A cafe till has a short product list, a long queue and a small average sale. That combination makes two things matter more than features: how fast a drink goes through, and the fixed pence element on the card rate, which on a three pound coffee can cost more than the percentage.
A cafe EPOS system: speed beats features at the counter
Twenty preset buttons, modifiers for milk and syrups, and a single tap to take payment will serve most cafes better than any reporting suite. Entry tiers at most suppliers do all of that. Paying for a higher tier is worth it when stock, staff timesheets or a second site appear, and not before.
An EPOS system for cafe sales: the fixed pence element decides your rate
On a 3.20 pound flat white, 1.69% is 5.4p and a 5p fixed charge nearly doubles it. Published fixed elements on this shelf run from 2p at Revolut Business to 11p on one Tide plan. A cafe doing two hundred sales a day should compare the cost of one drink in pence across providers rather than the headline percentage.
What a cafe till system still needs: the cash drawer question
A cash drawer is only worth its space if you still take meaningful cash. Many cafes now do not, and a drawer that opens twice a day is a counter you are not using for something else. If you keep one, it should trigger from the till rather than being opened by hand, which is a printer connected accessory rather than a separate purchase at most suppliers.
Questions people ask about cafe pos
What does a cafe POS or coffee shop till system cost?
Published UK tiers run from free to about 200 pounds a month per site. Most single site cafes are well served by the entry or second tier, plus hardware and the card rate.
Which card rate matters most with cafe POS systems?
The fixed pence element, because average sales are small. Published fixed charges run from 2p to 11p per transaction, which on a three pound drink is worth more than the difference between two headline percentages.
Do I still need an EPOS cash drawer in a cafe?
Only if you take meaningful cash. If you do, connect it to the till through the receipt printer so it opens on a sale rather than being unlocked by hand.