Best Software for Restaurants in the UK

Best Software for Restaurants in the UK

Running a restaurant in the UK means juggling table service, online orders, staff rotas, and compliance all at once. The right software can save you hours each week and help you stay on top of everything from VAT submissions to delivery platform management.

This guide covers the best tools available to UK restaurant owners right now, whether you are a sole trader running a café or managing a multi-table dining operation.

Best Point of Sale (POS) Systems

Square POS

Square POS offers a free tier that is genuinely powerful enough for most small restaurants. It includes integrated payments with transparent UK transaction fees, making it easy to get started without upfront costs. The interface is intuitive, and setup takes minutes rather than hours.

Zettle Go

Zettle Go is a strong choice for UK restaurant owners who want a reliable free-tier POS backed by a well-known brand. It accepts a wide variety of card payments and integrates neatly with Zettle's own card readers, which are widely used across the UK hospitality sector. Setup is straightforward and daily use is simple.

Lightspeed Retail

Lightspeed (from £89/month) is the premium option for restaurants that need deeper functionality, including inventory management and cloud-based reporting. It is particularly well-suited to hospitality businesses with larger menus or multiple locations. It works well on iOS devices, which is ideal for tablet-based table service.

Best for Managing Online Orders and Deliveries

Deliverect

Deliverect (from £70/month) solves one of the biggest headaches for restaurants using multiple delivery platforms such as Uber Eats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo. It centralises all incoming orders into your existing POS system and lets you manage your menu across platforms from one place. For busy kitchens, this alone can significantly reduce errors.

Shipday

Shipday offers a free tier that is ideal for restaurants running their own delivery operation. It provides real-time driver tracking and comprehensive order management, giving customers a better experience. It is particularly useful for independent restaurants that want to avoid paying commission to third-party platforms.

Best Accounting Software

Xero

Xero (from £15/month) is one of the most popular accounting platforms for UK small businesses and is fully compliant with Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT submissions. Its user-friendly interface makes it accessible even if you are not an accountant, and it connects with a wide range of UK bank feeds. Many restaurant owners use it alongside their bookkeeper or accountant.

Sage Accounting

Sage Accounting (from £15/month) is another excellent MTD-compliant option with strong UK bank integrations. Sage has specifically highlighted hospitality as a core use case, and its VAT filing tools are reliable and straightforward. If your accountant already uses Sage, this makes collaboration even easier.

Best for Staff Scheduling and HR

Deputy

Deputy (from £6/month per user) is a flexible scheduling and time-tracking tool with excellent mobile apps for both managers and front-of-house staff. It integrates well with UK payroll systems, making it easy to export hours at the end of a pay period. For restaurants with variable shift patterns, it is a practical everyday tool.

Rotaready

Rotaready (from £40/month) is built with hospitality businesses in mind and simplifies rota creation, shift management, and UK payroll preparation. Staff can view and manage their shifts via a mobile app, which reduces the volume of last-minute messages to managers. It is a solid step up if you are outgrowing spreadsheet-based scheduling.

Best for Marketing and Customer Engagement

Mailchimp

Mailchimp offers a generous free tier that lets you build an email list and send campaigns to your regulars without spending anything initially. It includes built-in GDPR consent tools, which is important for any UK business collecting customer data. The drag-and-drop email builder means you do not need a designer to create professional-looking newsletters.

Tidio AI

Tidio provides automated customer support via a chatbot that can handle booking enquiries, opening hours questions, and more — all without you being online. A free tier is available, making it a low-risk addition to your restaurant website. It is especially useful for restaurants that receive a high volume of repetitive online queries.

Final Thoughts

There is no single piece of software that does everything a restaurant needs, so the best approach is to build a small stack of tools that work well together. Start with a solid POS system, add MTD-compliant accounting, and layer in scheduling and marketing tools as your business grows.

Most of the options listed here offer free tiers or low monthly costs, so the barrier to getting started is low. Focus on what causes you the most pain day-to-day, and solve that first.