EPOS system for takeaways: full EPOS or EPOS-lite?

A takeaway EPOS system takes counter and phone orders, sends them to the kitchen, takes payment and tracks your sales. Full systems like Epos Now or Foodhub's EPOS add card terminals, caller ID and kitchen screens, usually on a 12-month deal. Many small takeaways need less. Menuthere is commission-free online and WhatsApp ordering, with an EPOS-lite till as a paid add-on: a browser till with kitchen tickets and reports, built around your own ordering website. This guide shows which one fits your shop.

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What a takeaway EPOS system does

EPOS stands for electronic point of sale. Today "EPOS" and "POS" mean the same thing. A takeaway EPOS usually covers:

• Order entry at the counter and for phone orders.
• Kitchen tickets on a printer, or a kitchen display screen (KDS).
• Payments, with a card terminal linked to the till.
• Caller ID, which shows a regular's name and address when they ring.
• Delivery-app orders from Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats in one place.
• Online ordering through your own website.
• Stock and reports: best sellers, busy hours, cash and card totals.

Some takeaways need all of that. Many need only half.

Full EPOS vs EPOS-lite vs ordering only

What Menuthere's EPOS-lite does

Menuthere's POS is a paid add-on (US$10 a month) that runs in a web browser. No special hardware is needed to start.

• Bills and kitchen tickets. Kitchen tickets and bills print separately. Print from the browser to any printer your PC can use, or use the Windows app to auto-print without a print dialog.
• Auto-print. Accepted online orders print a kitchen ticket on their own.
• Discounts and extras. Percentage and flat discounts, extra charges, order notes and rounding. Buy-X-get-Y offers need Pro.
• Table orders. Staff add table orders from the dashboard with their own login. A second QR order from the same table joins the open bill.
• Payment records. Record each bill as cash or card.
• UK VAT on bills. Set 20% or 0% per item, and bills show the VAT.
• Reports. Revenue by hour, top items, category performance, order types and the cash and card split. Download the report for your accountant (Lite and above).

In-store billing (the POS till) is a paid add-on at US$10 a month, not part of a plan. Online ordering, QR table ordering and kitchen tickets are on every plan.

Where it shines: one menu, every channel

Your counter, your online takeaway ordering system, QR table orders and WhatsApp ordering all share one menu. Change a price once and it changes everywhere. Mark chips sold out and nobody can order them online.

What Menuthere does not do (yet)

We would rather you know now than after you sign up.

• No integrated card terminal. Your card machine (SumUp, Dojo, Teya, Square or a bank terminal) works separately. Staff record the bill as "card".
• No caller ID.
• No kitchen display screen (KDS). Kitchen orders are printed tickets.
• No merging of Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats orders. Those still come through each app's own tablet.
• No UK EPOS integrations with systems such as Epos Now or Square, and no API for building one.
• No offline mode. It runs in a browser, so plan for a backup internet connection.
• Not Making Tax Digital software. Export reports for your accountant or bookkeeping software instead.

When your takeaway needs a full EPOS

Choose a full takeaway EPOS if two or more of these are true:

• Most orders still come by phone, and caller ID would save you minutes on every call. This is common for Chinese takeaways and pizza shops.
• You want card payments to flow into the till automatically, with no manual "card" button.
• You run three or more delivery apps and the tablets are drowning the counter.
• You need kitchen screens with timers and bump bars, not paper tickets.
• You have several tills, several sites, or need staff clock-in and detailed stock costing.
• Your internet is unreliable, so the till must keep working offline.

When EPOS-lite is enough

EPOS-lite plus online ordering suits you if:

• You are a small or new takeaway with one counter.
• You want more direct orders and fewer app orders, not a bigger till.
• You already have a standalone card machine you are happy with.
• You prefer no contract and no hardware bundle.
• Paper kitchen tickets work fine for your team.

You can also keep your current EPOS and add Menuthere just for commission-free online and WhatsApp orders. Online orders ring on the partner app and print their own kitchen ticket. There is no UK EPOS integration, so staff key them into the main till if you need one set of figures.

UK takeaway EPOS options compared

Prices are taken from each provider's public UK pages. Offers change often, so get a written quote.

On the published prices above, takeaway EPOS software runs from about £54 to £150 a month per site, plus hardware and card fees. Comparing Epos Now? Read our Epos Now alternatives and reviews. Weighing up Foodhub's EPOS? See Foodhub alternatives.

What a takeaway EPOS really costs: a first-year example

A one-counter takeaway compares two set-ups for year one.

Menuthere plans are billed in US dollars; your bank converts it.

The bigger number is often what you pay the delivery apps. Take a takeaway selling £8,800 a month through Just Eat. At a 14% commission plus VAT (the own-delivery rate Just Eat's UK sign-up page showed in July 2026; check your own agreement), it pays about £1,478 a month. Moving even a quarter of that to your own ordering system can pay for any EPOS.

UK rules your EPOS must handle

• Mixed VAT rates. Hot takeaway food is standard-rated at 20%. Most cold takeaway food is zero-rated. Your till must handle both on one bill (HMRC VAT Notice 709/1). See VAT on takeaway food. Menuthere bills can show UK VAT at 20% or 0% per item.
• Making Tax Digital. VAT-registered businesses must keep digital records and file VAT returns with MTD-compatible software.
• No card surcharges. Consumer card surcharges have been banned since January 2018.
• Allergens. Staff must be able to answer allergen questions at the counter and on the phone. Online, allergen information must be available before the customer orders. On every Menuthere plan, including Free, you can tag the 14 allergens, calories (kcal) and a halal mark on each dish, and customers see them when they open it. Keep an allergen matrix at the counter too.

Buying checklist: questions to ask any EPOS seller

1. What is the total first-year cost, including hardware, software, card fees and add-ons?
2. How long is the contract, and what is the exit fee?
3. Do I own or rent the hardware?
4. What are the card rates, and is card processing tied to the EPOS?
5. Is online ordering included, or an add-on? Is there commission on it?
6. Can it merge Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats orders, and at what cost?
7. Does it handle 20% and 0% VAT on one bill?
8. Does it work offline?
9. What are the support hours on a Friday night?
10. Can I export my data if I leave?

EPOS for Chinese takeaways and pizza shops

These two get the most EPOS searches, for good reasons.

• Chinese takeaways take lots of phone orders from regulars with numbered menus. Caller ID and fast number-entry tills save real time. A full EPOS often pays off. Add Menuthere alongside it to move regulars online and onto WhatsApp.
• Pizza shops need sizes, toppings, deals and delivery dispatch. If you deliver with your own drivers, check driver dispatch and tracking. Menuthere's riders app with live tracking is on Pro. See online ordering for pizza shops.

Not ready to sign a 12-month EPOS deal? see how many orders you can move direct first.

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