The short answer
A table ordering system costs anything from £0 to several hundred pounds a month, and the headline price tells you little on its own. Your real cost depends on the fee model: a flat monthly plan, a percentage of every order, a fee charged to your guests, or a mix of all three.
At low volumes a pay-per-order system is cheapest. Once a venue puts a few thousand pounds a month through table ordering, a percentage fee can cost several times more than a flat plan. The worked example below shows where the lines cross.
The four ways table ordering systems charge
| Fee model | How it works | Cheapest for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free QR menu | Guests view the menu by QR code but still order with staff | Venues that only want to drop paper menus | It isn’t ordering. Staff still take every order |
| Monthly subscription | A flat fee per site, plus card processing | Busy venues with steady volume | Contract length, hardware and setup fees |
| Per-order percentage | A % (sometimes plus pence) of every table order, on top of card processing | Quiet or seasonal venues | Grows with every pound you take; hard to see on statements |
| Guest-paid fee | A “platform” or “checkout” fee added to the guest’s bill | Nobody, in the long run | Guests notice. It’s often quote-based for the venue too |
Most systems combine two of these, such as a lower monthly plan plus a small percentage. Card processing (the fee your payment provider charges for every card payment, typically around 1.5 to 1.75% in the UK) applies in almost every model, because guests pay by card on their phone.
What it costs: a worked example
Take a pub taking £8,000 a month through table ordering (400 orders at £20), and a busier venue taking £33,000 (1,500 orders at £22). Here’s the platform cost on three common structures, before card processing, which is roughly the same whichever you choose:
| Fee structure | £8,000 a month | £33,000 a month |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5% + 20p per order | £280 a month (£3,360 a year) | £1,125 a month (£13,500 a year) |
| £59 a month flat | £59 a month (£708 a year) | £59 a month (£708 a year) |
| £29 a month + 1% per order | £109 a month (£1,308 a year) | £359 a month (£4,308 a year) |
Illustrative fee structures, not quotes from named suppliers. Excludes VAT and card processing.
Three things stand out:
- Percentage fees grow as you get busier. At £33,000 a month, a 2.5% + 20p structure costs over £13,000 a year, more than a part-time member of staff.
- A flat plan is cheapest at volume, as long as it’s genuinely flat. Check whether it includes the kitchen screen, POS integration and support, or whether those are add-ons.
- Guest-paid fees aren’t in the table, because you don’t see them. A £0.99 fee on 400 orders is almost £400 a month coming out of your guests’ pockets, and it shapes how they feel about paying your bill.
To check your own numbers, multiply your expected monthly table orders by each supplier’s fee, and add the monthly plan. Then do it again at double the volume, because that’s where you want to be in a year.
What suppliers publish
Many order-and-pay specialists don’t publish prices. Here’s what’s public, as of October 2026:
| Supplier | What’s published |
|---|---|
| Square | QR code menus free to create. Card payments 1.75% in person; Square for Restaurants Plus is £69 a month per location (Square UK) |
| Sunday | Quote-based, charged per transaction. In 2024 one London group’s guests were charged a £2.99 “Sunday checkout fee”; the group said the fee is usually 0.5 to 2% (The Caterer, 2024) |
| me&u, OrderPay | Quote-based (restauranttech.co.uk, 2026) |
| Growtality | £29 a month (Standard) or £119 (Pro), plus 1% on online and table orders; no fees added to guests’ orders (pricing) |
Always ask for a written quote at your volume, including card processing, so you can compare like with like.
The costs that don’t appear on the price page
- Card processing. Ask whether it’s included in the platform fee or charged separately, and at what rate for Apple Pay, Google Pay and non-UK cards.
- POS integration. Some systems charge a one-off or monthly fee to send orders to your till.
- Hardware. A kitchen screen is usually a standard Android tablet, but some suppliers sell their own.
- QR codes. Stickers cost pennies; branded table tents for 30 tables can run to £100 or more.
- Contract length. A cheap monthly price on a 24-month contract isn’t cheap if it doesn’t work for your venue.
- A second menu. If table ordering doesn’t share a menu with your online ordering and till, someone on your team pays for it in hours every week.
- Your guest data. If guest emails and order history stay with the supplier, you pay again later to reach the same guests through ads or apps.
Eight questions to ask before you sign
- What will I pay per month at my current volume, and at double it, including card processing?
- Is any fee added to my guests’ bill? Can I switch it off?
- Do guests need an app or an account to order?
- Does each table get its own code, with the table number on every kitchen ticket?
- Does it use the same menu as my online ordering and till, or a separate one?
- Can a table split the bill on their phones?
- Who owns the guest data, and can I export it?
- How long is the contract, and what does it cost to leave?
Not sure table ordering is worth it at all? Start with what the research says about QR code table ordering, including what UK guests actually prefer.
How Growtality prices table ordering
Table ordering is included in Growtality’s ordering system rather than sold separately. You pay your plan (from £29 a month, less on annual billing) and 1% on completed online and table orders. There’s no fee on your guests’ bill, no per-table charge and no extra hardware: orders show on the Kitchen Display app on a standard Android tablet.
The same plan includes bookings, a guest CRM and marketing, so every guest who orders at the table can be invited back. See plans and pricing, or start a 14-day free trial with no card required.
Questions owners ask
How much does a table ordering system cost in the UK?
From nothing to several hundred pounds a month. A basic QR menu can be free, all-in-one systems usually charge a monthly plan from about £25 to £150 per site, and order-and-pay specialists often charge a percentage of every order, sometimes with a fee added to the guest's bill. Card processing, typically around 1.5 to 1.75% in the UK, applies on top in almost every case.
Is a monthly fee or a per-order fee cheaper for table ordering?
It depends on volume. A per-order fee is cheaper for a quiet venue, because you pay nothing when nobody orders. Once a venue takes more than a few thousand pounds a month through table ordering, a flat monthly fee, or a low percentage, almost always costs less. Work it out on your own monthly order value before you sign.
Should restaurants pass QR ordering fees on to guests?
It's legal if the fee is shown clearly before payment, but it's risky. Guests compare it with paying the server for free, and a surprise checkout fee is the kind of thing that ends up in reviews and the press. If the system needs a guest fee to make money, it's usually cheaper overall to choose one that doesn't.
Do I need special hardware for QR table ordering?
Usually not. Guests use their own phones, and orders can show on a tablet running a kitchen display app or print on your existing kitchen printer. The main one-off costs are printed QR codes for each table, from a few pounds for stickers to more for branded table tents, and any POS integration fee.
What is the cheapest way to start with table ordering?
Use a system you already pay for. Many online ordering and booking platforms include table ordering in the same plan, using the same menu and kitchen screen. That avoids a second monthly fee, a second menu to keep up to date and a second place your guest data ends up.
