Takeaway businesses live and die by speed and delivery platform integration. A standard EPOS system handles walk-in orders fine, but when Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat orders flood in alongside phone and counter sales, you need a system built for that chaos.
- Square for Restaurants (free plan) is the best starting point for walk-in focused takeaways - covers order management, basic reporting, and card payments at 1.75% with no monthly fee
- Epos Now from £25/month is best for delivery-heavy takeaways needing platform integration - native connections to Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat sync orders directly into your till system
- Kitchen display systems (£10-20/month add-on) reduce order errors by 30-50% versus paper tickets - essential for busy takeaways processing 100+ orders per day across multiple channels
- Online ordering integration adds 15-25% to monthly revenue for takeaways without delivery apps - direct ordering via your own website avoids the 15-35% commission that third-party platforms charge
- Start with Square’s free plan and add delivery integration only when your volume justifies the cost - see our hospitality EPOS guide for broader restaurant coverage or compare EPOS systems side-by-side
FREE QUOTE COMPARISON
Compare EPOS Quotes from Trusted Suppliers
✓ EPOS systems from £0 upfront
100% free • No obligation • Takes under 2 minutes
The best EPOS for takeaways consolidates all order channels into one screen, routes orders to kitchen displays, and tracks preparation times. Some integrate natively with delivery platforms; others need third-party middleware.
We’ve compared the best EPOS systems for UK takeaway businesses in 2026 – from fish and chip shops to pizza delivery to dark kitchens.
Best EPOS for Takeaways Compared
The best takeaway EPOS depends on your delivery platform reliance: Epos Now for native Deliveroo/Uber Eats integration, Square for walk-in-focused takeaways, and dedicated systems like Lightspeed for high-volume multi-platform operations.
| Provider | Monthly Fee | Delivery Integration | Kitchen Display | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epos Now | £25-39/month | Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat | ✓ Yes | Multi-platform takeaways |
| Square for Restaurants | £0 (Free plan) | Via Deliverect (paid add-on) | ✓ Yes | Walk-in takeaways |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | From ~£119/month | Deliveroo, Uber Eats (Core+) | ✓ Yes | High-volume operations |
| SumUp POS | £0 (PAYG) | ✗ None | ✗ No | Simple counter service |
| Tissl | From £89/month | Via Power-Up add-on | ✓ Yes | Multi-site groups |
Why Delivery Integration Matters
Without EPOS delivery integration, takeaway staff must manually transfer orders from Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat tablets into the till – doubling workload, increasing errors, and slowing kitchen output during peak hours.
Most takeaways using delivery platforms end up with a row of tablets behind the counter – one per platform. Each pings with new orders. Staff read each tablet, re-enter the order into the EPOS, and send it to the kitchen. During a Friday night rush, this is a bottleneck that causes delays, wrong orders, and missed deliveries.
Integrated EPOS systems pull delivery orders directly into the same screen as walk-in and phone orders. The kitchen gets one unified ticket queue. No manual re-entry, no missed orders, no platform-hopping.
Epos Now integrates natively with Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat. Square connects via Deliverect (a third-party aggregator, typically £49-99/month extra). Lightspeed includes delivery platform integration from the Core plan upward.
Essential Features for Takeaway EPOS
Takeaway EPOS must handle order queuing by preparation time, kitchen display with clear ticket management, online ordering for direct customers, and menu modifiers for customisation-heavy menus like pizza or curry.
Kitchen Display System (KDS). Paper tickets get lost, smudged, and misordered. A kitchen screen shows every order with its status (new, preparing, ready), preparation timer, and any modifications. For busy takeaways processing 100+ orders per evening, this is the difference between smooth service and chaos.
Menu modifiers. Takeaway menus are modifier-heavy. A pizza order might include base size, crust type, toppings, extras, and dietary notes. Your EPOS needs to handle modifiers cleanly – both on screen for staff and on the kitchen ticket. Square, Epos Now, and Lightspeed all support multi-level modifiers.
Order queuing and prep times. The system should estimate preparation times and sequence orders so the kitchen works efficiently. When a delivery driver arrives, the order should be ready – not started. EPOS systems with prep time tracking help you manage this.
Online ordering. Direct online ordering (via your own website) avoids delivery platform commissions (typically 15-35%). Square offers a free online ordering page. Epos Now and Lightspeed integrate with your website. For a takeaway doing 50+ orders per day, saving even 15% commission on half of those is significant.
Costs for a Typical Takeaway Setup
A basic takeaway EPOS costs £19-225 for hardware plus £0-39/month for software. Adding delivery platform integration typically costs £49-99/month extra via middleware like Deliverect, unless your EPOS includes it natively.
Budget setup (walk-in focused): Square Reader (£19) + free Square for Restaurants app + iPad. Total hardware: ~£350 (including iPad). Monthly: £0 software + 1.75% per transaction. Add Deliverect for delivery integration at ~£49/month if needed.
Mid-range (delivery-heavy): Epos Now Complete Solution (£225+VAT) + kitchen display (~£200). Monthly: £25-39 + 1.7% per transaction. Native delivery platform integration included. Total first year: ~£750-1,000.
High-volume (multi-platform): Lightspeed Restaurant Core (~£119/month) with delivery integration, kitchen display, and advanced analytics. Higher monthly cost but lower per-order overhead for businesses processing 150+ orders per day.
For detailed pricing across all providers, see our EPOS costs guide. If budget is a priority, there are also free EPOS systems worth considering.
Choosing by Takeaway Type
Fish and chip shops need speed and simplicity (Square free plan). Pizza delivery needs modifier-heavy menus and driver management. Dark kitchens need seamless multi-platform integration with zero walk-in capability.
Fish and chip shops / kebab shops: Simple menus, high speed, walk-in dominated. Square’s free plan handles this perfectly. Add a kitchen printer (£80-100) for order tickets. Delivery integration is optional – most customers order in person or by phone.
Pizza delivery / Indian / Chinese takeaways: Modifier-heavy menus, phone orders, delivery platform orders, and direct online ordering. Epos Now gives native delivery integration at a reasonable price point. The kitchen display system keeps orders moving during peak hours.
Dark kitchens (delivery only): No walk-in counter needed, so the EPOS is purely for order management and kitchen coordination. Lightspeed or Epos Now with full delivery integration. Prep time tracking and driver coordination are the critical features.
Multi-site takeaway chains: Centralised menu management, consolidated reporting, and consistent setup across locations. Epos Now or Tissl for mid-market chains. Zonal for large managed estates.
- For most UK takeaways – the choice comes down to how dependent you are on delivery platforms
- Walk-in focused shops can use – Square for Restaurants (free) and add delivery integration later
- Delivery-heavy businesses should invest in Epos – Now (from £25/month) for native Deliveroo/Uber Eats/Just Eat integration
- See our 7 best EPOS systems for – the full comparison, or EPOS for hospitality for broader restaurant coverage
- You can also compare – EPOS systems side-by-side to find the right fit
