Can a restaurant EPOS system handle both eat in and takeaway orders?
Yes, a well built restaurant EPOS system should let staff switch between eat in and takeaway on each order. Epos Free defaults new orders to takeaway and lets staff add an eat in table number when needed, so one system covers both service types.
How do modifiers work on a restaurant till system?
Modifiers let staff add optional extras or changes to a menu item at the point of sale, such as extra toppings, no onion, or a spice level. Epos Free supports optional extras and modifiers on menu items so the kitchen receives an accurate ticket and the bill reflects what was actually ordered.
Can allergen information be recorded on the EPOS system?
Modifiers and order notes can be used to flag allergen relevant requests such as no nuts or dairy free at the point of sale, giving the kitchen a clear instruction alongside the order. This should sit alongside, not replace, a restaurant's written allergen matrix used for legal compliance.
How does a restaurant EPOS system help split shifts and report on performance?
Because a restaurant EPOS system keeps a timestamped order history, managers can review sales for any period, including a single shift, to compare lunch and evening performance or check staffing needs on particular days. Epos Free keeps full order history alongside daily revenue and average order value reporting.
What happens if a restaurant order needs to be voided?
A restaurant EPOS system should let staff void an incorrect order so it no longer counts towards sales figures, while keeping a record of the change for accountability. Epos Free supports voiding orders and retains the full order history so nothing is silently deleted.
What reporting should I expect from a restaurant till system?
Useful reporting for a restaurant includes daily revenue, average order value, which products sell best, and whether customers are new or returning. Epos Free provides all of these as standard, helping owners spot trends without manually totalling receipts.
How much does a restaurant EPOS system cost?
Costs vary widely between providers, so it is worth checking each provider's own site for current pricing before deciding. Epos Free offers a free browser based demo with no signup required, and only requires signing in to save your own menu and access saved reporting.
Do I need special hardware to run a restaurant EPOS system?
Not necessarily. Epos Free works on any device with a browser, so a restaurant can run it on a tablet, laptop or existing computer without being locked into a specific hardware supplier.
Can staff see the current menu without logging into the till?
Yes, Epos Free lets you publish your menu to a shareable staff URL, so front of house staff can check current items, extras and prices from their own device without needing till access, which is useful when specials change daily.