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.
Speed beats features at a cafe 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.
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.
Cash drawers and what is still needed
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 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 for a cafe?
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 a 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.