Do you still charge at your restaurant with a calculator and an order notebook? A good point of sale for restaurants organizes the cashier, the tables and the kitchen from one place. For this reason, many small restaurant owners only change the system when they have already lost an order or misbalanced the cash register when closing. This point of sale guide summarizes the criteria that should be reviewed before choosing. point of sale: this guide summarizes criteria, limits and steps for choosing with context.
Selling restaurants allows you to compare functions, limits and context before deciding.
Restaurant sales: key criteria
restaurant point of sale helps you compare functions, limits and context before deciding. restaurant point of sale helps you compare functions, limits and context before deciding. restaurant point of sale helps you compare functions, limits and context before deciding.
punto venta restaurantes: esta guía reúne criterios, límites y pasos para elegir con contexto.
point of sale requires comparing functions, limits and context before deciding.
point of sale: criteria and guide
Before choosing, review how you manage your store or your inventory today
Before choosing a system for your restaurant, it's worth reviewing how you run the rest of the business. If you also sell packaged products or supplies outside the salon, our guide on management tools for small online stores can add context. The point of sale, according to its most accepted definition, is the place and time where a purchase is made. Therefore, that moment deserves a reliable system, not a loose calculator.
Free tool: Inventory, Suppliers and Purchasing
Start by ordering stock, suppliers and replacement. You can then choose a specialized system with clear requirements.
Loyverse: what it includes and how it works
Loyverse works as a point of sale for restaurants from a tablet or cell phone, without the need for special hardware. In addition, it allows you to register orders by table, divide accounts and control the inventory of supplies in real time. On the other hand, it includes a basic loyalty program and sales reports for the last thirty-one days in its free version. Thus, a small restaurant can start operating without paying anything upfront.
How much does Loyverse cost
Loyverse's base POS is free, according to the official site verified today. However, some features are paid for separately. Unlimited sales history costs $5 per month per location. Employee management and advanced inventory cost $25 a month each. Therefore, a small restaurant can start for free and add add-ons only when needed.
What to look at besides the price
What to look at besides price matters as much as the monthly cost of the system. Card payment fees, for example, may outweigh the software fee. Likewise, it is worth checking if the system works without internet during a connection outage. If your restaurant also controls stock of inputs with spreadsheets, this guide on alternatives to Excel for inventory control in SMEs helps organize that process.
What this looks like in practice
A restaurant with few tables gains order almost immediately with a well-configured restaurant point of sale. That's why it's enough to register orders and get paid from the same screen. A location with more movement, on the other hand, makes better use of inventory control and shift reporting. However, no system replaces good in-salon service. In fact, it only organizes the administrative part of the business.
How to choose according to the size of your restaurant
If you have a small venue with just a few tables, Loyverse's free plan is usually enough to get you started. This way, you avoid spending on functions that you don't need yet. If, on the other hand, you manage several shifts and kitchen and living room staff, it is advisable to add employee management. That is why this complement better organizes the team's shifts and commissions. Since each restaurant has a different rhythm, it is a good idea to try the free version before paying for add-ons.
Frequently asked questions about point of sale for restaurants
Do I need to purchase special hardware to use the system? No, Loyverse works from a tablet or a common cell phone, without a dedicated terminal.
Does it work without an internet connection? Yes, in fact the system still records sales offline and synchronizes the data afterwards.
Can I split the bill between several diners? Yes, that's why that feature is included in the free plan, at no additional cost.
Can I migrate my inventory from a spreadsheet? Yes, although loading each product by hand takes time at first. Since there are import templates that help with this migration.
Point of Sale Software for Small Restaurants: in Summary
Choosing the right restaurant POS depends on how many tables you serve and how many staff you manage. Loyverse covers everything from a startup to a multi-shift restaurant, with a free base plan and add-ons starting at $5 a month. In the next article in the series we review best management software for math academies and exam preparation, another case where choosing the right system makes a difference.
