Starting a Restaurant in the UK: The Software & Tools Checklist
Why the Right Software Matters From Day One
Opening a restaurant in the UK means juggling licences, menus, staff rotas, and customer bookings before you've even served your first cover. Getting the right software in place early prevents costly mistakes and saves you hours every week as trade picks up.
From Making Tax Digital (MTD) compliance to GDPR-friendly guest data handling, UK restaurants face specific legal and operational requirements that generic tools won't always cover. This checklist walks you through every category you need to consider.
Taking Payments: Your Point of Sale Foundation
Your point of sale (POS) system is the engine of your restaurant. It needs to be fast, reliable, and affordable — especially when you're just starting out.
Square POS (Free tier)
Square POS is a strong starting point with no monthly fee and a setup that works across iOS, Android, and web. It covers payments, invoicing, and basic scheduling in one place, making it ideal for a new restaurant keeping costs lean.
Zettle Go (Free tier)
Zettle Go charges no monthly fees and offers a competitive flat transaction rate of 1.75%. It's quick to set up on iOS and Android, and as an iZettle product it has strong name recognition with UK hospitality businesses.
SumUp POS (Free tier)
SumUp POS also has no monthly fee and offers next-day payouts as standard, which is excellent for cash flow in the early months. Setup is fast across iOS, Android, and web.
Managing Reservations and Guest Data
A dedicated reservation system prevents double bookings, automates reminders, and keeps guest data organised in a GDPR-compliant way — something a shared spreadsheet simply can't do.
ResDiary (£69/mo)
ResDiary charges a flat monthly fee with no per-cover commissions, which makes it far more predictable than some competitor platforms as your covers grow. It includes built-in GDPR-friendly guest data management tools and offers a 14-day free trial so you can test it before committing.
Handling Deliveries and Online Orders
If you plan to offer takeaway or delivery, you'll likely list on Deliveroo, Uber Eats, or Just Eat. Managing orders across multiple platforms separately is a recipe for chaos during a busy service.
Deliverect (£70/mo)
Deliverect consolidates orders from all three major UK delivery platforms directly into your POS or kitchen system. With over 1,000 third-party integrations, it scales well as your delivery operation grows.
Shipday (Free tier)
If you're running your own delivery drivers rather than using platform couriers, Shipday offers a free forever plan for smaller operations. It provides real-time driver tracking for both customers and staff, and automated dispatch saves significant time on busy shifts.
Accounting and Making Tax Digital Compliance
HMRC's Making Tax Digital (MTD) initiative requires VAT-registered businesses to keep digital records and submit VAT returns through compatible software. Getting this right from the start avoids penalties later.
Xero (£15/mo)
Xero is fully MTD-compliant and offers strong UK bank feed integrations, including connections with major high street and challenger banks. It has a 30-day free trial with no credit card required, which is genuinely useful when you're managing startup costs.
Sage Accounting (£15/mo)
Sage Accounting is another MTD-compliant option with excellent UK bank integrations and is particularly well regarded in the hospitality sector. At £15/mo it sits at the same entry price as Xero, so your choice may come down to personal preference or your accountant's recommendation.
Staff Scheduling and HR
Restaurants are labour-intensive, and managing rotas manually leads to errors, no-shows, and unhappy staff. Dedicated workforce management tools pay for themselves quickly.
Deputy (£6/mo)
Deputy is one of the most affordable options at just £6 per user per month, with a mobile app that's excellent for on-the-go shift management. It also saves considerable time on payroll processing, which matters when you're running a lean kitchen team.
Rotaready (£40/mo)
Rotaready is built with UK hospitality in mind, offering streamlined rota creation and mobile apps for both staff and managers. It simplifies UK payroll preparation and is worth considering once your team grows beyond a handful of people.
Marketing: Keeping Customers Coming Back
Acquiring new diners is expensive. Email marketing and AI-assisted content tools help you retain existing customers cost-effectively.
Mailchimp (Free tier)
Mailchimp has a generous free plan suitable for smaller contact lists, with a drag-and-drop email builder that requires no design skills. Crucially, it includes built-in GDPR consent tools, keeping your marketing compliant with UK data protection rules.
Tidio AI (Free tier)
Tidio AI adds an AI chatbot to your restaurant website that automatically answers repetitive questions such as opening hours, allergen queries, and booking availability. The free tier is a low-risk way to improve customer response times without hiring additional staff.