Most new restaurants buy point of sale hardware the same way: one big order, a few weeks before opening, based on a list from the sales rep. Then opening week reveals the gaps. The kitchen printer sits too far from the router, there is no spare card reader, and the second register everyone said could wait turns out to be needed on day three.
A better approach sorts point of sale equipment by when you actually need it. Some pieces have to work perfectly on opening day. Others can arrive in the first month, once you see how guests and staff move through the space. A few can wait until the restaurant has real sales data. This checklist walks through those three tiers for a new location, with notes on quantities, spares, and the order in which to install everything. For a general explainer on each device, see this guide to POS hardware.
Every piece of a modern POS depends on the network. Tablets sync orders, kitchen displays receive tickets, card readers authorize payments, and online orders arrive over the internet. A weak network turns good hardware into a source of daily problems.
Plan the network first. You need a business-grade internet connection, a router placed centrally rather than in a back closet behind the walk-in, and wired connections for anything that stays in one place, such as kitchen printers and displays. Add a backup internet connection, such as a cellular router, so payments and online orders keep moving if the main line goes down. Ask your POS provider whether they handle network installation. Chowbus, for example, offers professional network installation and on-site hardware setup for new restaurants.
These are the pieces without which you can't take an order or a payment. Order them early, install them at least a week before opening, and test them during your soft opening.
● POS terminals for ordering. Usually iPads or tablets at each counter or server station. Count one per cashier position during your expected peak, not your average hour.
● Card readers. One per ordering station that takes payment, supporting tap, chip, and mobile wallets.
● Receipt printer and cash drawer. At least one pair at the main counter if you accept cash.
● Kitchen printer or kitchen display. At least one per prep station that needs its own tickets, such as the wok station, the noodle station, or the drink station.
● Stands and mounts. Locking stands for counter tablets and mounts for kitchen screens.
For full-service restaurants, add handheld devices for servers to this tier if you plan to take orders or payments at the table from the first day. Retraining staff later is harder than starting with the right tools.
The most common opening mistake is sizing hardware for an average hour. Start instead with your expected busiest hour. Estimate how many orders you will take in that hour and how long one cashier needs per order, including payment. If a cashier can handle about one order per minute at a fast counter, a peak of ninety orders an hour needs at least two ordering stations, or one station plus a kiosk. These figures are only a planning example; use your own menu and service speed.
Do the same for the kitchen. Each station that prepares a different part of the order, such as noodles, wok dishes, and drinks, should see its own items on its own screen or printer. A single ticket printer for the whole kitchen works for a small menu but slows down a busy line, because cooks have to read and pass tickets between stations.
Service style changes the list as well. A full-service dining room needs fewer counter terminals and more handhelds. A hot pot or all-you-can-eat restaurant may need table tablets or QR codes on every table. A quick-service counter may need a kiosk and a pickup screen sooner than a dine-in restaurant would.
Some equipment makes more sense once you see how the restaurant actually runs. Opening week shows you where lines form, where servers lose time, and which station falls behind.
● A second ordering station or handhelds. If the counter line is the bottleneck, a second register or a handheld for line-busting can help.
● Self-ordering kiosks. For quick-service restaurants, a kiosk can take pressure off the counter once you know your peak volume.
● A customer pickup screen. If guests crowd the counter asking about their orders, a screen that shows order status can clear the area.
● Additional kitchen screens. If one display is handling too many stations, split items by station.
Ask your provider in advance how quickly they can ship and install additional devices. Knowing the lead time lets you decide during week two rather than waiting until week six.
A few purchases depend on information you won't have until the restaurant has run for a while. Table tablets for self-ordering, for example, make sense in hot pot or all-you-can-eat dining rooms, but the number you need depends on how many tables actually turn during peak. A second kiosk, an extra handheld for patio service, or a dedicated delivery screen in the kitchen can all wait until you see order volume by channel.
Holding these back keeps opening costs down and avoids buying hardware for a guess. It also gives staff time to settle into the core system before new devices and new routines arrive, which makes each addition easier to train. Review sales data after the first six to eight weeks and decide based on real bottlenecks.
Hardware fails, and it usually fails at the worst time. Keep at least one spare of each item that would stop service if it broke: a card reader, a tablet or handheld, and a roll of receipt paper for every printer, plus spare charging cables. If a spare costs less than one busy hour of lost sales, it pays for itself the first time you need it.
Label every device with its station name and keep a simple sheet listing each device, where it lives, and who to call if it fails. When something breaks on a Friday night, the manager on duty can swap the spare and keep going instead of searching for the right cable. Store spares where the closing manager can reach them, charged and already signed in to the POS, so the swap takes minutes.
Kitchen hardware lives near heat, steam, and grease, so ordinary consumer tablets wear out quickly there. Kitchen displays built for that environment cost more and last much longer. Chowbus's kitchen display system, for instance, uses a waterproof, oil-resistant design and keeps working offline during network interruptions. If you use printers in the kitchen, choose impact or kitchen-rated models that handle heat and humidity, and mount them away from the fryer.
Install in this sequence: network first, then kitchen printers and displays, then counter stations, then handhelds and any guest-facing devices. Test each layer before adding the next. A ticket that doesn't print in the kitchen is easier to fix before ten tablets are sending orders to it.
Then run a full test day. Place every type of order the restaurant will take, including dine-in, takeout, online, and delivery. Run every payment type, including a refund and a split check. Unplug the internet for ten minutes and see what still works. Train staff on the same equipment they will use on opening night. For setup details at each station, such as stands, cable runs, and printer addresses, see this guide to iPad POS stand setup.
Q1: What point of sale hardware does a new restaurant need?
At minimum, POS tablets or terminals, card readers, a receipt printer, a cash drawer if you accept cash, and kitchen printers or displays, plus stands, mounts, and a reliable network.
Q2: How much point of sale equipment should I buy before opening?
Buy what you need to take orders and payments at peak on opening day, plus spares. Add second stations, kiosks, and pickup screens in the first month once you see where the bottlenecks are.
Q3: Should I buy or lease POS hardware?
Buying usually costs less over several years, while some providers bundle hardware into a monthly plan or offer switching credits. Read lease terms carefully, since some leases are non-cancelable even if you change POS providers.
Q4: Why does the network matter for POS hardware?
Tablets, kitchen displays, card readers, and online orders all rely on it. A business-grade connection, wired links for fixed devices, and a backup connection prevent many opening-week problems.
Q5: What spare POS equipment should a restaurant keep?
Keep a spare card reader, a spare tablet or handheld, extra receipt paper, and charging cables. Anything whose failure would stop service is a good candidate for a spare.
Q6: When should I install POS hardware before opening?
Install core equipment at least a week before opening so you can test every order and payment type and train staff during the soft opening.
Buying point of sale hardware in tiers keeps opening day focused on what matters: every order reaches the kitchen and every payment goes through. Equipment that depends on how guests actually use the space can follow in the first month, and the rest can wait for real data.
Start with the network, put the opening-day tier in place early, keep spares on hand, and test every layer before the doors open. A new location that opens with working basics has room to add the right tools later.
