There's hardly a good restaurant without a well-designed, high-performance cash register. But beware: not all cash registers are created equal, especially in a sector as demanding as catering. Between room service, order peaks, inventory management, menu options and the multiplication of channels (on-site, take-away, delivery, etc.), the role of your cash register is not limited to cashing out. It's a real day-to-day co-pilot.
So if you're wondering which cash register to choose, how much it costs, or how to avoid the mistakes that can ruin your productivity, this article is here to guide you towards the purchase of a restaurant cash register that's both efficient, compliant and profitable.
By choosing a cash register adapted to your reality on the ground and to the needs of your establishment, it becomes the brain of your restaurant:
With a connected cash registerorders are sent directly to the kitchen, stocks are updated in real time and payments are integrated. What's the difference? Less stress for your teams, a smoother customer experience.
A poorly adapted or inefficient cash register can quickly become a nightmare. It slows down service, complicates the work of your teams and is unable to integrate with your other tools.
And if it breaks down on a Saturday evening, with no reactive support or automatic back-up, you're guaranteed problems: orders to be written down by hand, errors in the kitchen, impatient customers, and so on. And your sales data and accounting may also suffer.
In short, the wrong choice of cash register can quickly have repercussions on your restaurant's organization, customer satisfaction and financial health.
👉 To find out more : Why adopting a touch-sensitive cash register is crucial for your restaurant?
The price of a restaurant cash register depends on the type of restaurant and the specific needs of the establishment in question.
For smaller operations, such as food trucks or refreshment stands, an entry-level cash register (between €300 and €600) may suffice. It offers the essentials for fast cash receipt, without advanced features.
In a brasserie or traditional restaurant with table service, mid-range solutions, between €900 and €1,500, are the most suitable. They enable finer-grained management of sales, inventory and meal vouchers.
As for more structured establishments, such as multi-site restaurants, chains or concepts combining the dining room with takeaway sales, they generally turn to premium tills, priced at over €2,000, which are often touch-sensitive, connected and customizable.
A downtown sandwich shop will prefer a cash register with a monthly subscription and equipment included, while a semi-gastro will prefer to invest in a robust, custom-installed solution.
There are several options for equipping your restaurant, depending on your budget and operational needs.
A state-of-the-art cash register isn't just for cashing out. It also helps you to better manage your business. Analysis of sales by time slot, real-time monitoring of material costs, inventory management, team performance - all this data, once exploited, can help you save time, avoid losses or increase sales. And all these gains, put together, represent a return on investment much faster than you might imagine.
Before choosing your cash register, it's best to know the main families available on the market. Each has its own advantages, depending on your activity:
Many modern cash registers combine these advantages.
For a fast food restaurant, certain features are indispensable. These include :
The seconds saved on each order thanks to these features can make all the difference on a 2-hour service.
👉 To find out more : Restaurant cash register software: 9 key features
To be effective, your solution must enable you to :
Your decision is not just about the hardware, but above all about the software that will manage your entire business. It's essential to compare several solutions before making your choice.
Don't hesitate to test the software in a real rush, to see how it behaves under pressure. You'll be able to tell right away if it's running smoothly or if it's struggling.
In France, your cash register must comply with standard NF525 STANDARD if you are subject to VAT. This certification guarantees :
Before buying or renting, adopt these 3 reflexes:
A non-compliant cash register can cost you €7,500 in fines (per unit), not to mention the obligation to comply within 60 days. An easily avoidable risk.
👉 To find out more : How do you know if your cash register complies with standards in 2025?
Before you decide, test :
We advise you to test the checkout under real-life conditions, but above all get your teams to test it. They're the ones who'll be using it on a daily basis.
You'll soon stop thinking of your cash register as a simple cash collection tool. You'll be relying on it to develop a solid sales strategy :
What you need to know to buy the right cash register:
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Would you like to simplify the management of your restaurant with a modern, high-performance cash register? Contact Innovorder to find out how our solutions can optimize your sales and earnings.
