Restaurant technology glossary: POS, payments and operations

A quotation is easier to assess when you and the supplier mean the same thing by each term. Use this glossary to discuss what is included, what requires an integration and what information staff can actually see.

POS and ordering

POS – Point of Sale. The system used to record sales and manage orders. It may support tables, tabs and several ordering channels.

Register station. A workstation for POS use. Hardware, software licences and accessories may be priced together or separately.

Mobile POS. POS functions on a mobile device, such as tableside ordering and payment. Check which tasks the device supports.

Open tab. An ongoing order that has not been fully paid. Parking a tab does not secure payment.

Modifiers and add-ons. Choices that change an item, such as cooking preference or an extra side. A choice may affect price, recipe and kitchen instructions.

QR ordering. A guest opens a menu or ordering page by scanning a code. Showing a digital menu is different from supporting ordering and payment.

Self-service kiosk. A station where guests complete some or all of their order themselves.

KDS – Kitchen Display System. A screen displaying kitchen orders and their status. Station routing determines what appears at the grill or cold section, for example.

Kitchen ticket. The kitchen or bar instructions for an order, printed or displayed digitally.

Coursing. Organising a meal into courses and controlling when the next course should be prepared or sent. The workflow and system capabilities need to match.

Payments and fiscal control

Payment terminal. A device handling cards and other supported payment methods. It may connect to the POS or operate separately.

Card acquiring. The service enabling a business to accept card payments and receive settlement under its agreement.

Settlement report. A statement connecting payments, fees and adjustments with a payout. The Swedish term avräkning does not mean stock deduction.

Blended pricing. An agreed combined card-processing rate. Fixed charges and exceptions may apply under the price list.

IC++. Pricing that separates interchange, card-scheme fees and the provider’s markup. Compare the total for your actual card mix. Adyen explains the fee components.

Pre-authorisation. Reserving an amount on a card before final charging. Support, validity and conditions vary; an open tab is not automatically a card reservation.

Fiscal control unit or control system. Part of the Swedish cash-register control setup. Where cash-register rules apply, the solution must meet them. Skatteverket does not itself certify the POS software: the manufacturer’s declaration and certified control equipment serve different roles. See Skatteverket’s cash-register guidance.

Z report. A closing summary of a register period. It is a report, not the same as a card payout to your bank.

Finance and inventory

Average check. Sales divided by guests or transactions. State which denominator you use before comparing figures.

Food cost. Ingredient cost for a dish or the cost of ingredients consumed during a period. Purchases and consumption can differ as stock changes.

Contribution. Revenue minus the variable costs included in the calculation. It must also help cover fixed costs and is not net profit.

Menu engineering. Analysing the popularity and financial contribution of dishes to support menu decisions.

RevPASH. Revenue per Available Seat Hour: sales divided by available seat-hours. Define the period, available seats and VAT treatment consistently.

Stock deduction. A calculated reduction in inventory based on recorded events and, where supported, recipes. Physical counts are needed to identify discrepancies.

VAT. A tax that must be applied according to the sale. In Sweden, food products temporarily carry 6% VAT from 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2027; restaurant and catering services generally carry 12%. Spirits, wine and strong beer carry 25%. See Skatteverket’s classification guidance.

Staff, guests and technology

Staff ledger – personalliggare. A record of who is active in the business and when. It covers more than employees alone. Restaurants are generally covered, with exceptions explained by Skatteverket.

Payroll input. Information prepared for payroll processing. Exporting worked hours is different from completing a payroll run.

Unsocial-hours pay – OB. Additional pay under the applicable agreement. System calculations must match your agreement’s rules.

CRM. Customer relationship tools, including contact details and communication history. Health information such as allergies is sensitive personal data and requires special handling, as explained by IMY.

API. A documented interface through which software exchanges information or performs functions.

Integration. A connection between systems. It may be one-way, two-way, continuous or periodic. Ask which information moves and how failures are detected.

Cloud system. A system with central functions running on servers accessed over a network. The term does not imply offline capabilities. Vendion requires internet access.

AI assistant. Support for questions, analysis or drafts. Check which information it can access and which actions need human review.

Explore how these functions fit together in Vendion’s POS system, then choose the capabilities your operation needs.