--- title: Restaurant EPOS Systems UK: 2026 Buyer’s Guide description: Choose a restaurant EPOS system in the UK: VAT and Making Tax Digital, the 2024 tips law, card surcharges, allergens, costs and questions to ask. canonical: https://menubeacon.com/blog/restaurant-epos-system-uk author: MenuBeacon Team published: 2026-09-26 updated: 2026-09-26 category: United Kingdom tags: restaurant pos system uk, epos systems for restaurants uk, best restaurant pos systems uk, tips act --- # Restaurant EPOS Systems UK: 2026 Buyer’s Guide > What a UK restaurant EPOS system must handle — VAT, the tips law, allergens and no card surcharges — plus costs and how to compare vendors. Choosing an **EPOS system for a restaurant in the UK** is one of the biggest technology decisions an operator makes. It touches every order, every payment, your VAT records and your team's tips. This buyer's guide explains what a restaurant EPOS system does, the UK-specific rules it needs to handle, what it costs, and how to compare the options without getting locked into the wrong contract. ## What a restaurant EPOS system does "EPOS" (electronic point of sale) is the UK term for the till system that runs service. For a restaurant, café or pub, the core jobs are: - **Taking orders** at the counter, from servers on handhelds, and increasingly from guests via [order-at-table QR codes](/blog/order-at-table-qr-code-ordering-uk) - **Sending orders to the kitchen and bar**, by printer or kitchen display - **Taking payment** by card, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay and cash - **Handling tips and service charges** correctly - **Reporting** sales, VAT, staff performance and best-sellers Bigger systems add stock control, table plans, bookings, loyalty and multi-site reporting. ## UK rules your EPOS system must handle ### VAT at 20% — with the right records Most restaurant and takeaway food sold hot or eaten on the premises is standard-rated for VAT at 20%, while some cold takeaway food can be zero-rated. Your system must apply the right rate per item and give you clean VAT reports. Under **Making Tax Digital**, VAT-registered businesses must keep digital records and file through compatible software, so check how easily your EPOS data exports to your accounting package. ### The tips law (Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023) Since **1 October 2024**, employers must pass on **all tips, gratuities and service charges** to workers, without deductions, and allocate them fairly under a written tipping policy. The government's [code of practice on distributing tips fairly](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/distributing-tips-fairly-statutory-code-of-practice) sets out the detail. Your EPOS should record tips and service charges separately and clearly, per shift and per payment, so you can show exactly what was collected and paid out. ### No card surcharges UK businesses cannot add a surcharge for paying by consumer debit or credit card. Build card costs into your menu prices and choose a payment setup with fair, transparent rates. ### Allergen information You must be able to provide information on the **14 major allergens** for the food you serve. The Food Standards Agency's [allergen guidance for food businesses](https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses) explains what is required. A digital menu that shows allergens on every item, kept in sync with recipe changes, makes this far easier than paper menus and verbal checks. ## Traditional EPOS vs cloud and QR-first systems | | Traditional EPOS | Cloud EPOS | QR-first ordering system | |---|---|---|---| | Hardware | Proprietary tills | iPads or Android tablets | Guests' own phones, plus a tablet for the kitchen | | Upfront cost | High | Medium | Low | | Contract | Often 2–5 years with leases | Usually monthly | Usually monthly or free plan | | Order taking | Staff only | Staff, sometimes online | Guests at the table, plus staff | | Remote access | Limited | Yes | Yes | Many independent UK venues now pair a lightweight cloud or QR-first system with a card terminal, rather than committing to a long-lease traditional EPOS. ## What a restaurant EPOS costs in the UK Compare vendors on the same lines: 1. **Software subscription** — per site, per terminal or per user 2. **Card processing** — the rate for chip-and-PIN, contactless and online/QR payments, plus any monthly minimums 3. **Hardware** — tills, handhelds, kitchen printers or screens, cash drawers, card readers 4. **Setup and training** 5. **Contract length and exit fees** — especially where hardware is leased Beware of "free EPOS" that locks you into expensive processing, and of long leases that are costly to leave. ## Features that matter most for UK restaurants and pubs - **Order at table** so guests can order and pay from their phone — now expected in many pubs and chains - **Fast bar and round ordering** for pubs, with modifiers such as "pint / half" and mixers - **Split bills and tips** handled properly, and service charges recorded for tips compliance - **Allergen and dietary tags** on every menu item - **Kitchen display or printing** by station (kitchen, bar, pizza oven) - **Clean VAT reporting** and data export - **Reliable Wi-Fi fallback**, such as a 4G/5G backup, so service continues if broadband drops ## Where MenuBeacon fits MenuBeacon is a cloud QR menu, order-at-table and payment system that runs in the browser, so there is no proprietary hardware to lease. - **Free ($0 USD, forever):** 3 menus with unlimited items, 20 table QR codes, 5,000 scans a month, order at table, a live kitchen display, cash or pay-at-counter orders, allergens and dietary tags, and your own VAT and service-charge settings. - **Pro ($20 USD a month, flat):** card, Apple Pay and Google Pay at the table with tips and split bills, loyalty and gift cards, bookings with deposits, staff accounts with PINs, receipt printing, AI menu import and integrations. There is no commission on your orders, and you can set your menu prices in GBP. Many venues use MenuBeacon for order-at-table and the kitchen alongside the card terminal they already have. See the [pricing page](/pricing) and all [features](/features). ## Questions to ask before you sign 1. What will I pay in total over 12 and 36 months, including processing and hardware? 2. How are tips and service charges recorded and reported? 3. Does it support order at table and pay at table? 4. How do allergens appear on menus and tickets? 5. How does data export to my accounting software for Making Tax Digital? 6. What is the contract length, and what does it cost to leave? 7. What happens if the internet goes down mid-service? ## The bottom line The best restaurant EPOS system for a UK venue records tips and VAT cleanly, shows allergens reliably, takes orders wherever guests are, and does not trap you in a long contract. Get quotes on the same five lines, check the exit terms, and consider whether order-at-table can cut the number of tills and handhelds you need. Want to see order at table working with your own menu? [Start free with MenuBeacon](/pricing) or read [how it works](/how-it-works). ## Frequently asked questions **What is the difference between POS and EPOS?** They mean the same thing. EPOS (electronic point of sale) is the term commonly used in the UK for the till system that takes orders and payments. **How does the tips law affect my EPOS system?** Since 1 October 2024, employers must pass all tips, gratuities and service charges to workers without deductions and allocate them fairly under a written policy. Your EPOS should record tips and service charges clearly so you can show what was collected and distributed. **Can I add a surcharge for card payments in the UK?** No. UK businesses cannot surcharge consumer debit or credit card payments, so card costs need to be built into your prices. **Does MenuBeacon work in the UK?** Yes. Menus can be priced in GBP, and the Free plan includes order at table and a live kitchen display. Pro is a flat $20 USD a month and adds pay at table with tips and split bills, loyalty and bookings. --- Source: https://menubeacon.com/blog/restaurant-epos-system-uk Publisher: MenuBeacon — https://menubeacon.com/