Restaurant till and POS in France: rules, features and choice

Which till should a restaurant in France use?

A restaurant till does more than take payment. Well chosen, it avoids order mistakes between dining room and kitchen, speeds up the bill at peak times and gives you the figures that matter every evening: turnover, covers, average spend, dishes sold. Badly chosen, it slows service and locks you into an expensive contract.

This guide is part of our Running a restaurant guide. It names no brands: offers change quickly, and the right till depends on how you work.

Is secure till software mandatory in France?

Yes, in most restaurants. According to impots.gouv.fr (page updated on 14 October 2026), the rule applies to businesses registered for VAT, in any sector, that sell to consumers without issuing an invoice and record those sales in till software or a till system.

What the software must guarantee

Four conditions, so the tax authorities can check: data must be unalterable (a sale cannot be deleted or changed without a trace), secured, kept and archived. In software that does many things (bookings, stock, till), only the till functions need to be certified.

Proof of compliance

You prove compliance with a certificate issued by an accredited body, or an individual statement provided by the software publisher. The 2026 Finance Act restored this statement, whose removal had been planned for 31 August 2026, according to impots.gouv.fr. Ask your supplier for the document at installation and keep it with your papers.

Who is not concerned

• businesses under the VAT exemption scheme (franchise en base), including micro-entrepreneurs who do not charge VAT;
• businesses that sell only to other businesses (they issue invoices);
• businesses that only carry out VAT-exempt transactions;
• plain card payment terminals, which are not tills.

The penalty

A business that cannot show proof faces a fine of €7,500, according to impots.gouv.fr. The simplest way to avoid it: never take payments on a “home-made” tool (spreadsheet, uncertified app) and check the proof before signing.

How do you set up VAT in a restaurant till?

A restaurant in France applies several VAT rates on the same bill. According to Service Public Entreprendre, the common cases are:

In the till, each item must carry the right rate, and the same item can have two rates depending on whether it is eaten in or taken away. Set menus that include an alcoholic drink require the price to be split between rates: check that your till can do it, or get help from your accountant. All the rules and a worked example of a menu with wine are in restaurant VAT in France.

• Create your items with the right rate before the first service.
• Add an “eat in” and a “takeaway” button if you sell both.
• Print a test receipt for each case and show it to your accountant.
• Check the rates again at every menu change or new offer (takeaway, deli).

Which features really help in a restaurant?

Every till takes payments. What makes the difference in a restaurant is the service features.

Beware of features you will never use: they clutter the screen and make training harder. A small crêperie does not have the same needs as a 120-cover brasserie.

How do you choose a till without making a mistake?

Before signing, ask each supplier these questions, in writing if possible:

• Is the software secure? Can you give me the certificate or the individual statement?
• What does the price include: software, hardware (screen, printer, cash drawer, kitchen printer), installation, training, support?
• Is the hardware bought, rented or loaned? What happens at the end of the contract?
• How long is the commitment, and how do I cancel?
• Does support answer in the evening and at weekends, when you are open?
• Does the till keep working without internet during an outage?
• Can I export my sales and items if I change tills?
• Does it handle my VAT rates, set menus and takeaway?

Ask for a demonstration on your own cases: a table of six paying in three parts, a set menu with a glass of wine, a takeaway dish. Have it tested by the person who takes payments most often. And ask other restaurant owners nearby what they use and what they think of it: it is often the most useful opinion.

Which figures should you take from your till every day?

Your till records everything you need to steer the restaurant. You still have to look at the right figures, at the right pace.

A fictional example: a Tuesday evening at €2,480 before VAT for 96 covers gives an average spend of about €25.83. If previous Tuesdays were at €24, a dessert suggestion or wine by the glass may have made the difference. These figures feed your profitability tracking and your efforts to raise average spend.

Till, bookings, customer list: how do they work together?

The till knows what customers ate; the booking tool knows who they are and when they come. They complement each other, but they are different jobs. Before choosing a till that “does everything”, check that it does each thing well, especially online booking and the customer list, and that you stay in control of your data.

• Today’s bookings tell you how many covers to expect: use them to prepare service and the rota.
• The customer list, kept with customers’ consent, helps you recognise regulars and bring them back.
• Till figures tell you whether your actions (themed evening, new menu) worked.

For the order in which to equip your restaurant, see restaurant digital tools, and for the customer list, the restaurant CRM.

The till set-up checklist

To do before the first service, and to review at every major change:

• Proof of compliance (certificate or statement) received and filed.
• Items created with the right prices including VAT and the right rates, identical to displayed prices.
• Set menus configured, with the rate split if an alcoholic drink is included.
• Floor plan and table numbers up to date.
• Kitchen and bar printers tested.
• A code for each server, to track cancellations and sales.
• Accepted payment methods tested (card, cash, meal vouchers).
• Procedure for a breakdown or internet outage known by the team.
• End-of-day closing and sending figures to the accountant organised.

Prices charged must match the prices displayed inside and outside: details in mandatory restaurant signs in France.

The restaurant owner’s guide

Open, run, grow: each stage has its full guide and detailed guides, with their reading time.

This guide for your trade

• Restaurants
• Bars and cafés
• Restaurant booking

Go further

• How to run a restaurant
• Restaurant VAT in France
• Restaurant digital tools
• Restaurant profitability
• Restaurant CRM: your customer list