A point of sale (POS) system is how you take payments and record every sale. For a food truck or market stall it has to be quick, work on the move, and not eat your margin. Here is how four popular options compare, based on what each provider says on its own website. Always check each provider's page for current pricing and fees, because these change.
What to look for
- How it takes payments (tap, chip, phone, terminal)
- What happens when the internet drops
- Hardware you can carry or mount in a truck
- Reports: sales by day, site and item
- Connections to accounting and other tools
- Total cost, including processing fees (check each provider)
Square
Square says its POS works for food trucks with offline payments (taken without internet and processed once you reconnect within 24 hours), several hardware options including a terminal with a built-in printer, daily, weekly and monthly sales reports by location with best-selling items, and accounting connections such as Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks via its app marketplace. Good fit if you want a mature all-rounder.
Zeller
Zeller POS is an Australian app for building items and orders and taking payments on a Zeller Terminal. It supports receipt printers, cash drawers, kitchen tickets and a Kitchen Display, and refunds including partial refunds and split bills. It lists hospitality, markets and events among the businesses it suits. Good fit if you want an Australian provider with hospitality tools.
SumUp
SumUp offers card readers, EFTPOS terminals, Tap to Pay on iPhone and a free POS, with a paid POS Lite that adds sales reports. It names market stalls and cafés among the businesses it suits. Good fit for a simple start.
Lightspeed Restaurant
Lightspeed is built for venues with table service: tableside ordering, a kitchen Bump Screen, ingredient-level inventory, staff and menu insights and multi-location management. It suits restaurants, cafés and bars more than a single truck. Good fit if you run a bigger venue or several sites.
Which one for what?
- Just starting, one truck or stall: SumUp or Square
- Want hospitality features with an Australian provider: Zeller
- Running a venue or several sites: Lightspeed
- Want sales by truck and event plus accounting links: Square
Your POS tells you sales. What about wages?
Most POS reports stop at sales. But the number that decides whether a busy day was a good day is how much you kept after paying your team. That is where Crewbase comes in.
Crewbase is our own staff scheduling and timesheet app. It is not a POS and it does not take card payments for you. It connects to Square, so if you use Square you can see:
- Today's Square sales next to today's wages, live on your phone
- Labour as a percentage of sales
- Sales per labour hour
- Sales against wages by day, by truck and by event
- Peak hours, so you roster for the rush
- What you keep after Square fees and, for event vendors, the promoter's cut
Sales outside events sync automatically every night, and each truck is linked to its Square location so numbers split by truck and by event. Your money stays in your own Square account.
Note: the live "today" cards refresh every few minutes. The fuller Analytics page updates overnight.
Crewbase currently connects to Square only. If you use another POS, the comparison above should still help you choose, and you can use Crewbase for rosters and timesheets on its own.
Quick FAQ
Do I need Square to use Crewbase? No. Scheduling and timesheets work on their own. Square adds the sales and wages view.
Is Crewbase a POS? No. It is a staff and event tool that reads your Square sales.
Can I disconnect Square? Yes, from web Settings.
Does Crewbase work with Zeller, SumUp or Lightspeed? Not at the moment.
Sources: Square, Zeller, SumUp and Lightspeed Australia websites. Features and pricing change, so check each provider before you decide.