POS integration: getting online orders into your POS without re-typing
Updated October 20, 2026
POS integration connects your online ordering to your point-of-sale (POS) system, so an order placed on your website lands in the POS by itself: no one reads it off a tablet and types it in again. In a two-way integration, the menu and prices also flow from the POS to the online menu, and statuses ("accepted," "ready") flow back.
In short
- One-way: online orders go into the POS. Two-way: menu, prices and availability also sync from the POS.
- Without it, staff re-key every online order, which costs time at the busiest hour and causes mistakes.
- The options: a built-in integration, a middleware service, your own developer using an API, or printing tickets instead.
- On Menuthere there's no ready-made Square, Toast or Clover integration; you can connect your own system with Menuthere's API and webhooks, or use its own counter POS add-on.
One-way vs two-way integration
| One-way | Two-way | |
|---|---|---|
| Online orders into the POS | Yes | Yes |
| Menu and prices from the POS | No; kept in two places | Yes |
| Sold-out items | Set in both places | Synced |
| Order status back to the customer | Usually manual | Can be automatic |
Four ways to connect online orders to a POS
| Option | How it works | Effort | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in integration | The ordering system and POS connect with a setting | Low | Exists only for certain POS brands |
| Middleware service | A third service sits between the two | Low to medium | Another monthly fee and another system |
| Your own developer, via API and webhooks | Orders are sent to your system; your system sends statuses back | Medium to high | Needs a developer and upkeep |
| No integration: print or screen | Orders print a kitchen ticket and the bill; POS entry only for accounting | None | End-of-day totals in two systems |
What re-keying really costs
A restaurant takes 40 online orders a day. Re-typing each into the POS takes about 90 seconds at the counter.
- 40 × 1.5 minutes = 60 minutes a day, much of it at the dinner rush.
- 30 days × 1 hour × $16 an hour = $480 a month of staff time.
- Plus mistakes: a missed modifier or a wrong size means a remake. See menu modifiers.
(Illustrative times and wage.) That's the cost to compare with an integration's monthly fee, or with simply printing tickets and keeping the POS for walk-ins.
Questions to ask before you buy
- Which POS brands does it integrate with today, not "on the roadmap"?
- Is it one-way or two-way? Do modifiers and notes come through?
- Does an 86'd item in the POS disappear online?
- Is there a monthly fee for the integration, on either side?
- What happens when the connection drops: do orders still print or ring?
How Menuthere handles POS integration
- API and webhooks (not locked by plan). A webhook sends each new order, and each change to it, to your own HTTPS address as a signed message (HMAC-SHA256): items with quantities, size and notes, totals, customer, table and payment. Events include
order.created,order.status_updated,payment.status_updatedanddelivery.status_updated. Your POS can send status changes back through the API (POST /api/v1/orders/{id}/status). Menuthere support creates keys and sets up webhooks. - Reliable delivery. Each webhook attempt waits 8 seconds and is retried up to three times; a failing endpoint never stops or delays the customer's order, and a log shows the last 24 hours of attempts.
- Menuthere's own counter POS. As an add-on (US$10 a month), ring up walk-in orders beside your online orders and print the bill or KOT, so there's one order list. Waiters can take table orders on their phones with the captain app; see tableside ordering.
- Printing instead. Every online, QR and WhatsApp order can print its kitchen ticket automatically, on every plan.
What it doesn't do: Menuthere has no ready-made integration with Square, Toast, Clover or other US POS systems, and no middleware connection. Connecting one means your own developer building on the API and webhooks. Compare systems that do integrate in our list of online ordering with POS.
Take online orders that print in the kitchen, or reach your own system by webhook. 0% commission.
Related terms
- Kitchen order ticket (KOT): printing orders instead of keying them.
- Tableside ordering: servers taking orders on a handheld.
- Menu modifiers: the choices an integration must carry across.
FAQs
What is POS integration in online ordering?
It is a connection that sends online orders straight into the restaurant's POS system, so staff don't re-type them. A two-way integration also keeps the menu, prices and item availability in sync from the POS.
Why does POS integration matter for restaurants?
Without it, staff read online orders off a tablet and enter them into the POS by hand, which takes time during rushes and leads to mistakes such as wrong sizes or missed notes. Integration removes the second entry.
What is the difference between one-way and two-way POS integration?
One-way integration sends online orders into the POS. Two-way integration also sends the menu, prices and sold-out items from the POS to the online menu, and often order statuses back to the customer.
Does Menuthere integrate with Square or Toast?
No. Menuthere has no ready-made integration with Square, Toast or Clover. It offers an API and order webhooks that your own developer can connect to a POS, and its own counter POS as an add-on.
Can I use online ordering without a POS integration?
Yes. Many small restaurants print a kitchen ticket for each online order and keep the POS for walk-in sales. On Menuthere, kitchen tickets can print automatically on every plan.
Sources (5)
- Menuthere help: Webhooks for new orders, updated 6 Oct 2026 (signed HMAC-SHA256 JSON; events order.created, order.status_updated, payment.status_updated, delivery.status_updated; order.created fields incl. items with variant and notes, totals, customer, table, payment; 8-second wait, up to three tries; failing endpoint never delays an order; 24-hour log; set up by support): https://menuthere.com/docs/integrations/webhooks-for-new-orders (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere help: Public API: overview and keys, updated 6 Oct 2026 (keys created by support; Orders and WhatsApp access; POST /api/v1/orders/{order_id}/status; 120 requests a minute; up to 10 keys): https://menuthere.com/docs/integrations/public-api-overview-and-keys (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere help: Counter POS billing, updated 16 Oct 2026 (add-on sold on request; dine-in/takeaway/delivery; print bill or KOT; one order list): https://menuthere.com/docs/dine-in/counter-pos-billing (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- POS add-on price US$10 a month: HANDOFF-2026-10-20 §3 (owner product facts); the help article says the add-on is sold on request
- MASTER-PLAN §7 gap 3 ("US POS integrations (Square first, then Toast/Clover)" not built)