How to Choose Restaurant POS Software in India: 10 Things to Check

Your POS (point of sale) software is the system your whole restaurant runs on every day. Choosing the wrong one costs money twice: once in subscription fees, and again in mistakes, slow service and stock you cannot track. Use this checklist before you decide.

1. Fast billing that your staff actually like

Ask for a live demo and make a few bills yourself. Splitting a bill, adding a note, moving a table and taking cash, UPI and card should each take a few taps. If billing feels slow in a demo, it will feel slower on a busy Saturday night.

2. GST done correctly

The software should put your GSTIN on bills, apply the right tax to food and other items, and give a GST report your CA can use. Bars may also need liquor VAT handled separately. Tax rules vary by business type, so confirm the setup with your CA.

3. KOT and kitchen display

Orders should reach the kitchen instantly — as a printed KOT or on a kitchen display screen — with notes, table number and timing. A kitchen display also shows how long each order has been waiting.

4. Inventory and recipes, not just billing

Billing tells you what you sold. Inventory tells you whether your stock agrees. Look for recipe-based stock, so every dish or peg reduces the right ingredients automatically, plus easy stock counts and purchase entry. This is where most restaurants find their biggest savings.

5. Leakage and cancellation tracking

Ask the vendor: "Show me every bill cancelled after payment yesterday, with the staff name." If the software cannot answer this in one screen, it will not help you control leakage.

6. QR ordering and online orders in one place

Table QR ordering, counter orders, phone orders and delivery orders should all land in the same system, so your reports and stock are complete.

7. Works when the internet does not

Internet drops happen. The counter must keep billing offline and sync when the connection is back — otherwise a bad network means lost sales.

8. Reports you will actually read

A day-end summary, item-wise sales and profit, staff-wise sales, payment modes and GST. Even better is a short daily summary that tells you what needs attention, instead of 50 reports you never open. Easy export to Excel and to Tally saves your accountant hours.

9. Staff, attendance and salary

If the same system tracks attendance and works out salary, you avoid a separate register and many arguments at the end of the month.

10. Setup, support and the real cost

• Setup: Will they upload your menu and set up tables, printers and recipes for you?
• Support: How fast do they answer at 10 pm on a Saturday? Is there help inside the app?
• Cost: Compare the full yearly cost — subscription, extra outlets, add-ons, hardware and any per-order charges — not just the starting price.
• Your data: Can you export your data any time? Who can see it? Is guest data handled in line with the DPDP Act?

A simple way to decide

Shortlist two or three systems, take a live demo of each with your own menu, and ask every vendor the same questions from this list. The right choice is the one that saves you the most time and money every month — not the one with the longest feature list.

See DUOZENT against this checklist

DUOZENT covers billing with GST, QR ordering, kitchen display, recipe-based inventory, bottle count for bars, leakage reports, attendance and salary, Tally export and AI insights — in one app, with setup done for you. Book a free demo and test it against every point above.