How restaurants can maximise their EPOS system

Running a successful restaurant takes more than great food and friendly service – it relies on smart systems that keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes.

If you’re using a system like Tevalis, you already have an advanced EPOS platforms at your fingertips. But the real value comes when you start unlocking its full potential.

As specialists in restaurant websites and digital menu technology, we often see EPOS systems sitting underutilised, missing out on valuable data, automation and integration opportunities.

What does EPOS stand for?

EPOS stands for Electronic Point of Sale. For restaurants, an EPOS system is more than just a till. It’s the digital backbone of your restaurant – handling transactions, tracking sales, managing stock and often connecting with everything from your kitchen printers to your online ordering platform.

A good EPOS doesn’t just help you serve customers faster; it gives you data, automation, and insights that can transform the way you run your business.

Tips to maximise your EPOS system

1. Use data to make smarter decisions

Your EPOS is already tracking sales, staff, and customer activity – but are you using this data to make informed decisions within your restaurant? Using this data could help you to:

• Identify top-selling and high-margin items
• Spot trends by day, time, or season
• Compare site performance if you have multiple venues
• Adjust menus or promotions based on data

Most EPOS systems include reporting dashboards or can integrate with business intelligence tools. We recommend spending time looking at this data, digesting the conclusions you can take from it and creating automated reporting dashboards to help inform decisions quickly in the future.

2. Connect your website and menu systems

If your EPOS, website, and digital menu are disconnected, you’re wasting time and risking errors. We build integrated systems with platforms like Tevalis that automatically pulls in allergen data, calorie counts and dietary preferences for every dish, reducing the risk of human error and improving trust at the table.

Key benefits to this include:

• Make daily menu changes with ease
• Centralised, user-friendly system for restaurant staff
• Eliminate printed menus and streamline service
• Improve allergen handling and protect your business
• Ensure compliance while building customer confidence

This avoids the need for manual edits and ensures guests always see accurate, up-to-date menus.

3. Streamline operations between front and back of house

A well-set-up EPOS system helps your team communicate faster and more accurately, reducing errors and keeping wait times down. Using an EPOS system, you can:

• Send orders directly to the kitchen with custom modifiers
• Monitor table turnover and order times

When your digital ordering, kitchen displays and EPOS are integrated, it improves speed, consistency and service.

4. Track inventory and reduce waste

Many EPOS platforms now include inventory features or can integrate with stock management tools. With the right setup, you can:

• Track ingredients down to recipe level
• Set reorder thresholds and automate supplier orders
• Spot wastage and theft early

Want to go a step further? Pair this with your digital menu system so every sale adjusts inventory in real time.

5. Boost revenue with smarter promotions

With a connected EPOS system, you can effectively run promotions and boost revenue based on data collected by the system. This could include automating:

• Happy hour or offer pricing
• Meal bundles or upsell suggestions
• Loyalty-based offers

Your EPOS can apply promotions automatically based on time, day or customer type, removing friction for your team and driving higher spend per head.

6. Launch loyalty and CRM features

If your EPOS collects customer data like emails, birthdays or order history, you can use it to:

• Create segmented marketing campaigns
• Send automated offers or thank-you messages
• Track visit frequency and reward loyalty

Pairing your EPOS with your marketing stack can turn one-time guests into regulars without your staff doing any extra work.

7. Empower your staff with better insights

Looking to your staff, EPOS data can also help you manage your team more effectively. Data collection through your system could enable you to:

• Track sales per team member
• Monitor performance and identify training needs
• Reward upselling or speed of service

With simple reporting and integrations to scheduling tools, you can align your team with your business goals. This can help keep staff motivated and engaged.

8.  Offer seamless online ordering and table service

Your EPOS system should be able to support modern dining experiences like:

• Online ordering for click & collect or delivery
• QR code ordering at the table
• Self-checkout or mobile payments

When your digital menu connects directly to your EPOS, it ensures orders flow smoothly into the kitchen, with no extra admin or rekeying.

9. Connect with the right tools

The best EPOS systems integrate with other business systems which is where the magic happens. Here are some examples of how tool integration with your EPOS can streamline your restaurant’s admin:

• Accounting software for seamless bookkeeping

• Reservation systems for smarter table planning
• Payment platforms for faster transactions
• Your website and digital menu for real-time updates

By integrating with your other systems you can reduce admin, avoid double entry and streamline your operation end-to-end.

10. Automate reports and monitor key metrics

Don’t waste hours building spreadsheets. Stay in the know and set your EPOS to automatically email you daily or weekly summaries on:

• Total revenue and profit margins
• Best-selling items and modifiers
• Table turnover and labour costs
• Online vs in-house sales split

Having this data at your fingertips lets you make faster, more confident decisions. Make sure key members of your team also have access to this data to ensure cohesive strategy.

Turn your EPOS system into business growth

Your EPOS system has the potential to be more than just a till and can help you make better informed decisions for your business.

If you’re serious about making your operation more efficient, profitable, and customer-friendly, the key is integration, especially between your EPOS, website, digital menus and marketing tools.

Want to know how your EPOS could be working harder for you?

We build systems tailored to the unique requirements of your business. Find out more about our work with the hospitality industry. Get in touch and let’s talk about connecting your systems and turning more first-time visitors into regulars.