Handheld POS for restaurants: is it worth it in the UK?

A handheld POS is a small device that lets staff take orders, and often payments, at the table. The order goes straight to the kitchen, so servers walk less and guests wait less. In the UK, dedicated handhelds cost from about £169 each plus software. Many smaller restaurants get the same benefit for less with a staff app on their own phones, or with QR ordering on the guest's phone. This guide compares all three.

Let guests order and pay from the table with no hardware.

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What is a handheld POS?

A handheld POS (or handheld EPOS) is a phone-sized device running your till software. Staff use it to:

• Take orders at the table, with modifiers and allergy notes.
• Send orders to the kitchen printer or kitchen display instantly.
• Take payment by tap or chip, if it has a card reader built in.
• Split the bill and print or email a receipt.

Some handhelds are made by the EPOS company. Others are Android payment terminals that run an ordering app.

Handheld vs traditional POS

Three ways to take orders at the table

1. Dedicated handheld devices

Built by your EPOS or payments provider. Usually rugged, with a card reader and sometimes a receipt printer.

• Examples (prices ex VAT, checked 11 October 2026):

  • Square Handheld: £169, or £29 a month for 6 months. Built-in card reader, scanner and camera. No built-in printer; it prints to a network printer over Wi-Fi.
  • Toast Go 3: included in Toast's UK Essentials plan (£150 a month). No standalone UK price.
  • Zonal iServe Plus: part of Zonal's all-in-one rental (EPoS, handheld and Dojo payments) at £229 a month plus £1,100 upfront, on a 36-month minimum.
  • Sunmi V3 with a 58mm printer: an Android handheld with a printer built in, from about £246 to £299 ex VAT at UK reseller ERS, depending on the version. It runs whichever EPOS app supports it.
  • Tevalis TevX: a handheld ordering app for venues on Tevalis EPoS. Quote only.
  • Lightspeed and Epos Now: no handheld price published. Ask for a quote.
• Good for: busy table-service restaurants and pubs with big gardens.
• Watch out for: cost per server, software fees per device, and payments tied to one provider.

2. A staff app on phones or tablets

Your EPOS or ordering system runs as an app or web page on phones you already own. Orders go to the kitchen the same way.

• Examples: Tabology's Mini EPOS runs on an iPhone for £19 a month. With Menuthere, staff can add dishes to a table's open order from the dashboard on a phone or tablet, on any plan. To ring up new orders at the counter or table, add Menuthere's POS add-on (US$10 a month, so Lite US$17 + POS US$10 = US$27 a month).
• Good for: small restaurants and cafés that want table service without new hardware.
• Watch out for: no built-in card reader. Staff carry a separate card machine.

3. Guest ordering by QR code

Guests scan a QR code on the table, order from their own phone and can pay there too. Staff bring the food and handle questions.

• Examples: Menuthere QR table ordering, and order-and-pay apps from EPOS providers.
• Good for: cafés, pubs, beer gardens and casual restaurants.
• Watch out for: some guests prefer a server. Keep staff on the floor for help and upselling.

Many venues mix them: QR ordering for drinks and second rounds, staff handhelds for the first order and for guests who want service.

What does handheld POS cost? A UK example

A 60-cover restaurant with four servers on a Saturday. Hardware ex VAT, year one.

What drives the payback: dedicated handhelds pay off when servers lose time walking to the till, or when tables wait to pay. If guests already order at the bar or counter, a QR code may do more for less.

Benefits of handheld POS

• Faster service. Orders reach the kitchen while the server is still at the table.
• Fewer mistakes. No handwriting to read, no re-keying.
• Quicker payment. Guests pay at the table instead of waiting for the bill and the card machine.
• More upsells. Prompts for sides and drinks appear as the order is taken.
• Bigger area covered. Gardens, terraces and upstairs rooms are easier to serve.

Vendors publish their own speed and table-turn figures. They're not independent tests, so treat them as marketing and test in your venue.

Before you buy: a checklist

1. Wi-Fi everywhere. Walk the whole floor and the garden with a phone. Dead spots break handhelds. Square Handheld needs Wi-Fi, though it can take offline payments for up to 24 hours. Toast Go 3 has optional 4G mobile data for £10 a month per device.
2. Battery life. It must last a double shift, or have spare batteries and chargers. Toast says Go 3 lasts 24 hours or more.
3. Drop and spill resistance. Ask for a rugged case, or check the rating. Toast Go 3 is rated IP65.
4. Built-in card reader or a separate PDQ machine? See our PDQ machine guide.
5. Kitchen routing. Drinks to the bar, food to the kitchen.
6. Allergen information on screen, for the 14 allergens.
7. Tips. All tips and service charges must go to staff in full under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023. Check how the device records them.
8. Software fee per device. Some systems charge per handheld.
9. Contract. Does buying handhelds lock you in?

UK rules to keep in mind

• No card surcharges. You can't charge guests extra for paying by card.
• Service charge must be clear. Show it on the menu and the bill. Tips and service charge go to staff in full.
• VAT. Food and drink eaten on your premises is standard-rated at 20%.

How Menuthere fits

Menuthere is not a handheld EPOS. It gives you the two cheaper routes:

• QR table ordering with no app. Guests order and a second round joins the same open bill. QR codes are on the Free plan.
• Order and pay at the table by card through your own Stripe account (Lite and above). Apple Pay and Google Pay work if you switch them on in your Stripe account. See order and pay at the table.
• Staff help on the dashboard, on a phone or tablet you already own: add dishes to a table's open order for guests who'd rather order with a person. New staff-entered orders need the POS add-on (US$10 a month).
• Allergens and calories on every dish. Tag the 14 UK allergens and kcal in menu editing on any plan, Free included. Guests see them when they open a dish.
• Kitchen tickets that print by hand or automatically when an order reaches a status you choose, such as Accepted. Auto-print needs the dashboard open in a browser on the printer's device, or the Windows app. Drinks and food can print to different printers, so the bar and kitchen each get their own ticket. See kitchen printing.
• 0% commission on every order.

It doesn't link to a card terminal, so staff use your existing card machine for in-person payments.

Try table ordering before you buy handhelds. See the.

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