Takeaway EPOS system for independent takeaways

A takeaway EPOS system is the till software, screens and printers that take counter, phone, online and delivery orders, send them to the kitchen and record the money. A takeaway asks more of a till than most sit-down restaurants do. Orders arrive in a rush between teatime and closing, many come by phone, a lot of them leave with a driver, and the kitchen reads its tickets next to a fryer or a pizza oven.

This page is for owners of chippers and chip shops, pizzerias, Chinese, Indian, kebab, burger and chicken takeaways in Ireland and the UK. It covers caller ID and phone orders, collection times, delivery addresses and drivers, speed at the busiest hour, printers in hot kitchens and the clutter of marketplace tablets. It also covers the allergen, VAT and hygiene rating rules that apply to takeaways, prices checked on 10 September 2026, a worked example with the maths, a step-by-step buying process and a set-up checklist.

For table service, tips and till record keeping, read the restaurant POS system guide. For tablets, printers and Wi-Fi in detail, read the restaurant POS hardware guide. This page stays on what is different about a takeaway.

Takeaway EPOS system basics

EPOS stands for electronic point of sale. UK takeaway owners usually say EPOS. In Ireland, POS or till is more common. They mean the same thing: the software and devices that take the order, tell the kitchen and record the payment.

A takeaway till has to handle five order types, often in the same ten minutes.

A takeaway EPOS system pays for itself by putting as many of those orders as possible into one queue, with one style of kitchen ticket and one set of end-of-night figures. Every order that lives on a separate device is an order someone has to watch, re-key or reconcile.

Takeaway till system or takeaway POS system

A basic takeaway till system rings up items and takes payment at the counter. A takeaway POS system adds the jobs that happen away from the counter: customer records, saved addresses, collection and delivery times, driver assignment, kitchen routing and sales reports by channel.

If you sell almost everything over the counter, a basic till can be enough. If phone and delivery orders are a big part of your week, you need the second kind. Count your orders by channel for two ordinary weeks before you decide. The count takes a notepad and a tally, and it tells you which features to pay for.

What stays outside the till

Some parts of a takeaway’s order flow usually sit outside the EPOS contract:

• Card processing. Usually a separate contract with a payment provider, even when the same company sells both. The card machine guide for restaurants covers terminal fees, contracts and payout times.
• Marketplace orders. These come from Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats systems. Some tills connect to them, many do not.
• The phone line. It comes from your telecoms provider, and caller ID depends on how the line and the till connect.
• Delivery couriers. On-demand couriers are booked through the courier company’s own account.

Write down which of these connect to the EPOS you are considering and which stay separate. Each separate one adds a screen or a manual step on a Friday night.

Takeaway EPOS needs by shop type

The core of a takeaway EPOS system is the same everywhere. The pressure points differ by what you cook and how people order it.

Chinese takeaway EPOS system

Chinese takeaway menus are often long, with numbered dishes, and regular callers order by number. Staff need to type a number and get the dish, not scroll through categories. Set meals for two, three or four people should print as their individual dishes on the kitchen ticket, so the wok station sees what to cook rather than a set name.

If your kitchen reads dish names in Chinese, ask whether the till and the kitchen printer can print Chinese characters, and test it with your own menu file. A takeaway with many repeat phone customers gains most from caller ID that shows the last three orders. A customer who says “the usual” can be served in seconds.

Chip shop EPOS

A chip shop or chipper lives on counter speed. The menu is short, but sizes, sauces and extras multiply the buttons. The till needs large buttons for the top sellers on the first screen, sizes as a forced choice, and a cash drawer that opens without delay. Queue numbers printed on the receipt help when the counter gets crowded after the pub closes.

Test the till with a real rush: ten orders in five minutes, half cash, half card, with two refunds. Watch where staff hesitate. Chip shops in Wales also have a legal duty to put a hygiene rating statement on takeaway menus and leaflets, covered in the rules section below.

Pizza takeaway EPOS

A pizza takeaway EPOS has to build a custom pizza quickly and price it correctly. Test a large half-and-half pizza with a stuffed crust and extra cheese on one half only. Check that topping prices change with the pizza size, that deals such as two large pizzas with two sides price correctly, and that the kitchen ticket reads clearly for the person at the make line.

If delivery is a big share of your pizza orders, address capture, delivery charges and driver assignment matter more than table features. Oven capacity also limits how many orders you can promise for the same time slot, which the collection times section covers.

Indian takeaways

Indian takeaway orders carry more choices per dish: spice level, rice type, bread, sides and set meals. Make spice level a forced modifier on every curry so it is never missed. Allergy notes matter here because nuts, milk and mustard are common ingredients. The note must print large enough that the cook cannot miss it, and it must be on the packing ticket as well.

Kebab, burger and chicken shops

Kebab, burger and chicken shops often peak late and rely on part-time staff. Keep modifiers on one screen: sauces, salad, no onion, make it a meal. Meal deal upgrades should be one tap. Staff permissions stop new starters giving refunds or discounts without a manager PIN.

Phone orders and caller ID

Phone orders are cheap orders. There is no marketplace commission, and a customer who phones you directly is already loyal. They are also slow to take, easy to get wrong and hard to answer during a rush. A good phone order set-up fixes all three.

Phone order system for takeaways

A phone order system for takeaways is a fixed routine plus the till features that support it. The routine below works for collection and delivery.

1. Answer with the shop name. Check the till screen for the caller’s name and address as you answer.
2. Confirm the customer. Use the name if the record shows one. Confirm the delivery address every time, even for regulars.
3. Take the order. Use dish numbers or quick buttons, and add modifiers as you go, not at the end.
4. Ask about allergies. Ask every caller, every time, and record the answer on the order.
5. Read the order back. Include sizes, sauces and any allergy note.
6. Quote a time from the queue. Look at what is already due, not at the clock.
7. Agree payment. Cash, card on collection, card at the door, or a payment link.
8. Send it. The kitchen ticket prints or the kitchen screen updates before you hang up.

Time three phone orders on your current till with a stopwatch. That number is your baseline for comparing any new system.

Caller ID for takeaway tills

Caller ID for a takeaway works in one of two ways:

• A caller ID unit on the phone line. A small box sits between the phone line and the phone, reads the incoming number and sends it to the till by cable or network. Check which phone lines the unit supports before you buy it.
• A phone service that passes the number to the till. Calls to your number are forwarded through an internet phone service, which sends the caller’s number to the till software over the internet.

Either way, the till looks the number up in your customer records. A known number shows the name, saved addresses, notes such as “side door” and recent orders. An unknown number opens a new customer record with the number already filled in.

Plan for the gaps. Withheld numbers show nothing. One household can share a landline across flats. A mobile number can belong to someone who has moved. Staff should confirm the address on every delivery order, whatever the screen says.

UK digital landline switchover

UK landlines are moving from the old analogue network to digital lines. The government’s landline switchover guidance, last updated 28 February 2024, says most customers are expected to have switched by the end of January 2027, and that devices such as card payment systems can depend on a landline. Your provider will not know what is plugged into your line.

Before the switch, list everything on your phone line: phones, caller ID unit, any card machine using the line, alarms. Ask your phone provider and your EPOS provider whether the caller ID set-up works on the digital service. Test caller ID the day after any change. In Ireland, ask your phone provider what type of line you have and whether it will change, and test caller ID after any change.

Missed calls and busy lines

A call that rings out at 7pm on a Friday is an order lost to a marketplace or another shop. Look for a till or phone service that keeps a list of missed calls with the numbers, so staff can ring back when the queue drops. A second line or a second handset on the same number helps if one person is on the phone and another is free.

Card payments over the phone

Takeaways have four ways to take payment on a phone order:

• Cash or card on collection. Simple, but some customers do not turn up.
• Card at the door. The driver carries a portable card machine with a mobile SIM.
• A payment link. Staff send a link by text or email, and the customer pays on their own phone. Bank of Ireland Payment Acceptance lists its Collect pay-by-link service at €25 a month including 300 transactions, then 10c per transaction, when checked on 10 September 2026.
• Card details taken over the phone. Payment providers call these phone or mail order payments, and price them higher than card-present payments. Viva’s Irish price list, effective 3 September 2026, shows 2.19% + €0.24 for phone payments on domestic and EEA consumer cards, against 1.69% for in-person payments. Viva’s UK price list shows 2.19% + 24p for phone payments.

Never write card numbers on paper or in order notes. If staff key card details, use the provider’s virtual terminal and nothing else.

Customer records and data protection

A customer’s name, phone number and address are personal data under the GDPR in Ireland and the UK GDPR. Citizens Information and the ICO explain what that means. Keeping an address to deliver an order is one thing. Sending that customer a text offer is another, and it needs the right consent. The restaurant CRM guide covers consent for marketing in both countries.

Collection times and busy-hour speed

A takeaway wins or loses on two numbers at the busiest hour: how long an order takes to enter, and how accurately you quote the time it will be ready.

Quoting collection times

Staff often quote “twenty minutes” by habit. On a Friday that promise breaks and customers wait at the counter or call to chase. Quote from the queue instead.

Example: a pizza oven bakes 12 pizzas every 8 minutes. At 6.30pm there are 30 pizzas due in the next 20 minutes. The oven can bake 30 pizzas in 20 minutes (12 ÷ 8 × 20 = 30), so the line is full. A new order for three pizzas should be quoted for 6.58pm, not 6.50pm, because it joins the next batch.

What to look for in a takeaway EPOS system:

• Orders sorted by due time. The kitchen works to promised times, not order of arrival.
• A view of orders due in each 15-minute window. Staff can see when the kitchen is full before they quote a time.
• A default preparation time you can change during service. If you raise it on a busy night, check whether your online ordering picks up the change.
• Due time printed large on the ticket. It should be the second thing a cook reads, after the order number.

Order queue and status

Every order should have a status that the counter, the kitchen and the drivers can see: received, cooking, ready, collected or out for delivery. Bag labels or packing tickets should carry the order number, customer name and whether it is collection or delivery. Customers who arrive early can be told exactly where their order is without anyone walking into the kitchen.

Order entry speed

Measure order entry, do not guess it. Take a common order such as two pizzas, chips, a garlic bread and two cans with one allergy note. Time it on each system you are considering, entered by your own staff, not by the salesperson.

Speed comes from layout:

• Top sellers on the first screen. Look at last month’s sales report and put the top 20 items where no scrolling is needed.
• Forced choices for sizes and spice levels. The till should not let an order go without them.
• Optional modifiers grouped on one screen. Sauces, extras and “no onion” in one place.
• Deal builders. One button starts the deal, and the till prompts for each choice.
• Repeat last order. For regular phone customers, one tap copies their last order.
• Quick staff log-in. A PIN is faster than a username and password.

At peak, give each job its own device where you can: one for the counter, one for the phone, one for dispatch. Two people sharing one screen on a Friday is a queue in its own right.

Offline during a rush

Broadband failures do not wait for a quiet Tuesday. A takeaway EPOS system with a real offline mode keeps taking counter and phone orders and printing kitchen tickets when the internet drops. Online orders and marketplace tablets usually stop reaching you until the connection returns. The offline POS system guide sets out what to test and how to plan for an outage.

Delivery, addresses and drivers

Delivery adds three jobs to every order: getting the address right, charging the right delivery fee, and getting the food to the door while it is hot.

Address capture

A wrong address costs the order, the driver’s time and often a refund. Look for:

• Postcode lookup in the UK and Eircode lookup in Ireland, so staff pick an address instead of typing it.
• Address checks on online orders, so customers choose a real address at checkout.
• Saved addresses per customer, with more than one allowed for work and home.
• Driver notes on the address, such as “flat 3, buzzer broken, ring mobile”.
• A delivery radius check, so staff know at once if an address is too far.

Delivery charges and minimum orders

Set the delivery charge and any minimum order value in the till so that phone staff never have to remember them. The same rules should apply online. If you have more than one shop, each needs its own radius and charge.

Driver assignment and cash

Once an order is ready, someone has to decide which driver takes it and in what order. A till with driver assignment lets the dispatcher group two orders going the same way and see which driver is out. A driver app with live location helps the counter answer “where is my food” calls without ringing the driver.

Cash on delivery needs a routine. Record which driver took which cash orders, give each driver a float, and cash up each driver at the end of the shift against the till’s driver report. Card payments taken at the door on a portable card machine should appear on the same report.

Own drivers, marketplace riders and couriers

A takeaway can deliver with its own drivers, use marketplace riders for marketplace orders, or book on-demand couriers for its own orders. Each has a different cost per delivery, different insurance questions and different employment rules. The restaurant delivery management guide works through the cost per delivery and the rules in Ireland and the UK.

Printers and screens in a hot takeaway kitchen

Takeaway kitchens are hard on printers. Heat, grease and steam shorten their life, and a ticket that fades before the order is packed causes remakes.

Printer types at a glance

• Impact printers print with a ribbon on plain paper. Tickets stay readable near fryers, grills and ovens, and some print a second colour for allergy notes.
• Thermal printers are faster and quieter and need no ribbon. Thermal paper darkens with heat, so place them away from the hot line, at the counter or the packing station.

The restaurant POS hardware guide compares models, paper widths and connections, and lists published prices.

Ticket design for takeaways

A takeaway kitchen ticket should show, from the top:

1. Order number in large print.
2. Due time.
3. Collection or delivery, and the channel (phone, counter, online, marketplace).
4. Items grouped by station, with modifiers under each item.
5. Allergy notes in large or coloured print.
6. Customer name.

Print a separate packing ticket or bag label for each order, and a delivery copy with the address, phone number, payment status and driver notes. Test each ticket with a real order before go-live, because default layouts are rarely right.

Kitchen printer or kitchen screen

A kitchen screen shows orders with timers and lets cooks mark items done. It suits kitchens where orders are cooked at several stations and packed at a pass. Printed tickets still suit many takeaways because the ticket goes into the bag with the order and the driver can check it. Some kitchens use a screen for cooks and a printer for packing. The kitchen display system guide covers costs and set-up.

Placement and spares

Keep printers out of the direct line of fryer steam and oven heat. Use a network cable for fixed printers where you can. Keep a spares box with paper rolls, ribbons and a spare power supply. A printer that runs out of ribbon at 7pm on a Saturday stops the kitchen.

Marketplace tablets and order channels

Many takeaways use at least one of Just Eat, Deliveroo or Uber Eats for discovery. Each usually arrives with its own tablet, sound and charger. Three tablets on a counter mean three alarms, three menus to update and three places an order can be missed.

Three ways to handle marketplace orders

Ask any provider exactly which marketplaces connect in your country, what it costs per month and per location, whether menus and item availability sync both ways, and what staff see if the connection fails. If an item runs out, you want to switch it off once, not on four screens.

Keeping marketplaces and growing direct orders

Marketplaces bring customers who have never heard of you. Keep them. The goal is to make every channel visible in one set of figures, so you can see what each order earns after commission. Marketplace contracts set rules on how you can market to customers who found you through the app. The guide to getting more direct orders covers those rules and how to grow direct orders within them. The Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats commission guide sets out the fee structures.

Reports by channel

At the end of each week, the till or the owner’s dashboard should show sales, order count and average order value by channel: counter, phone, own website and each marketplace. Without that split, you cannot tell whether a quiet week was a phone problem, a marketplace ranking problem or a website problem.

Takeaway rules in Ireland and the UK

A takeaway EPOS does not make you compliant on its own. It does hold the information that the rules require, and a poorly set-up till makes breaking them easy.

Allergen information on phone and online orders in Ireland

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland says food businesses selling non-prepacked food at a distance, including by phone and online, must provide allergen information before the purchase is concluded and at the moment of delivery, without charging extra for it, and in writing at one of those stages at least. The rules come from S.I. No. 489 of 2014.

FSAI guidance on allergen information for non-prepacked food says the information must be written in English, or Irish and English, must be easy to find before the sale without the customer having to ask, and must link each allergen to a named dish. FSAI’s example of the format is a dish name followed by “contains” and the allergens.

Allergen information on phone and online orders in the UK

The Food Standards Agency’s best practice guidance on allergen information for non-prepacked foods, published 24 February 2025 for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, says allergen information should be available both before the food is ordered and when it is delivered. It suggests stickers on food containers or a menu sent with the order that identifies allergens. For phone orders, it says staff can give the information verbally if customers are clearly told they can get it that way.

What the till should do for allergens

• Store allergens against each dish so the online menu and staff screens show the same information.
• Prompt staff to ask about allergies on every phone order.
• Print allergy notes clearly on the kitchen ticket and the packing ticket.
• Carry allergen information to delivery, through labels, stickers or a printed menu in the bag.

The restaurant menu management guide covers keeping allergen information consistent across the till, your website and the marketplaces.

VAT on takeaway food in Ireland

Revenue’s current VAT rates list a second reduced rate of 9% and a standard rate of 23%. From 1 July 2026, Revenue’s page on the second reduced rate applies it to hot takeaway food, hot tea and coffee, and restaurant and catering supplies excluding alcohol, soft drinks and bottled water.

For the till, that means hot food and drinks sold with it can sit on different rates. Set a VAT rate on every item, not one rate for the whole menu. Check drinks and any cold items against Revenue’s VAT rates database, and ask your accountant to confirm your tax groups.

Example, labelled as an example: a hot takeaway order of €30.00 including VAT at 9% contains €30.00 × 9 ÷ 109 = €2.48 of VAT. Drinks on the same order need their own rate, so the till must calculate VAT line by line.

VAT on takeaway food in the UK

HMRC’s VAT Notice 709/1 on catering and takeaway food says hot takeaway food and hot drinks are standard-rated, and cold takeaway food is zero-rated unless it is an item that is always standard-rated, such as crisps, sweets and bottled water. Food counts as hot if it is above the air temperature and meets one of the notice’s tests, such as being heated to order, kept hot after heating, supplied in heat-retaining packaging or advertised as hot. The standard rate of VAT on gov.uk is 20%.

Example, labelled as an example: an order has hot food at £22.00 and a cold sandwich sold cold at £4.00. VAT on the hot food is £22.00 × 20 ÷ 120 = £3.67. The cold sandwich is zero-rated as cold takeaway food, so the order’s VAT is £3.67. If you also have seating, eat-in sales follow the catering rules in the same notice, so the till must record whether each order is eat-in or takeaway.

Food hygiene rating statements in Wales

Since 28 November 2016, the Welsh Government’s rules require a takeaway leaflet or menu that shows food for sale, prices and a way of ordering to carry a bilingual statement. The statement encourages customers to check the food hygiene rating online and reminds them they can ask for the rating when ordering by phone. Update printed menus when you change your till and your prices.

Records, registration and starting out

Till records must support your tax returns and must not be edited to hide sales. The restaurant POS system guide linked at the top of this page covers record keeping and sales suppression rules in both countries. If you are opening a new takeaway, the guide to starting a takeaway covers registration, food safety management, planning and licences.

Takeaway EPOS system costs

A takeaway EPOS system has more cost lines than a basic till. Put each one on the same sheet before comparing providers.

1. Software. Per location, per device or per licence, monthly or yearly.
2. Hardware. Tablets or terminals, kitchen printers, receipt printers, cash drawer, caller ID unit.
3. Card processing. A percentage of card takings, sometimes with a fixed fee per payment.
4. Online ordering. A monthly fee, a fee per order, a commission on each order, or a mix.
5. Marketplace integration. A monthly fee to get marketplace orders into the till, if you want it.
6. Phone service. Any charge for caller ID or call forwarding.
7. Set-up. Menu build, installation, training and customer import.

Published prices, checked 10 September 2026

The table shows prices from each provider’s own website on 10 September 2026. Plans include different features, so compare what is included before comparing price.

Many takeaway EPOS specialists do not publish prices. Ask for a quote in writing with every line itemised, including anything charged per location, per device or per order.

Costs that catch takeaways out

• Free software that needs paid add-ons. Kitchen screens, online ordering or caller ID may cost extra.
• Per-order online ordering fees. A small fee per order adds up on a busy weekend.
• Integration subscriptions. Marketplace integration can cost more per month than the till software.
• Hardware tied to the contract. Some bundles are paid over a fixed term whether you keep using the software or not.
• Card processing bundled on long terms. Read the card contract separately from the software contract.

Worked example: one Friday in a pizza takeaway

This is an example with illustrative numbers. Replace them with your own.

A pizza takeaway trades from 4pm to 11pm on a Friday and takes 140 orders:

• 50 phone orders (30 delivery, 20 collection)
• 30 counter orders
• 25 orders on its own website
• 35 marketplace orders

The average order is €30.00 in Ireland or £26.00 in the UK.

Phone time

Without caller ID, a phone order takes 3 minutes 30 seconds, including name, number and address. Say 35 of the 50 callers are repeat customers, and caller ID with saved addresses saves 60 seconds on each.

• Time saved: 35 × 60 seconds = 2,100 seconds, or 35 minutes.
• Calls that fit into 35 minutes at 3 minutes 30 seconds each: 35 ÷ 3.5 = 10 calls.

That is 35 minutes when the line is free on the busiest night, or room for ten more calls.

Re-keying marketplace orders

If staff re-key every marketplace order into the till, and each takes 50 seconds:

• 35 × 50 seconds = 1,750 seconds, or about 29 minutes of staff time.
• If one of the 35 is keyed wrongly and remade with a food cost of €8.00, that is €8.00 lost plus a late order and a likely poor review.

Cost per order by channel

• Own website, Ireland. Stripe’s Irish pricing shows 1.5% + €0.25 for standard EEA cards: €30.00 × 1.5% = €0.45, plus €0.25, is €0.70 per order.
• Own website, UK. Stripe’s UK pricing shows 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards: £26.00 × 1.5% = £0.39, plus £0.20, is £0.59 per order.
• Counter card payment. On a 1.69% flat rate such as SumUp’s pay-as-you-go rate: €30.00 × 1.69% = €0.51, or £26.00 × 1.69% = £0.44.
• Marketplace order. Using an example commission of 30%, which is an illustration and not any marketplace’s quoted rate: €30.00 × 30% = €9.00, or £26.00 × 30% = £7.80. Check your own contract.

What one extra direct order a week is worth

Suppose 10 of the Friday marketplace customers order direct on your website instead each week, and would have ordered from you anyway.

• Saving per order in Ireland: €9.00 − €0.70 = €8.30. Per Friday: 10 × €8.30 = €83.00. Per month: €83.00 × 52 ÷ 12 = €359.67.
• Saving per order in the UK: £7.80 − £0.59 = £7.21. Per Friday: 10 × £7.21 = £72.10. Per month: £72.10 × 52 ÷ 12 = £312.43.

Compare those figures with the monthly cost of the EPOS and ordering set-up you are considering, and with the staff time saved above. If your own numbers show little phone or delivery business, a simpler and cheaper till may be the better buy.

Choosing a takeaway EPOS system step by step

1. Count your orders by channel. Two normal weeks: counter, phone collection, phone delivery, own website, each marketplace.
2. Time your current process. A phone order, a counter order and a marketplace re-key, with a stopwatch.
3. Write your must-haves. Caller ID, deal builder, half-and-half, driver assignment, offline mode, marketplace integration, printer types. Mark each as must or nice.
4. Shortlist three providers. Include at least one that runs on hardware you already own.
5. Ask for itemised written quotes. Software, hardware, card fees, online ordering fees, integration fees and set-up, over three years.
6. Book a demo with your own menu. Bring ten real orders from last Friday, including your most awkward one.
7. Run a Friday rehearsal. Enter the ten orders with your own staff. Test caller ID with a real call, a delivery address, a refund, an allergy note and an outage by unplugging the router.
8. Read the contracts. Term, notice period, price rises, hardware ownership and what happens to your customer data when you leave.
9. Plan go-live for a quiet day. A Monday or Tuesday, never before a bank holiday weekend.
10. Import your customers. Phone numbers and addresses from the old till, so caller ID works on day one.
11. Review after two weeks. Order entry time, wrong orders, missed calls and end-of-night cash-up.

Questions to ask a takeaway EPOS provider and common mistakes

Questions to ask before you buy

• How does caller ID connect to my phone line, and does it work on digital landlines and internet phone services?
• Which marketplaces send orders straight into the till in my country, and what does that cost per location per month?
• What works when the internet is down: counter orders, phone orders, kitchen printing, card payments, online orders?
• Can I build half-and-half pizzas, set meals and deals, and what do they look like on the kitchen ticket?
• Does the online menu use the same items, prices and allergens as the till, or a separate copy?
• How are delivery charges, minimum orders and delivery radius set, and can they differ per shop?
• Can I use my own tablets and printers, and which printer models are supported?
• What support is available at 8pm on a Friday and a Saturday, and how do I reach it?
• What is the contract term, the notice period and the cost to leave?
• Can I export my customer list and sales history in a standard file if I leave?

Common mistakes

• Choosing on the counter demo. A takeaway’s hardest orders are phone and delivery orders. Test those first.
• Ignoring the kitchen ticket. A beautiful till with an unreadable ticket causes remakes.
• Skipping the customer import. Caller ID shows nothing if the customer list starts empty.
• Leaving tablets unplanned. Decide where marketplace tablets sit and who watches them before go-live.
• One VAT rate for everything. Hot food, cold food and drinks can sit on different rates.
• No allergen prompt on phone orders. The rules apply to phone orders as much as to online orders.
• Signing hardware finance longer than the software term. You can end up paying for devices you no longer use.
• Going live on a Friday. Staff learn a new till best on a quiet night.

Takeaway EPOS set-up checklist

Menu and prices

• Every item has the correct price, VAT rate and allergens
• Sizes and spice levels set as forced choices
• Deals, set meals and half-and-half options priced and tested
• Top 20 sellers on the first screen
• Dish numbers searchable, if you use them

Phone and customers

• Caller ID tested with a real call from a known and an unknown number
• Customer list imported with phone numbers and addresses
• Allergy question built into the phone order routine
• Missed call list checked at the end of each rush

Kitchen and printing

• Kitchen ticket shows order number, due time, channel and allergy notes
• Packing ticket or bag label prints for every order
• Impact printer at the hot line, or printer placed away from heat
• Spares box stocked with paper, ribbons and a power supply

Delivery

• Delivery radius, charge and minimum order set
• Address lookup tested with five real local addresses
• Driver report tested for cash and card orders
• Driver notes print on the delivery copy

Money, reports and rules

• Card machine tested with the till, including refunds
• End-of-day report checked against cash and card totals
• Sales by channel visible each week
• Offline test done by unplugging the router
• Allergen information available before ordering and at delivery
• Welsh hygiene rating statement on menus, if you trade in Wales

Eclyde for takeaways

Eclyde is the restaurant growth platform for independent restaurants, starting in Ireland and the UK. It includes a POS, a branded ordering website, a kitchen display, delivery and driver management, customer records, loyalty and marketing. This section describes what it does for a takeaway in plain terms.

Counter and phone orders

The Eclyde POS is an Android app on Google Play. It runs on existing Android tablets and on SUNMI Android POS devices, and works with 50+ compatible receipt and kitchen printers. It is fully offline-capable: it keeps taking orders during an internet outage and syncs to the cloud when the connection returns.

For phone orders, calls forwarded to Eclyde show the caller’s number on the POS, and for known customers, their name and address. The POS has incoming-order and live-order screens, menu modifiers and add-ons, deals and discounts, driver assignment, printed and emailed receipts, gift vouchers, end-of-day reports and role-based staff permissions.

Online orders, deals and delivery

Each restaurant gets a branded ordering website on its own domain for pickup and delivery, with Apple Pay and Google Pay at checkout and address lookup and verification. Deals include combo deals, minimum-order deals, free-item deals and deals valid on set days and times. Discount codes can have usage limits and per-customer limits.

For delivery, Eclyde has an own-driver app with live driver location. One Eclyde account can hold several locations, each with its own opening hours, pickup and delivery settings, delivery radius and delivery charge.

Kitchen, customers and marketing

The kitchen display shows orders in real time with order timers and status updates, on a tablet or screen in the kitchen. The restaurant owns its customer data: customer profiles show order history and favourite items. Points-based loyalty, referral rewards, email and SMS campaigns, push notifications and review requests after orders are included.

Price, payments and set-up

Eclyde costs €499 to launch, which covers menu build, website and ordering set-up, POS and printer configuration, customer import, staff onboarding, testing and go-live support. The €499 is refunded in full within 30 days if Eclyde is not right for the restaurant. After that, it is €99 a month for the whole platform, with no Eclyde commission on direct orders and no limits on orders or customers. Full details are on the pricing page.

Eclyde does not process card payments. You choose your own card machine provider. Online payments go through the restaurant’s own Stripe account, connected during set-up, and Stripe’s own fees apply.

To go live, the owner signs up, connects the domain and Stripe in a set-up flow, installs the POS app on an Android tablet, enters the activation code from the Devices tab in the Eclyde dashboard and starts taking orders.

Where another system may suit you better

• You want marketplace orders printed through the till. Choose a provider that lists direct integrations with the marketplaces you use in your country.
• You want card processing and the till on one contract. Providers such as Square or SumUp sell both.
• You need stock control or recipe costing in the till. Look for a POS that lists those features.
• You need an iPad till. The Eclyde POS runs on Android.
• You only sell over the counter with no phone, online or delivery orders. A simpler till may cost less.

Your takeaway’s numbers

Before you change your till, work out what your current channel mix costs you. The free Eclyde restaurant audit looks at your Google profile and website and estimates what you pay in marketplace commission each year, in euro. Put that figure next to the numbers from this page: orders by channel, phone order time, re-keying time and card fees per order. Take all of them into any EPOS demo, whichever provider you choose.