Features that matter in hospitality
- Portable terminals for pay at table, with enough devices for busy service and long battery life.
- Tipping on the terminal and clear reports so tips can be shared fairly. Under the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, employers in England, Scotland and Wales must pass on all tips to workers. See GOV.UK’s tipping code.
- Split bills and tabs, and the ability to pre-authorise a card for a bar tab.
- Kitchen and bar printing or kitchen display screens linked to your EPOS.
- Online ordering, delivery and booking integrations if you sell beyond your four walls.
Cafés and coffee shops: small sales, many transactions
A café might take hundreds of small payments a day. Per-transaction charges like authorisation fees can matter as much as the percentage rate, so compare total monthly cost, not just the headline rate. A flat-rate provider with no per-transaction fee can be competitive here. See card machine fees.
Pubs and restaurants: integration and devices
Busy venues usually pair a hospitality EPOS with several portable terminals. Check how many terminals you need at peak, the monthly fee for each, whether they integrate with your EPOS, and how payouts and tips are reported. Hospitality-focused providers include Dojo, Toast, Lightspeed, Epos Now and Square for Restaurants. Compare them on our EPOS page.
Service charges and surcharges
An optional, clearly shown service charge is different from a card surcharge. You can’t add a surcharge for paying by consumer card. Read can you charge for card payments?
Last updated: 16 October 2026
