20 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Pub EPOS System

Last updated: 23 April 2026

Most pub licensees discover the true cost of their EPOS system only after they’ve signed the contract. A system that looks perfect in a vendor’s demo often becomes a nightmare when three staff are hitting the same terminal during a Saturday night service, or when the payment processor doesn’t talk to your pubco’s systems, or when the 24-month tie-in forces you to keep paying for something that isn’t working. The difference between a good EPOS choice and a bad one isn’t the fancy features — it’s whether the system survives real-world pressure and whether the contract lets you out if it doesn’t. This guide walks you through the 20 questions that matter, based on experience managing a busy community pub with wet sales, dry sales, quiz nights, and match day events running simultaneously. You’ll know exactly what to ask, what the answers really mean, and what red flags should stop you signing anything.

Contract Terms and Lock-In

The single biggest mistake pub licensees make is not reading the contract exit clause before signing. Most EPOS providers will not discuss this upfront, which tells you everything you need to know about how confident they are in their own product.

Question 1: What is the minimum contract length and what are the penalties for early termination?

24-month contracts are standard, but some providers offer 12-month or month-to-month terms. If a provider insists on 24 months and won’t negotiate, ask why. A good system doesn’t need to trap you in a contract. Get the early termination fee in writing — not just “contact sales” but an actual number. I’ve seen termination fees that cost more than 18 months of service, which makes no commercial sense unless the vendor knows they’re not going to keep you happy.

Question 2: Can I exit the contract if the system doesn’t meet performance standards?

This is the one question that separates professional EPOS vendors from the rest. A good answer sounds like: “Yes, if we fail to achieve 99.5% uptime or response time exceeds two seconds, you can terminate with 30 days’ notice.” A bad answer sounds like: “That’s not covered in the standard contract.” Walk away from that vendor immediately.

Question 3: What happens to my data when the contract ends?

You need to own your transaction history and customer data. Ask: Can you export it to CSV? How long do they keep it after your contract ends? Is there a fee for data retrieval? Some providers make data extraction deliberately painful because they know you’ll keep the system just to avoid the hassle of moving.

Question 4: Are there any automatic renewal clauses?

Read this section of the contract word-for-word. Some systems auto-renew for another 12 months unless you notify them 90 days before expiry. If you forget that notification window — and you will, during a busy trading period — you’re locked in again. A reputable vendor will send you a renewal notice at least 180 days before expiry.

System Performance and Real-World Reliability

The demo always works. The real test happens on a Saturday night at 10 p.m. when you’re understaffed, every table is full, kitchen tickets are backing up, and your team is running card payments while managing bar tabs. That’s when most mid-range EPOS systems start to stutter.

Question 5: What happens if your system goes down? What’s the backup procedure?

A robust EPOS system must allow offline mode — continuing to take card payments and record sales even when the internet connection fails. Ask specifically: Can staff continue processing transactions on the terminal itself? Do those transactions sync back to the cloud automatically? What’s the data loss risk? If the vendor says “the system will just be offline,” ask how many pints you’re losing per minute at 300+ covers.

Question 6: Can multiple staff work on the same terminal at the same time?

This is the real-world pressure test. During last orders, you might have two bar staff and a kitchen porter all accessing the system simultaneously. Most budget systems choke on this. A good vendor will demonstrate this working smoothly, not theoretically, but in a live test. If they won’t do it, that’s a red flag.

Question 7: What’s your system uptime SLA and how is it measured?

Service Level Agreement — they’ll probably have one, but read it carefully. Some vendors measure uptime from their server perspective, not from your till’s perspective. A system can be “up” at their data centre but inaccessible to you if your internet is down or their API is slow. The uptime that matters is: can your staff process a transaction within two seconds? Ask for that metric in writing.

Question 8: How long does it take to process a card payment? Can it handle peak-time volume?

If the vendor says “under three seconds on average,” ask about peak times. During a Friday night, 50 card payments hitting the system simultaneously should still process smoothly. If they can’t guarantee this without significant lag, they’re selling you a system that will frustrate your team during your busiest trading periods.

Payment Processing and Pubco Compatibility

This is where most pub-specific EPOS failures happen, and it’s the one area that genuinely tricky. For tied tenants and managed pubs, the payment processor compatibility with your pubco is non-negotiable — installing an incompatible system can breach your tenancy agreement.

Question 9: Is your EPOS compatible with my pubco’s approved payment processors?

This is the absolute first question to ask. Marston’s CRP tenants, for example, have specific approved payment providers. Star Pubs (Heineken) has different rules. Admiral Taverns and Punch have their own requirements. A professional EPOS vendor will have a list of pubcos they’ve integrated with. If they say “we can usually integrate,” that’s not good enough — you need written confirmation from your pubco that their payment processor is approved. I’ve seen licensees install an EPOS system only to be told three weeks in that it breaches their tenancy agreement and they need to replace the hardware.

Question 10: What are the payment processing fees and how are they structured?

EPOS vendors often use payment processing as a hidden profit centre. They’ll charge you 1.5–2.5% per transaction, plus sometimes a monthly fee for the payment gateway itself, plus a “terminal rental” fee. Get an itemised breakdown. Ask: Is there a monthly gateway fee? Do the processing fees change if I increase transaction volume? Is there a minimum transaction value fee?

Question 11: Can I use my own payment processor or am I tied to theirs?

Some vendors lock you into their payment processor as part of the EPOS contract, which gives them extra revenue and reduces your negotiating power with payment companies. A good vendor will let you use your own processor (and will still integrate cleanly). This flexibility is worth paying slightly more for.

Question 12: How do refunds and disputes get handled? What’s the time lag?

In a busy pub, refunds happen. A customer’s card declines halfway through the transaction, or they want money back for a drink they didn’t like. Ask: How long does a refund take to appear in the till reconciliation? Does it sync automatically to your bank statement? How do you handle disputed transactions? Some systems show the refund on the EPOS immediately but it takes three business days to hit your actual bank account, which can mess up your daily cash position.

Training, Support and Onboarding

The real cost of an EPOS system isn’t the monthly fee. It’s the staff training time and the lost sales during the first two weeks of use. Most licensees underestimate this catastrophically.

Question 13: What training does your vendor provide and what does it cost?

Get specifics: Is there an onsite training session before go-live? How long is it (you need at least four hours minimum, delivered by someone who actually knows pubs, not just software)? Do they train all staff or just key staff? Is training included in the setup fee or does it cost extra? Some vendors charge £400–600 per training session, which can double your initial costs. Ask if they provide video training for new staff that you bring on later.

Question 14: What does 24/7 support actually mean? What’s the response time for critical issues?

Your EPOS goes down on a Friday at 7 p.m. and you’re already busy. “24/7 support” is meaningless if their response time is eight hours. Ask: What’s your average response time for critical issues (system completely down)? Do you have a local support number or is it call-centre based? Can they remote-access your system to fix issues without sending an engineer? If the support team is overseas and can’t understand your accent or the local pub context, you’re wasting time when you should be trading.

Question 15: Is there a setup fee and what does it include?

Setup costs vary wildly. Some vendors include terminal setup, network configuration, and staff training in one fixed fee. Others charge for each element. Ask for an itemised breakdown: Is there a hardware setup fee? A software configuration fee? A database migration fee? A staff training fee? Once you have the itemised list, ask if they can waive or reduce any of these (they often can, especially if you negotiate the contract length).

Hidden Costs and Total Cost of Ownership

The monthly subscription is always the cheapest line in the EPOS budget. When you calculate the real total cost, you often find there are five other charges stacked on top.

Question 16: What’s included in the monthly fee and what costs extra?

A transparent vendor will give you a pricing table. Software licence £X per month. Payment processing 1.75% per transaction. Terminal rental £Y per month. Support £Z (if not included). Cloud backup (included/extra). Stock management module (included/extra). Once you have the full list, calculate your annual cost, not just the monthly headline number. Most operators are shocked when they do this properly. Using a pub profit margin calculator can help you understand whether an EPOS system at £200/month is actually viable for your business model.

Question 17: Are there any per-license or per-till fees if I add more terminals later?

You might start with one terminal but add a second one for faster service during peak times. Ask: Do I pay for additional software licenses per till? Is there a “concurrent user” fee? Some systems charge £30–50 per month for each additional terminal, which adds up when you’re scaling.

Question 18: What’s the policy on price increases during the contract?

This matters more than you’d think. Some vendors lock in pricing for 12 months then have the right to increase fees by up to 10% annually. Others lock in your pricing for the entire contract. Given that inflation has hit hospitality hard, a vendor willing to lock in your price for 24 months is actually giving you something valuable. Ask for this in writing — “pricing is fixed at £X per month for the full contract term.”

Question 19: If I rent rather than buy the terminals, what happens at the end?

Some EPOS vendors rent you the hardware (tills, payment terminals, kitchen printers) and others sell it to you upfront. Renting spreads the cost but locks you in further. If you rent hardware and your contract ends, the terminals go back to the vendor. If you’ve bought them, they’re yours. Understand which model this vendor uses and factor it into your total cost of ownership. EPOS rental for pubs can be cheaper upfront but more expensive overall.

Data Security and Compliance

You’re processing payment card data and customer information. That data has to be secure, and you have legal obligations around protecting it.

Question 20: Are you PCI-DSS compliant and what encryption standards do you use?

PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is the regulatory requirement for any system handling card payments. Ask: What PCI-DSS version are you certified to? (It should be current, not several versions behind.) How is card data encrypted in transit and at rest? Do you tokenise card data (replace actual card numbers with tokens) so you never actually store the full card number? If they say “we handle security” without specifics, push back. You need to understand exactly how your customer’s payment data is protected.

Beyond these 20 questions, there’s one more thing worth understanding: The best EPOS system for a wet-led pub (high volume, low food) is completely different from the best system for a food-led gastropub. Wet-led pubs need extreme speed, easy tab management, and reliable bar tab reporting. Food-led pubs need kitchen display systems, recipe costing, and detailed food inventory. Most EPOS vendors try to be everything to everyone, which means they’re excellent at nothing. When they show you their system, ask them: Which pub type do you actually specialise in? If they start telling you stories about wet-led pubs, ask for the names of three wet-led clients you can speak to (and actually call them — they’ll tell you the truth).

One final piece of context from real experience: When we were selecting a system for Teal Farm Pub, the vendor demo looked flawless. Then we tested it during peak trading — a Saturday night with a full house, card-only payments, kitchen tickets, and bar tabs running simultaneously. Most systems that look good in a demo struggle when three staff are hitting the same terminal during last orders. That real-world pressure is what matters. Ask your vendor if they’ll do a live peak-time test with you before you commit. If they won’t, that tells you everything.

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