POS hardware: what a venue actually needs

POS hardware is the equipment a venue uses to take orders, send them to the kitchen and take payment: the screens, terminals, printers, drawers and network that sit behind every service. For a new venue, it is one of the first large purchases, and one of the easiest to overspend on. Hardware quotes arrive as long lists of items with confident names, and it is hard to tell which ones a service genuinely needs and which are there because they are easy to sell.

The truth is that the essential list is short. A modern venue can run a full service on a handful of devices, many of them ordinary tablets and screens. Everything beyond that depends on how the venue works: whether it takes cash, whether guests want paper receipts, whether the kitchen uses screens or printers, and how large the room is.

This guide sets out the shortest hardware list that runs a service, explains what each item is for and when it is worth having, and covers the four things vendors often add to a quote that you can frequently decline. It also covers the network, mounts, spares and the questions to ask before you buy hardware for a new venue.

A point of sale system has two parts: the software that records orders, sends them to the kitchen and produces the bill, and the hardware it runs on. The general idea of a point of sale, the place where a sale is completed, has moved from a fixed till on a counter to a set of devices spread across the venue.

In a typical restaurant, the hardware covers four jobs. Taking orders, at a counter or at the table. Getting orders to the kitchen and bar, on screens or printed tickets. Taking payment, by card, phone or cash. And connecting it all, through the network. Every item on a hardware list serves one of those jobs, and asking which job an item serves is the quickest way to judge whether you need it.

Software decides much of the hardware. Some systems run only on their own proprietary devices; others run in a web browser or on standard tablets and phones. That choice affects cost, flexibility and what happens when a device breaks.

For most sit-down venues, the essential POS hardware is:

Many venues add a tablet at the host stand, a screen at the bar, a bump bar at the pass and a cash drawer if they take cash. Some add receipt printers. Everything else is optional, and should be bought because the venue needs it, not because it was on the quote.

A tablet POS is the most flexible way to take orders. Standard tablets are relatively inexpensive, easy to replace and familiar to staff. Mounted on a stand at the counter, they act as a till; carried by servers, they let orders be taken at the table and sent straight to the kitchen.

Choose tablets that your POS software supports, with enough battery to last a service and screens bright enough for your lighting. Protective cases are worth having, because tablets in hospitality get dropped, splashed and handled with greasy hands. Keep a spare charged and ready.

How many you need depends on your service. A small café may manage with one at the counter. A restaurant with several sections may want one per section, plus one at the bar, so servers never queue to enter orders.

The card terminal takes card and phone payments, and it usually comes from your payment provider rather than your POS vendor. Portable terminals that servers can carry to the table speed up payment and keep cards in guests' sight. Countertop terminals suit counters and bars.

The terminal's cost is often a small part of the total; the processing fees on every payment matter more. Compare providers on their fees, contract terms and support, not only on the price of the device. Make sure terminals meet the card industry's security standards, such as those published by the PCI Security Standards Council.

Decide how the terminal and the POS will work together. Some are integrated, so the amount is sent to the terminal automatically; others are standalone, and the server enters the amount and records the payment against the check. Integrated is faster and avoids typing errors; standalone is simpler and lets you choose any provider.

Orders reach the kitchen in one of two ways: a kitchen display screen, or a kitchen printer that prints a paper ticket. Many venues now use screens, which can show tickets at each station, count the time each ticket has waited and update when an order changes. Printers are cheaper to start with and familiar to many cooks.

A kitchen display usually needs a screen per station or one for the pass, a mount suitable for a hot, greasy environment and sometimes a bump bar, a small keypad that lets cooks mark tickets done without touching the screen. Our guide to how much a kitchen display system costs prices the options.

Whichever you choose, the aim is the same: every order reaches the station that cooks it, clearly, with every detail. Our guide to kitchen tickets that never need a shout covers what a good ticket shows.

Receipt printers print paper receipts for guests and, in some venues, bills to bring to the table. They are less essential than they once were. Many guests now decline paper receipts, and receipts can often be emailed or shown on screen instead.

Whether you need them depends on your guests, your format and the rules where you trade. Some places have requirements about receipts or tax invoices; check what applies to you. Counter-service venues where guests expect a receipt with their order may want one at each till. Table-service venues may manage with one at the counter, or none.

If you buy receipt printers, choose ones your POS software supports, keep spare paper rolls in stock and put them where they will not be splashed. A receipt printer that runs out of paper mid-service is a small crisis.

Cash drawers hold cash securely at the till and usually open automatically when a cash payment is recorded. If you take cash, you need one. If you are entirely card-only, you may not, though many venues keep one for float, tips or the occasional cash payment.

Where cash is common, one drawer per till is usual, with clear rules about who can open it and how it is counted. Where cash is rare, one drawer at the main counter may be enough. Cash handling needs procedures as much as hardware: opening floats, counting at the end of the day and recording any differences.

Check whether a cash drawer works with your POS directly, through a receipt printer, or not at all. Some systems record cash payments without controlling a drawer, which is fine as long as the drawer is managed properly.

The network is the piece of hardware most often forgotten and most often blamed. Every tablet, screen and terminal depends on it. A weak signal in the corner of the room, a router that drops connections when the room is full, or a broadband line that goes down on a Saturday night can stop service.

Invest in a reliable network: a business-grade router, access points placed so every part of the venue has a strong signal, including the terrace and the kitchen, and a backup connection, such as a mobile data router, that takes over automatically when the main line fails. Keep the venue's own devices on a separate network from guest Wi-Fi.

Test the network during a busy service, not on a quiet afternoon. A network that works with ten devices may struggle with a full room of guests' phones on the same connection.

The host stand needs a device too, usually a tablet showing the bookings, the waitlist and the floor plan. It is where guests are greeted, walk-ins are added to the waitlist and tables are assigned, and on a busy night it is one of the most used devices in the venue.

Choose a tablet with a screen large enough to show the whole floor plan clearly, mounted at a comfortable height, with a charger that keeps it ready through a long service. If the host also takes phone bookings, a headset or a phone nearby helps. Keep it in view of the door, so the host can see guests arriving while looking at the plan.

In smaller venues, the host stand and the till may be the same device. That works, as long as a queue at the till does not leave guests waiting at the door.

Many venues now show their menu, specials or promotions on screens in the room: behind the counter, above the bar or in the window. These menu boards are ordinary televisions or monitors, usually mounted on a wall and connected to the network.

They are optional, and their value depends on the format. Counter-service venues, cafés and bars often benefit, because guests read the menu while they queue. Table-service restaurants may not need them at all. If you use them, make sure the content comes from the same menu as the rest of the venue, so a sold-out dish or a new price appears everywhere at once.

Choose screens bright enough for the room and the time of day, and mount them where guests can read them without craning.

Every device that takes orders or payments needs controls on who can use it. Staff should sign in with their own credentials, often a short personal code on shared devices, so every order, void and payment is recorded against the person who made it. Shared logins make it impossible to know who did what.

Lock down devices so they run only what they need, keep software up to date and remove access promptly when someone leaves. Card terminals should be kept secure and checked regularly for tampering.

Guest Wi-Fi should be separate from the network the POS uses. A guest's phone should never be on the same network as the devices that take payments.

Mounts and chargers are small costs that make a big difference. A tablet mounted at the right height at the counter, a kitchen screen on a bracket where every cook can see it, and chargers placed where devices rest between uses all keep service flowing.

Keep spares. A spare tablet, a spare card terminal and spare charging cables cost little compared with a service run on one device because another broke. Label every device and every cable, so a member of staff can replace one quickly without guessing.

Plan for heat, grease and water. Kitchen devices need mounts and cases designed for the environment, and should be placed away from fryers and sinks.

Hardware quotes often include items that are useful in some venues and unnecessary in many. Four are worth questioning every time:

None of these is wrong in itself. The question for each is the same: which job does it serve, and is there a simpler way to do that job?

Buying hardware for a new venue is easier if you start with the service rather than the catalogue. Walk through a busy service in your head: where orders are taken, how they reach the kitchen, where guests pay and where staff stand. Then list the devices each step needs.

Buy the essentials first, open, and add the rest when you see a real need. It is much easier to add a second tablet after a month of service than to know in advance exactly how many you need. Many venues find they bought more hardware than they use.

Check what you already have. Many POS systems run on ordinary tablets, phones and screens, and a venue may already own some of them. Using existing devices for the host stand or a menu board can save money at the start.

Hardware can be bought outright, leased or bundled into a POS contract. Buying outright costs more at the start but usually less over time. Leasing spreads the cost but can be more expensive overall, and lease terms may outlast the hardware's useful life. Bundled hardware can look cheap but may lock you into a long software contract.

Read the terms carefully. Who owns the hardware at the end? What happens if you change POS provider? Can the hardware be used with other software? Our guide to how much a POS costs in the first year covers the full cost, and our guide to choosing a POS covers the questions to ask.

The total cost of ownership, every cost over the life of the equipment, is a more useful comparison than the price on the quote.

Here is an illustrative hardware list for a 60-seat restaurant with a bar, table service and a mostly card-paying clientele. The list shows the method, not a recommendation for every venue.

The original quote for the same venue included proprietary terminals, a printer at every station and customer displays. The shorter list runs the same service, and leaves budget for the network and spares.

servearound runs in a web browser and on iPhone, iPad and Android, so the point of sale, the kitchen display, the host stand and the menu boards can run on tablets, phones and screens you choose, including ones you may already own. Each shared screen is paired to the venue with a short code and told what it is for, such as the kitchen pass, the host stand, the front counter or a board on the bar TV.

The kitchen display can be worked by touch or from a bump bar, with keys to bump, recall, start and move between tickets. On the point of sale and the host stand, each member of staff taps their name and types their own PIN, so every action is recorded against the person who made it. Card payments are taken on your own payment provider's terminal and recorded against the check, alongside cash, transfers and external terminals. servearound is priced per venue, per month, with no per-screen or per-user fees, so adding a tablet adds no licence cost. See fulfillment and pricing.

Many POS systems run on standard tablets. Check which devices and operating systems your software supports before you buy.

Not if the kitchen uses screens. Some venues keep one printer as a backup.

It depends on your guests, your format and local rules. Many venues email receipts or print only on request.

Enough that no server waits for one on a busy night, often one per section plus a spare.

Sometimes, for cash flow. Compare the total cost over the lease with buying outright, and check what happens at the end of the term.

Often the one nobody sees: the network. Every other device depends on it.

POS hardware should be bought from the service, not from the catalogue. The shortest list that runs a service is a tablet POS or two, a card terminal from your payment provider, a kitchen screen or printer, a reliable network with a backup, and mounts and chargers. Receipt printers, cash drawers and extra screens depend on how your venue works.

Question four common additions: proprietary terminals, kitchen printers alongside screens, customer displays and bundled cover. When buying hardware for a new venue, start with the essentials, open, and add what you find you need. Invest in the network and spares, and compare options on total cost of ownership rather than the quote.