How to choose restaurant software: the questions to ask before you sign

Almost every restaurant system promises orders, reports and stock. The difference is in the details: how an order travels from the customer to the kitchen, who confirms it, how it is split between stations and how the bill is closed. Before comparing products, write down what a normal day looks like.

Note where orders come from: the floor, the phone, your own website or delivery platforms. Note who works each shift and what they do. Mark the places where time is lost or mistakes happen, for example handwritten orders, recipes costed in Excel or stock counted only at month end. This list becomes the yardstick for evaluating any offer.

For most venues the core is a fast point of sale that is easy to use on a touchscreen, plus a clear link to the kitchen, on screen or via tickets. If you deliver, you need dispatch: taking phone orders, assigning couriers and tracking times. Your own online ordering helps you depend less on platforms that charge commission.

Behind that sit stock, costed recipes and reports. Here it's worth asking whether you can see daily sales, cost of goods and profit for each location, not just at month end. You don't need every module on day one. A good system lets you start with what hurts most and add the rest step by step.

The fiscal side differs from country to country and changes over time. In Romania we talk about fiscal cash registers and e-Factura, in Austria about the RKSV requirements for tills, and in Spain about new invoicing rules such as VERI*FACTU. Don't try to work it all out alone: ask the provider to explain exactly how the software connects to the fiscal solution.

Also check the hardware you already have: receipt printers, screens, tablets, scales. A serious provider checks compatibility before confirming costs and doesn't assume everything works with everything. Talk to your accountant or tax adviser before signing. We usually integrate certified fiscal solutions chosen together with the client, instead of promising our own certifications.

Off-the-shelf solutions start quickly and have a predictable monthly subscription. They fit if your way of working resembles most venues and you don't need special reports. The limit appears when your workflow is different: several locations with different menus, your own dispatch or costing rules the software doesn't support.

Custom software starts from your processes and can grow with the business, but it needs more analysis time and close collaboration at the start. There is no right answer for everyone. Compare the total cost over several years, not just the first month, and ask what happens to your data if you leave the provider.

Ask for a demo using a scenario from your venue, not a generic example. Ask how long it takes to train a new waiter, what happens if the internet goes down during a busy shift and who answers the phone in the evening or at weekends, when restaurants are working.

Ask how you export your data, who owns the accounts and how later changes are charged. Ask for a realistic implementation timeline and a gradual rollout plan, for example one location first. If a provider promises everything, immediately and without asking about your workflow, it's a sign to keep looking. Clear answers to these questions matter more than a long feature list.

Our HoReCa software includes POS, delivery dispatch, own online ordering and a daily profit report per location. For each new client we start with a conversation about the workflow, then propose only the modules they need, with the price set on request, before any work begins.

We work remotely from Romania and can work with venues in Romania, Germany, Austria or Spain, in Romanian, English, Spanish and German. If you want to see whether our approach fits your venue, send us a few details about how you work through the quote form and we will reply with the right questions and a clear proposal.