I've been in the F&B space for years, and I've seen so many cafe owners overpay for POS systems that do way more than they need — or worse, way less.

Here's what actually matters when you're picking a POS:

1. Speed > Features

During rush hour, nobody cares if your POS has 200 integrations. What matters is: can your staff ring up an order in under 5 seconds? If the answer is no, you're losing money.

2. Inventory tracking saves you more than you think

Most small cafes track stock manually (or not at all). Even basic inventory tracking — knowing when you're low on milk or cups — saves the average cafe ~15% on waste.

3. You don't need hardware

Legacy POS companies will try to sell you a $500 terminal. A tablet and a card reader does the same thing for 1/5 the price.

4. Monthly reports > daily vibes

"We had a good day" is not a business strategy. You need to know: what's your best-selling item? What time do you peak? Which staff member processes the most orders?

5. Your POS should grow with you

Start free, upgrade when you need multi-location or loyalty programs. Don't pay for features you'll use "someday."

This is exactly why we built Dah Bayar — a POS that starts free and scales with your F&B business. No bloat, no overpriced hardware, just what you actually need.