A restaurant checkout is not a retail checkout
A restaurant POS system faces demands a retail system does not: a busy service where orders must be taken quickly, a kitchen that must receive them accurately, a dining room where the terminal may be splashed or knocked, and a payment moment that comes at the table or at the counter, not always at a fixed till. A terminal that suits a quiet shop may fail in a busy restaurant, not because it is badly made, but because it was not chosen for restaurant conditions, and a buyer who chooses for a shop and installs in a restaurant will discover the mismatch during service, when it is costliest to fix.
Speed matters more in a restaurant than in most retail, because a slow terminal during service holds up orders, holds up tables, and holds up revenue, while a fast terminal keeps the service moving. Durability matters too, because a restaurant terminal is handled often, moved, wiped, and occasionally splashed, and a terminal that cannot withstand that handling will fail sooner than one that can, however good its specification looks on paper.
Choose the screen for the restaurant floor
Screen size for a restaurant should fit the counter or the station where it will stand: a compact 12.1-inch terminal for a narrow bar or a small counter, a 15-inch terminal for a standard restaurant counter, and a 15.6-inch terminal where more information must be shown, such as a menu with many items or a station that serves several tables. A screen that is too large for its station will crowd it and invite knocks, while a screen that is too small will force the operator to scroll during service, slowing orders and causing errors.
Touch type matters in a restaurant as well: a capacitive screen responds to a bare finger, which suits a clean, dry counter, while a resistive screen responds to a gloved hand or a stylus, which suits a kitchen or a bar where hands may be wet or gloved. A buyer who needs gloved operation should name it in the inquiry, because a capacitive terminal will not serve a gloved operator, however good its other qualities are.
Network and peripherals for a restaurant
A restaurant POS system needs a network, because orders taken at a terminal must reach the kitchen, and payments taken at a table must reach the till, and a terminal without the right connectivity cannot join that network, however good its screen is. The Android restaurant variant with LAN connectivity suits a networked restaurant, while a terminal without LAN suits a standalone counter, and a buyer who needs a networked restaurant should name the network in the inquiry, so the supplier can confirm the terminal serves it.
Peripherals for a restaurant include a printer for kitchen orders or receipts, a cash drawer for cash payments, and a customer display where the guest should see the total, and each must match the terminal and the restaurant's flow. A kitchen printer that is too slow will hold up orders, a drawer that does not open on cue will hold up payment, and a display that cannot be read in dining-room light will confuse guests, so each peripheral should be confirmed separately, in the inquiry.
Dual-screen for the guest
A dual-screen terminal suits a restaurant where the guest should see the order as it is taken: the operator works the main screen, and the guest watches the second screen, checking items and the total before payment, which prevents disputes and speeds payment, because the guest who sees the total is ready to pay when the order is completed. That transparency matters in a restaurant, where a disputed bill holds up a table and delays the next guests, while a clear bill lets the table turn quickly.
A single-screen terminal suits a restaurant where the operator faces the guest and can show the screen, or where space is too tight for a second screen, and a buyer who does not need a second screen should not pay for one. The choice should be made by the station layout and the guest flow, not by the terminal's appearance, and the inquiry should name the layout, so the supplier can confirm whether a dual-screen variant serves it.
Durability and cleaning
A restaurant terminal must withstand daily handling, wiping, and occasional splashes, and its enclosure should be considered as well as its screen and processor, because a housing that traps dirt or cannot be wiped clean will not suit a food setting, however good the electronics inside it are. A buyer who needs a terminal for a food setting should ask about the enclosure's material and finish in the inquiry, naming the exact model, because an enclosure specification that is assumed will not match an enclosure that is delivered.
Cleaning also matters for hygiene: a terminal that is wiped many times a day needs a surface that withstands wiping without wearing, and a touch screen that is wiped with a damp cloth needs to keep responding after wiping, not to drift or to fail. A buyer who plans frequent cleaning should say so in the inquiry, so the supplier can confirm the terminal suits it, rather than discovering the problem after the first month of service.
Trade terms: confirm per model
Trade terms for a restaurant POS system are confirmed per model, not as a site-wide rule, because minimum order, supply ability and stock time differ by model across the official detail pages. A buyer who assumes the majority term applies to every model will be wrong for the minority models, and a buyer who orders a model whose minimum is higher than assumed will find the order cannot proceed as written, while a buyer who assumes a stock time is a delivery time will expect a delivery that cannot happen.
Read each model's page for its own terms, and confirm them in the inquiry, naming the model, the quantity, and the market, before payment. The minimum order and lead time inquiry pages explain the distributions in full, and the wholesale inquiry page explains how to write a bulk inquiry that covers every model in the order.
Plan for service and growth
A restaurant POS system should be planned for service as well as for opening: a restaurant that adds tables, adds a bar, or opens a second site will need more terminals, and a family with several sizes and variants can grow by adding the same family's terminals, while a single model with no family cannot, and the cost of replacing a fleet during service is far higher than the cost of choosing a family that grows.
Service also means support: a terminal that fails during service needs a remedy quickly, and a buyer who knows the warranty terms, the support route, and the spare arrangement before ordering will recover faster than one who discovers them after a failure. Ask for the warranty terms and the support route in the inquiry, naming the exact models, so they are known before the first service, not after the first failure.
Before you order for a restaurant
Name the models, the sizes and variants, the quantities for each, and the market you sell into, in the inquiry. Ask for the specification for each exact model, the minimum order quantity for each model, the lead time for the order with its meaning, the payment and shipping terms, the warranty terms, and the certificates that apply to your market, by name, with documents attached. Do not pay before these have been confirmed for the exact models in the order.
A restaurant POS system is only as good as its fit to the restaurant, and the fit is only as good as the confirmation. The wholesale inquiry page explains how to write the inquiry, and the pre-order checklist blog explains the compatibility steps in detail, so a buyer who follows both will rarely be surprised.
A note on sources and confirmation
The model specifications and trade terms referred to in this article come from the company profile's official product pages, as presented on this site's model and category pages. Trade terms are stated per model only: minimum order, supply ability and stock time differ by model across the official detail pages, and delivery EXW, though stated on all 101 pages, is still written per model rather than as a blanket promise, and stock time is not delivery time.
Figures that are not stated on a model page — a price, a payment, shipping or warranty term, or a certificate for a specific model and market — are confirmed per order in the inquiry, and this article does not invent them. Official list prices that appear on the official detail pages are transcription only and are never a quotation, and no certificate name, number, or issuer is stated anywhere on this site, because none are evidenced; certificates are available upon request.
Before ordering, name the model, the variants, the quantities, and the market you sell into, in the inquiry. Ask for the specification for the exact model, the minimum order quantity, the lead time with its meaning, the payment and shipping terms, the warranty terms, and the certificates that apply to your market, by name, with documents attached. Do not pay before these have been confirmed for the exact models in the order, because payment removes the leverage to resolve an unconfirmed item, and a confirmed order is the only basis for a safe purchase.