Your EPOS system is the backbone of your restaurant. It handles orders, kitchen communication, payments, stock, reporting. When it works, nobody notices. When it fails, you lose covers.
Most UK restaurants are choosing between a handful of systems: Lightspeed, Square, Tevalis, Zonal, and NCR Aloha. Each has different strengths. Choosing the wrong one costs money — not from the software licence, but from slow service, incorrect orders, and kitchen chaos.
What you actually need from restaurant EPOS
Before comparing, let's be clear about what matters for UK restaurants:
- Table management — seat diners, track table status, manage covers
- Kitchen display system (KDS) — orders go straight to kitchen screens (no printed tickets)
- Split bills and modifiers — customers want weird requests ("no croutons," "dressing on side")
- Allergen tracking — UK legal requirement (you must know what's in every dish)
- Making Tax Digital (MTD) — HMRC requirement for digital accounting
- Reliability — if your EPOS goes down, you lose money. Full stop.
Anything else is nice-to-have.
The main contenders
Lightspeed Restaurant (Premium, comprehensive)
Cost: £150–£300+/month depending on terminals and modules. Includes POS hardware upgrade path.
What it does:
- Full table management
- Integrated KDS (orders to kitchen screens automatically)
- Advanced split bills and modifications
- Real-time inventory tracking
- Staff clock-in and sales tracking
- Reporting and analytics
- Payment processing integration
- Allergen menu management
Why it's popular:
- Purpose-built for restaurants
- KDS is excellent (kitchen runs smooth)
- Premium features (table ordering tablets, staff management)
- Good for fine dining
Strengths:
- Comprehensive feature set
- Excellent KDS integration
- Good training and support
- Popular with mid-to-upmarket restaurants
Weaknesses:
- Expensive upfront (hardware + software)
- More than many casual restaurants need
- Steep learning curve
- Contracts can be punitive
Best for: Fine dining, mid-range restaurants with table service, venues doing 200+ covers/day
Verdict: Best-in-class for premium restaurants, but overkill and expensive for casual operations.
Square for Restaurants (Good value, free tier)
Cost: Free POS + £0.2.9–£3 per transaction (payment processing fees). Hardware optional (£300–£500).
What it does:
- Table management
- Order taking and modification
- Payment processing (no separate gateway)
- Basic inventory tracking
- Staff management
- Reporting
- No KDS by default (third-party integration available)
Why it's popular:
- Freemium model (start free, pay as you grow)
- Transparent pricing (no hidden fees)
- Works on iPad (flexible hardware)
- All-in-one (payments integrated)
Strengths:
- No upfront cost (huge for new restaurants)
- Clear pricing model
- Works on any iPad
- Good support
- All-in-one payments (no separate gateway)
Weaknesses:
- Transaction fees add up (28p + payment % on every order)
- KDS isn't native (requires integration)
- Less comprehensive than Lightspeed
- Slower for high-volume service
Best for: Casual restaurants, cafes, new openings wanting low upfront cost, venues under 100 covers/day
Verdict: Best value for casual restaurants. Pay-as-you-go pricing means you don't overcommit.
Tevalis (UK-native, Popular)
Cost: £100–£250/month plus hardware. Transparent pricing.
What it does:
- Table management
- Integrated KDS
- Order modifications and split bills
- Inventory management
- Allergen tracking
- Staff rostering
- Reporting
- MTD compliance
Why it's popular:
- Built in the UK (understands UK regulations)
- Mid-range pricing (cheaper than Lightspeed, more features than Square basic)
- Reliable (fewer outages than some competitors)
- Good training and support
Strengths:
- UK-native (allergen tracking, MTD built-in)
- Good KDS
- Mid-range pricing
- Good uptime track record
- Strong for independent restaurants
Weaknesses:
- Less premium features than Lightspeed
- Smaller than Lightspeed or Zonal (less case studies)
- Hardware bundling can be inflexible
Best for: Independent mid-range restaurants, UK restaurants needing strong allergen compliance
Verdict: Excellent middle ground. Best value for serious restaurants that want UK compliance built-in.
Zonal (UK hospitality leader for large operators)
Cost: Tiered, £300+/month. Enterprise pricing for larger groups.
What it does:
- Full table management
- Integrated KDS
- Complex modifications and modifiers
- Advanced inventory
- Staff management and rostering
- Reporting
- Integration with delivery platforms (Just Eat, Uber Eats)
- MTD compliance
Why it's popular:
- Market leader for large UK restaurant groups
- Works at scale (high volume, multiple outlets)
- Delivery platform integration (huge for modern restaurants)
- Enterprise support
Strengths:
- Built for high volume
- Excellent multi-outlet support
- Delivery platform integration (Just Eat, Uber Eats automatic)
- Robust reporting
- Used by major groups (proven)
Weaknesses:
- Overkill for single locations
- Higher price point
- Can be overly complex
- Contracts typically long-term and inflexible
Best for: Groups with multiple outlets, restaurants doing 300+ covers/day, venues taking significant delivery orders
Verdict: Best for high-volume and multi-outlet operations. Overkill for single casual restaurants.
Aloha by NCR (Enterprise, Established)
Cost: £300–£1,000+/month depending on scope. Usually requires upfront hardware investment.
What it does:
- Full table management
- KDS integration
- Advanced reporting
- Multi-outlet management
- Integration with major payment processors
- Enterprise support and SLAs
Why it's used:
- Long-established (been around 20+ years)
- Used by major hotel and restaurant groups
- Very reliable
- Strong enterprise support
Strengths:
- Enterprise-grade reliability
- Long track record
- Comprehensive
- Good for complex operations
Weaknesses:
- Very expensive
- Overkill for most restaurants
- Older interface (not as modern as newer systems)
- Requires professional installation
Best for: Large hotel groups, venue groups with complex needs, enterprise operations
Verdict: Solid if cost isn't a concern, but most modern restaurants have better options.
Key features comparison
| System | Table Mgmt | KDS | Split Bills | Allergen | MTD | Free Tier | Best for | |--------|-----------|-----|-----------|----------|-----|-----------|----------| | Lightspeed | Excellent | Native | Excellent | Yes | Yes | No | Premium | | Square | Good | Integration | Good | No | Yes | Yes | Casual | | Tevalis | Good | Native | Good | Yes | Yes | No | Mid-range | | Zonal | Excellent | Native | Excellent | Yes | Yes | No | High-volume | | Aloha | Excellent | Native | Excellent | Yes | Yes | No | Enterprise |
The critical feature: Allergen tracking
UK law requires you to identify allergens in every dish (14 major allergens: nuts, milk, soy, shellfish, etc.). Your EPOS must make this easy.
Who handles it best: Lightspeed, Tevalis, Zonal, Aloha
Who handles it okay: Square (requires manual setup)
If you're serving food, allergen tracking isn't optional. Choose a system that makes it automatic.
The critical feature: Kitchen Display System (KDS)
Orders need to reach the kitchen instantly. Printed tickets are slow and error-prone. KDS sends orders to kitchen screens automatically.
Who has native KDS: Lightspeed, Tevalis, Zonal, Aloha
Who requires integration: Square (third-party)
For anything larger than a 40-cover cafe, KDS matters.
My recommendation by restaurant type
Casual cafe or small venue (under 60 covers): Square. Free POS, you pay per transaction. No upfront cost. Perfect for testing a concept.
Independent mid-range restaurant (60–200 covers): Tevalis. UK-native, mid-range pricing, strong KDS and allergen tracking. Excellent value.
Busy independent restaurant (200+ covers): Lightspeed or Zonal depending on complexity. Lightspeed for traditional fine dining, Zonal if you take significant delivery orders.
Group with multiple outlets: Zonal. Built for scale, excellent multi-outlet support, delivery integration.
Large hotel or complex operation: Aloha. Overkill for most, but if you need enterprise support and extreme reliability, it's there.
Hidden costs to consider
- Hardware: POS terminals, kitchen screens, card readers — £1,000–£5,000 upfront
- Installation: Professional setup, network, integration — £500–£2,000
- Training: Staff training on new system — often included, but budget time
- Support: Depending on system, phone support may be extra
- Payment processing: If not included, add 1.5–2.5% to transaction fees
- Integrations: Delivery platforms, loyalty systems — may require separate contracts
Budget total cost of ownership, not just monthly fee.
The honest bit
Lightspeed is the best system, but it's expensive. Square is the cheapest and best for casual venues. Tevalis is the best value for serious restaurants. Zonal is best for high volume and delivery.
Choose based on your actual cover count and complexity, not hype. Overspending on EPOS you don't need is wasted money. Underspending and dealing with slow service is also wasted money.
Test with a free trial. Bring in your team. See how they like it. That matters more than reading reviews.
Related Guides
- Best POS System for Independent Retailers UK — POS systems for retail businesses
- Best POS for Independent Coffee Shops UK — POS and café management software
- Best CRM for Small Businesses UK — General CRM applicable to hospitality