How to Choose a POS System
Step 1 — Match the system to your venue type
Section titled “Step 1 — Match the system to your venue type”| Venue type | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Coffee shop / food truck | Cloud POS on iPad: Poster Startup or r_keeper Cloud |
| Café up to 50 seats | Poster Business or iiko Cloud |
| Restaurant 50+ seats | iiko Cloud or r_keeper |
| Bar / nightclub | r_keeper (strong bar-mode cash module) |
| Chain of 3+ locations | iiko Chain or r_keeper LifeTime |
| Dark kitchen / delivery-only | iiko Delivery or r_keeper Delivery |
Step 2 — Required features checklist
Section titled “Step 2 — Required features checklist”- Offline mode — POS keeps taking orders when internet drops
- Kitchen display system (KDS) or kitchen printer
- Inventory management and recipe cards
- Staff management — schedules, access levels, performance tracking
- Fiscal compliance (online cash register + fiscal data operator)
- Alcohol license tracking (if you sell alcohol)
- Delivery platform integrations (Yandex Food, Delivery Club, own delivery)
- Loyalty program — built-in or via integration
- Owner mobile app for remote monitoring
Step 3 — Questions to ask every vendor
Section titled “Step 3 — Questions to ask every vendor”- How does the POS behave when internet goes down? — Must continue accepting orders
- What’s in the base plan vs paid add-ons? — KDS, mobile terminals, API integrations
- How is support delivered? — Chat, phone, response time, SLA guarantees
- How are system updates applied? — Automatic or requires IT involvement?
- Do you migrate data from our current system? — Menu items, recipes, guest database
- Which hardware is compatible? — Terminals, printers, cash drawers, KDS screens
- How does it integrate with accounting software? — 1C, or export formats
Step 4 — Total cost of ownership (TCO)
Section titled “Step 4 — Total cost of ownership (TCO)”Don’t evaluate on subscription price alone:
| Cost item | iiko | r_keeper | Poster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | from ₽5,990/mo | from ₽4,085/mo | from ₽1,120/mo |
| Hardware | ₽15,000–60,000 | ₽15,000–60,000 | ₽5,000–30,000 |
| Setup & implementation | ₽10,000–50,000 | ₽15,000–100,000 | ₽0–10,000 |
| Staff training | Included / partners | Via partners | Self-service |
| Fiscal operator fee | ~₽3,000/yr | ~₽3,000/yr | ~₽3,000/yr |
Step 5 — Test before you buy
Section titled “Step 5 — Test before you buy”All three major systems offer trial access:
- iiko — 30-day free trial
- r_keeper — demo on request
- Poster — 15-day free trial
What to test during the trial:
- How fast a waiter creates and sends an order
- How a receipt is printed and the order appears in the kitchen
- How readable and useful the daily reports are
- How dish modifications work (no onions, add sauce)
Red flags
Section titled “Red flags”- Vendor won’t give a live demo — walk away
- No offline mode for the cash register — critical operational risk
- Support hours are business hours only — restaurants operate at night
- Extra charge for every integration — calculate real total cost
- No menu migration when switching systems — vendor lock-in