How to choose a POS system for a café

What should a POS system be able to do?

Acash register system in a coffee shop allows you toprocess payments and transactions easily. Clients can pay by card, mobile phone or other contactless methods, which is becoming increasingly popular these days. However, it has another number of benefits and features that your cafe will surely find useful.

Some systems have a link to specific terminals where they send the final amount to theterminal automatically. With others you have to manually enter the amount into the cash register and terminal separately which increases the possibility of error.

Mobile waiter function

This feature is a great help when the cafe is busy. It allows guests to order directly at the table. With a mobile waiter, fewer staff can handle more guests at once. Guests can wait shorter times for both ordering and for their coffee or dessert to be ready.

It is therefore suitable forbusy cafes with a garden or for cafes where there is not enough staff.

Features parking accounts

With this feature, you canparkeach bill, i.e. put it away and return to it later. Account parking is particularly useful when your customers are spending on an ongoing basis.

If thetable map is active, theaccounts are automatically parked to the selected table. The accounts of each table remain open and in the meantime the operator can create additional accounts.

Efficient inventory

Proper inventory tracking is essential for the operation of a café . A cash register system allows you toeasily and accurately track inventory levels, which means you can plan purchases and minimize losses caused by shortages or overages.

With automatic stock tracking in thesystem, you can see in real timewhat ingredients or products are almost sold out and what needs to be replenished. This allows you to optimize your inventory and reduce costs.

Employee management

Employee managementis also another feature . The system can include features for scheduling, time tracking and employee payroll. This facilitates shift scheduling, ensures adherence to work procedures and minimizes administrative burden.

The POS system also allows to assign different levels of access to employees, ensuring security and controlling access tosensitive data.

Storyous

Awis

Tamara

Tamara is a popular POS system mainly because of the wide range of free features available and the lack of hidden fees.

The big advantage with this POS system is its price. It starts at just 300 CZK/month, but is stripped of some of its features, such as stock management. Themore expensive pro version costs 870 CZK/month and it already includes all the features mentioned below.

Advantages of Tamara:

• reports and sales analysis
• attendance
• performance tracking
• modern and easy user interface
• Price
• inventory management
• inventory
• multi-currency sales
• up to 5 cash registers in one shop included in the price of one licence

Disadvantages of Tamara:

• in the "mini" version there is no option to track stock and inventory, attendance, etc.
• The software only supports Android devices

Pexeso

Pexeso is an affordable POS system that is especially popularwith small businesses and sole traders. It is adapted to all kinds of catering establishments. It is very user-friendly and simple.

Even with this POS system ,payment is made in one lump sum but also monthly, which is an advantage. The Pexeso system can be purchasedwithout or with warehouse management.Without warehouses the system costs 4 300 CZK/one-off and with warehouses 6 700 CZK/one-off.

Advantages of Pexeso:

• you can customize the system, from the possibility to change the background, icons, to arrange everything according to yourself.
• unlimited number of added items
• you can add additional information to the items, for example, the content of allergens in the product
• mobile waiter function
• table map settings
• easy item cancellation or return
• compatible with most cash registers and printers on the market
• Android version can be downloaded for free from the Google Play store
• quick start and easy login
• also works on iOS

Disadvantages of Pexes:

• Service support costs 650 CZK/hour
• higher price

Datona

Datona directly targets the catering and commercial sectors. On their website, you can clearly select depending onhow big a business you are and what exactly you are focusing on.

Datona will then give you an accurate overview of what their different systems can and do cover, so you can configure exactly what features you need in your POS system. This is a great advantage especially for those who have different preferences on what they would like in their POS system .

The disadvantage of Datona can be that is more complicated to use and set up compared toother POS systems. For new users of , it may require some time to get familiar with and getused to its features.

Fusion

Fusion is a POS system designed for hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, retail and service businesses. It has a comprehensive hotel and restaurant operationssystem, warehouse management and a management oversight system.

It offersvarious assembliesfor sale, from cash register with printer to servers, mobile waiters or camera systems.

ThePOS system can bepaid for in one lump sum or in monthly installments. The full version costs 25,900 CZK in one lump sum.

Benefits of Fusion:

• in the plan of the establishment on individual tables to set up accounts.
• adding items and grouping them
• naming and moving accounts between tables
• merging and re-distributing accounts
• print a preview of the receipt (for guest review)
• pay bills using a combination of different payments (cash, vouchers, card, customer card)
• quick selection of meals by category or by favourite items
• mobile waiter function
• possibility to print bills in English or German
• service even after warranty

Disadvantages of Fusion:

• High price

Review summary

We use the POS from Dotykačka. We especially praise the warehouse management and API connection to the accounting system, which you will appreciate, especially if you have multiple locations. We previously operated on the Storyous POS system, which we liked for its modern, user-friendly interface and reliability. Unfortunately, the administration and features have received almost no updates from the operator in a long time, so we have already switched to the aforementioned Touch for better statistics and stock functions. Currently, Storyous has teamed up with tech start-up Teya, so... maybe we still have something to look forward to? ????

PS: Dear cafe owners/operators! We've arranged a discount that I'm sure you'll find handy. It is 10% off the purchase of a desktop or portable cash register at KasaMax. Enter discount code: LETO23LK. However, the promotion is only valid until August 31, 2023.