A restaurant POS consists of a cashier screen for taking orders (dine-in, takeaway, delivery) with modifiers, tables and bill splitting; a kitchen display system (KDS) showing orders by station and time; mada and cash payments; shifts and cash-up; and sales reports. You can build one by describing it in Fanann as a web app running on a tablet, while checking your country's e-invoicing requirements and how card terminals and printers connect.
- restaurant pos system
- how to build a pos system for a restaurant
- kitchen display system for restaurants
- restaurant pos with zatca e-invoicing
- custom pos vs off the shelf pos
How do you build a restaurant POS with a kitchen screen?
A restaurant POS with a kitchen display system (KDS) is where a customer's order becomes a dish and then an invoice. The cashier enters the order with its modifiers, it appears instantly on the right kitchen station, payment produces a tax invoice, and at closing the manager knows what sold and what is in the drawer. You can build this with an AI app builder by describing it, so it runs on a tablet or touch screen.
To be candid: ready-made restaurant POS systems are plentiful and mature, and they come with hardware, printers and delivery-platform integrations. So when does building make sense? When your way of working is specific: an unconventional concept, a cloud kitchen with several brands, a till you want connected to the ordering and loyalty app you own, or just a kitchen screen next to your current system.
- You want hardware, printers and support in one package
- You need ready integrations with the major delivery platforms
- You need an approved e-invoicing solution from day one
- Your restaurant is conventional and needs little customization
- Your ordering or prep flow is unconventional
- You want it tied to your own ordering app, loyalty and customer base
- You run several brands from one kitchen
- You want to own the code and data and evolve them
What features does a restaurant POS need?
| Part | Features |
|---|---|
| Order taking | Dine-in, takeaway, delivery, drive-up; menu categories; modifiers; a note per item |
| Tables | Floor plan, open a table, move or merge, covers |
| Bill | Discounts, split by person or by item, VAT, reprint |
| Payment | mada, cards, Apple Pay via the terminal, cash with change, mixed payment |
| Kitchen screen | Orders by station (grill, starters, drinks), a timer per order, mark done |
| Shifts and drawer | Open a shift with a float, close and reconcile cash, end-of-day report |
| Products and stock | Deduct ingredients by recipe, low-stock alerts |
| Roles | Cashier, supervisor (discounts and voids), manager (reports and settings) |
| Reports | Sales by hour, item, staff member and payment method |
The kitchen display: how do you design it right?
A kitchen screen replaces printed tickets that get lost or soaked. But it is designed differently from any other screen: it is read from a distance, with busy hands, in a hot and fast environment.
- One card per order with its number, type (dine-in, takeaway, delivery), table and elapsed time.
- Modifiers in a different color and larger text, so no onions is never missed.
- Routing by station: grill items go to the grill screen, juices to the bar.
- Delay colors: green, then yellow, then red based on expected prep time.
- One tap to mark an order or item ready, with a notification to the cashier or waiter.
- Sorted by time, with the option to push an urgent order up.
If you take table orders by QR code, route them to the same kitchen screen. The guide to QR menus and table ordering explains the connection.
Hardware and connectivity: what to know before you build
This is where a POS differs from any other app, because it lives with real devices in the restaurant:
| Device | What to check |
|---|---|
| Tablet or touch screen | The system runs as a web app in the browser or installed on the home screen |
| Card terminal | Connection varies by provider; some integrate via software, others need the amount keyed in |
| Receipt and kitchen printers | Compatibility with browser or network printing, and Arabic font support |
| Cash drawer | Usually opened through the printer |
| Internet | A backup connection (data SIM) and a plan for outages |
Practical advice: ask your card terminal provider which integration options exist before you start building, and test the printer with the system in week one, not on opening day.
E-invoicing and VAT
Every restaurant sale produces an invoice, and this is the most important regulatory side:
- Saudi Arabia: VAT is 15%, and e-invoicing (Fatoora) Phase 1 (generation) has applied since 4 December 2021. Phase 2 (integration with ZATCA's platform) applies in waves, with each business notified at least 6 months ahead. Wave 25 covers businesses whose VAT-subject revenue exceeded SAR 187,500 in any year from 2022 to 2025, with an integration deadline of 1 February 2027.
- UAE: VAT is 5%. E-invoicing rolls out in phases through Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) from 2027 for business-to-business transactions, and consumer invoices are out of scope for now.
The phases are explained in plain language in ZATCA e-invoicing phases and waves.
Stock, delivery platforms and reports
A smart POS does not just record sales. It tells you what is happening in the kitchen and storeroom:
- 1Recipes
Each item has a recipe: beef burger = bun + 150 g beef + cheese. Each sale deducts ingredients from stock.
- 2Low-stock alerts
When an ingredient nears its minimum you get an alert, and items that depend on it can be switched off.
- 3Delivery orders
Orders from HungerStation, Jahez and Keeta, or Talabat and Careem, need integration according to what each platform allows. If none is available, enter them as an external delivery type so your reports stay complete.
- 4End-of-day report
Sales by payment method, cash reconciliation, and voids and discounts with names.
- 5Weekly report
Best and worst sellers, peak hours and branch comparison.
For detailed stock control, see build an inventory management app, and for wider ideas read AI for restaurants.
A ready prompt to build your POS in Fanann
Build me a POS for a single-branch grill restaurant, Arabic first (RTL) with English, running on a landscape tablet. Cashier screen: order types (dine-in, takeaway, external delivery), menu categories with photos, modifiers per item with a free-text note, a floor plan with 15 tables (open, move, merge), discounts, split the bill equally or by item, payment by mada, card and cash with change and mixed payment, and a simplified tax invoice with a QR code, 15% VAT, business name and VAT number. Kitchen display: one card per order with type, table and elapsed time, modifiers in red and large text, items routed to two stations (grill, bar), delay colors, and one tap to mark ready. Shifts: open with a float and close with cash reconciliation. Roles: cashier, supervisor (code required for voids and discounts, with a reason), manager. Recipes that deduct ingredients from stock with low-stock alerts. Sales reports by hour, item, staff member and payment method, plus an end-of-day report. Show me the plan first.
Try it in FanannLaunch checklist
- Run a mock rush: 30 orders in 20 minutes with your real staff.
- Confirm every modifier shows clearly on the kitchen screen.
- Simulate an internet outage and your fallback plan.
- Print an invoice and check the Arabic font, VAT and QR code.
- Close a shift and reconcile cash against the report.
- Try a void as a cashier and confirm it asks for a supervisor code.
- Run the new system alongside the old one for a week before switching fully.
Browse restaurant use cases for ideas on connecting the POS to ordering and loyalty.
A good POS goes unnoticed at peak hour. It just works.
Key takeaways
- Start with the kitchen screen: if orders arrive clearly and in the right sequence, half your restaurant's problems disappear.
- Modifiers such as no onions or sauce on the side must be impossible to miss.
- The internet will drop one day. Plan what happens before launch.
- In Saudi Arabia, e-invoicing requires a solution that meets ZATCA's requirements, so verify before relying on one.
- A custom POS suits restaurants with their own way of working; a ready system suits those who want bundled hardware and integrations from day one.
Frequently asked questions
How do I build a POS system for my restaurant?
What is a kitchen display system (KDS)?
Can a custom POS meet e-invoicing requirements?
Can I connect a mada card terminal to the system?
What happens if the internet goes down?
Ask your AI assistant about this
Copy this prompt into the AI assistant you use, then add the details of your own case.
I am reading this guide: “How to build a restaurant POS and kitchen orders screen” https://fanann.com/en/blog/build-restaurant-pos-system/ My question: restaurant pos system Use that page as a source and explain the answer step by step for my situation, tell me what to check before I start, and cite the page link.