Top 10 Restaurant Apps for Table Service 2023
Which app is best for your restaurant in 2023?
The market for ordering apps has absolutely exploded since 2020. Before then, most of us had only heard of Pinchos and Espresso House in Sweden, which had their own solutions.
Today there are many to choose from, but which app is best for your restaurant?
10 Best Restaurant Apps for Table Service
Here you'll find our list of what we consider to be the most popular table service apps in Sweden today, categorized by whether they are tied to a particular POS system or not.
Standalone restaurant apps
1. WEIQ
2. Pej
3. Loco App
4. Happy Order
Restaurant apps linked to POS systems
5. Favorite
6. Ancon Order
7. Leeroy
8. Trivec Buddy
10. Heynow
Things to consider when choosing an app for your restaurant
The best restaurant app for you is one that meets your requirements and is actually used by your guests.
Guest usability
Restaurant apps can bring significant benefits in terms of both increased revenue (higher average bill) and reduced costs (less work for staff).
But that presumes that the app is well received by the guests. A complicated experience means guests will prefer to order in the traditional way, assuming that's an option.
There are several factors to consider:
- Users' ratings of the apps in the Apple Store and Google Play Store, if available
- Whether you need to register a user to place an order or not
- Some guests prefer pure web solutions that do not require downloading an app, but in many cases web solutions are inherently less user-friendly
Ease of use for staff
Tablet devices help the most during busy periods at a restaurant. It is then important that the workflow for receiving and delivering orders is as smooth as possible.
Ask to see how it works when you evaluate a solution.
- Can you find the order easily?
- Do you get a physical bong out?
- Can you easily see where the order should be delivered?
Legal requirements for cash register solutions
Unfortunately, there are many solutions on the market today that are not approved for table service and pick-up, but only for take-away.
Tax Procedure Act (2011:1244, Chapter 39) requires the use of a certified cash register to receive payments – with the exception of distance sales.
The table devices provided as add-on services to regular checkout systems (TrueApp, Trivec Buddy, Ancon Order, etc.) are almost guaranteed to be approved because they are developed by approved checkout system providers.
However, many standalone table apps have not gone through the process of becoming certified (about 72 pages of requirements to meet). This is not something they readily inform you about themselves, so be sure to ask and request to see an approved receipt, as it is questionable whether these can be used at all, except for take-away (distance sales).
One way to get around the problem could be to also enter all app orders into the regular register to offer customers approved receipts that way, but that's hardly sustainable on a busy Saturday night.
(WEIQ is a certified cash register, you can find the full list of approved providers at The Swedish Tax Agency's website.)
Service charges, card acquiring and monthly fee
For large and medium-sized restaurants, it is wise to look more at restaurant apps' service fees and transaction costs than at their fixed monthly fees.
Most monthly fees are between SEK 1,000 and 2,000, but service charges vary widely.
It's not unusual to have 1% or more in service fees on transactions, and card processing agreements with up to 2-3% in card fees.
For a restaurant with a monthly revenue of 1 million, the calculation could look like this:
- Monthly fee: SEK 1,500
- Card fee 1.5%: 15,000kr
- Service fee 1%: 10 000kr
Since it is easier to compare monthly fees, there is a risk of focusing too much on that, when one should actually calculate the expected total cost.
It is worth noting that basically all app solutions have higher transaction fees than regular POS, so one cannot expect as low fees as regular POS transactions have (0.3-0.5%). This is because such online purchases fall under a different category than physical handheld terminals, but the trend is that they are becoming cheaper and cheaper.
For restaurants with less than $200,000 in monthly turnover, a flat monthly fee may be the biggest cost instead, and some apps offer different pricing schemes based on turnover to take this into account.
Link to cash register system
Many table apps are developed by POS providers as a complement to their physical systems. These integrate directly with the POS, which can be an advantage as you manage your menu in one place and get all data into the same system.
The disadvantage is that you become even more tied to your payment provider, and in many cases, their restaurant apps are not as well-developed or user-friendly as independent alternatives.
There are some independent restaurant apps that integrate with some POS systems. For example, WEIQ has integration with Onslip and Winpos. But it usually comes with limitations, as most traditional POS systems are old and slow-moving systems that are difficult to update.
Making the mobile app experience quick and easy for guests requires a lot of development, and the pace is much faster than the checkout industry is used to.
Drive-through restaurant without a cash register?
One option is to choose an ordering system like WEIQ that has a all-in-one terminal to take traditional card payments. You get everything in one system, but without a traditional cash register.
Especially for seasonal restaurants, it is a big advantage to avoid paying all year round for a cash register you only use in the summer (or winter).
Extra features
Here you will find the biggest differences between various restaurant app providers.
Development is progressing rapidly, and a lot is being tested. Examples of offered features include:
- Ticket sales
- Order takeaway for a specified time
- Accounting exports and integration with accounting systems
- Dashboards to overview sales
- Separate menus for take-away and table service
- Keep the tab open and pay at the end
- Collect orders from the same table on a single bong
Looking to replace the POS system altogether?
Yes, that is possible. With an order system that is approved by the Swedish Tax Agency as a cash register, it is possible to completely replace the cash register.
WEIQ has a handheld terminal to take orders & card payments at the tables (or at the counter) from guests who do not yet order themselves.
Learn more about replacing the POS system with an ordering system