How to choose a takeaway EPOS system: a 12-point checklist

Your EPOS system is the centre of your takeaway. It takes the orders, tells the kitchen what to cook, sends drivers out and tells you at the end of the night whether you made money. Choosing the wrong one means slow service on busy nights and a lot of frustration. Here are 12 things to check before you sign.

1. Is it built for takeaways?

Many EPOS systems are designed for retail or bars and adapted for food later. A takeaway has different needs: phone orders with addresses, delivery and collection times, kitchen tickets and drivers. Ask whether the system was designed for takeaways from the start, and how many takeaways use it.

2. Caller ID and a customer database

For a takeaway that takes phone orders, Caller ID is essential. When a regular calls, their name, address and previous orders should appear automatically. That saves time on every call, cuts address mistakes and gets food out faster. Check that the customer database builds itself as you take orders.

3. How quickly can staff learn it?

Takeaways often have part-time and seasonal staff. A clear graphical touch interface means new starters are useful within hours, not weeks. Ask for a demo and try taking an order yourself. If it feels complicated in a quiet demo, it'll be worse on a Friday night.

4. Getting orders to the kitchen

Orders should reach the kitchen the moment they're taken, on a kitchen printer, a chef screen or both. Shouted orders and handwritten tickets lead to mistakes and remakes.

5. Delivery management

If you deliver, look for a driver screen, the ability to prioritise orders by location, and ideally driver tracking. These features help you send drivers out efficiently and answer the "where's my order?" call with confidence.

6. Your own online ordering

Can the provider give you your own branded ordering website and mobile app, with orders arriving directly on your till? Direct ordering means you keep the customer relationship and avoid paying marketplace commission on regular customers. Read more in our guide to commission-free online ordering.

7. Delivery platform integration

If you use Uber Eats or Deliveroo, check whether those orders can come into your EPOS automatically. Without integration, someone has to re-key every marketplace order from a separate tablet, which is slow and error-prone.

8. Integrated payments

Your card terminal should be connected to your till, so amounts don't have to be typed twice. Ask how online, mobile and in-store payments come together in one set of reports.

9. Hardware that survives a kitchen

Heat, grease and constant use are hard on hardware. Look for rugged, heavy-duty equipment, ideally an all-in-one touch screen that connects to receipt printers, kitchen printers, cash drawers and Caller ID. Ask what warranty is included.

10. Flexibility for your menu

Every takeaway's menu is different. Check that the system can be customised for your options and extras, supports multi-cuisine menus if you need them, and lets you update items yourself. A provider that preinstalls your full menu saves hours of setup.

11. Reports and stock control

Good automated reports show what's selling, when you're busiest and how each channel performs. Stock control and supply-side management help you reduce waste and avoid running out.

12. UK support and total cost

When something goes wrong at 7pm on a Saturday, you need help fast. Ask:

• Is support based in the UK, and what hours is it available?
• Is support included, and for how long?
• Can an engineer connect remotely to fix problems?
• What does the system cost in total once you add hardware, support and online ordering? Are there commissions or per-order fees?

How RamTD measures up