Guide
QR ordering vs self-service kiosk vs table tablets
QR ordering uses the guest's own phone, a self-service kiosk is a shared ordering screen in the restaurant, and table tablets sit on each table. The right choice depends on your space, budget and how your guests like to order.
Quick comparison
All three formats let guests order without waiting for a server. They differ in what you buy, where it sits, who looks after it and which guests it suits.
| QR on guests’ phones | Self-service kiosk | Table tablets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware you buy | Printed QR codes and holders; guests use their own phones | A kiosk unit: touch screen, stand or wall mount, and usually a card reader and receipt printer | One tablet per table, plus holders and chargers |
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Highest for each unit | Grows with the number of tables |
| Floor space | None | Floor or counter space near the entrance, plus room for a queue | Space on every table |
| Cleaning and upkeep | Replace worn codes and keep the menu up to date | Wipe the screen often, look after the hardware and keep the software updated | Charge, clean and check every tablet each day, and replace lost or broken ones |
| Takeaway | Works with a code at the counter or entrance | Well suited: guests order and pay before collecting | Not suited: the tablets stay on the tables |
| Dine-in | Well suited: guests order from the table, including second rounds | Guests order before they sit, and food is brought out or collected | Well suited: every table has its own screen |
| Best fit | Cafes, dine-in restaurants and canteens that want to start with little hardware | Busy quick-service counters and food courts with many walk-in guests | Sit-down restaurants that want an ordering screen at every table |
QR code ordering
With QR ordering, each table has a printed code. Guests scan it with their own phone, browse the menu in the browser and send the order to the kitchen. Because guests bring the hardware, the restaurant only prints codes and keeps the menu up to date, which makes it the easiest format to start with and to grow: a new table needs only a new code.
It works well for dine-in, because guests can order a second round or dessert without waiting for a server, and everyone at the table can look at the menu at once. It also works for takeaway when a code sits at the counter or entrance. The trade-offs: it depends on guests having a working phone and a data connection, and some guests simply prefer to order from a person, so keep staff ordering available. The guide How QR ordering works walks through each step.
Self-service kiosks
A self-service kiosk is a large touch screen near the entrance or counter. Guests walk up, browse the menu, order and usually pay on the spot, then collect their food or wait for it at a table. Several guests can order at once, and staff behind the counter can focus on making food instead of taking orders.
Kiosks suit quick-service restaurants and food courts where queues form at the counter. The trade-offs are cost and space. A kiosk is a piece of equipment to buy, install, clean and repair, it takes up floor space, and at the busiest times a queue can still form in front of it. Guests who aren’t comfortable with touch screens may still need help from staff.
Table tablets
Table tablets put an ordering screen on every table. Guests browse and order without using their own phone, which some guests prefer, and the screen is always there for the next round or dessert.
The trade-offs grow with the number of tables. Every tablet has to be bought, charged, cleaned between guests, kept secure and replaced when it breaks or goes missing, and a flat battery sends that table back to waiting for a server. Tablets don’t help with takeaway, because they stay on the tables, and they take up space that small tables may not have.
Mixing formats
You don’t have to choose just one format. Many restaurants put QR codes on the tables and keep a counter for walk-in and takeaway guests, and some add one shared tablet near the entrance for guests who don’t want to use their phone. What matters is that every format feeds the same menu and the same kitchen queue, so a dish that runs out is off everywhere and the kitchen doesn’t juggle separate lists. Start with the format that fixes your longest wait, then add another where guests still queue.
How KioSync helps: QR ordering and counter billing share one menu and one kitchen queue, and in optional captain mode, switched on for your restaurant on request, captains order for guests from the same menu. Mark a dish sold out once and it’s off all of them. See how this works for quick-service restaurants.
Where KioSync fits
KioSync is built around QR ordering on guests’ own phones. Each table gets its own QR code, guests order from the browser with no app, and orders go to the kitchen display and, with the KioSync Windows app, to your thermal printers. Guests can pay online through your own Razorpay, PayU or PhonePe account or at the counter. More on QR table ordering and payments.
The same ordering page can also run on a tablet in your restaurant, and it resets after each order so the next guest starts fresh. KioSync doesn’t have a locked-down kiosk mode yet, and it doesn’t connect to card machines or UPI soundboxes, so a shared tablet works best at a counter where staff are nearby. Plans start at ₹999 a month, GST extra; see pricing.
Frequently asked questions
Is a kiosk better than QR ordering?
Neither is better for every restaurant. A self-service kiosk suits a busy counter with lots of walk-in guests, while QR ordering suits table service and needs much less hardware; many restaurants use QR at the tables and keep a counter for walk-ins.
Which is cheapest to start with?
QR ordering is usually the cheapest to start with, because guests use their own phones and the restaurant only prints codes. Kiosks and table tablets mean buying, installing and looking after hardware.
Can I use a tablet as a kiosk with KioSync?
Partly. The KioSync ordering page can run on a tablet in your restaurant and resets after each order, but there is no locked-down kiosk mode or card-machine integration yet, so it suits a counter where staff are nearby rather than an unattended kiosk.
Do older guests struggle with QR ordering?
Some guests, of any age, would rather order from a person than from a phone. Keep staff ordering available: in KioSync, counter staff can take the order, and in optional captain mode, switched on for your restaurant on request, captains order for guests at the table.
Can I use more than one format?
Yes. Many restaurants mix formats, such as QR codes on the tables and counter ordering for walk-ins. In KioSync, QR ordering, counter billing and, in optional captain mode, captain ordering share one menu, so a dish marked sold out is off all of them at once.