A POS system for a mid-sized restaurant goes live in 3–5 business days, and the subscription version starts at around 250 RON per month for one workstation. The difference between a POS that makes service easier and one that gets in the way is not the price, though — it is how well it connects to the kitchen, the fiscal cash register and the delivery platforms.
In practice, most restaurants do not have a software problem but an integration one: orders come in through four different channels and someone retypes them by hand. That is where the money is lost and where the mistakes happen.
What a POS actually does
POS stands for "point of sale" — the point where the order becomes a receipt. A good POS holds the menu, sends the order to the kitchen or the bar, calculates the bill, splits it between guests and puts it through the fiscal cash register. That is all. The rest — stock, recipes, profitability reports — belongs to a management system, which we cover separately.
This confusion is expensive. Many businesses buy a POS expecting food cost reports from it, then discover that the module is paid for separately or does not exist at all.
What to check before you sign
Ask specific questions, not general ones. Does it connect to your existing cash register, or does that need replacing? Does it work offline if the internet drops in the middle of the evening service? Who answers the phone on a Friday at 9 pm, and how fast? What happens to your data if you leave the provider?
The last question is the most important and the most often forgotten. The menu, the order history and the customer database are yours; ask from the start what format you can export them in.
Delivery integration: where the money is lost
A restaurant delivering through Glovo, Wolt and Bolt Food has three tablets on the counter and one person copying orders into the POS. At 60 orders an evening, a few minutes lost per order and a small error rate add up to products given away for free and unhappy customers.
When the platforms feed straight into the POS, the order reaches the kitchen on its own, goes through the fiscal register and is closed. The tablets go, the retyping goes, and the end-of-day report covers every channel.
What it costs and what the price includes
A subscription usually covers the licence, updates and support. Hardware (workstation, kitchen printer, fiscal cash register), installation and staff training may be charged separately. Ask for the quote broken down along these lines, otherwise you are comparing figures that do not contain the same things.
Calculate over two years, not per month. A cheaper system that needs an extra person at the counter is the most expensive system on the market.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep the cash register I already have?
Usually yes, if the model is compatible with the system's drivers. This is checked before the quote is issued — it takes a few minutes, based on the register's serial number.
What happens if the internet goes down?
A serious system works locally and syncs when the connection comes back. Service does not stop. Ask explicitly, because not all cloud solutions behave this way.
How long does staff training take?
For a typical restaurant, one shift. Floor staff learn to take orders within the first hour; the reporting side is only used by the manager anyway.
Is it worth it for a small place with 6 tables?
If you deliver through platforms, yes — it pays for itself through the errors avoided. If you do not deliver and have two people per shift, a well-chosen cash register may be enough for a while.
