The real twelve-month cost
A low monthly fee can hide a large first year. Before comparing systems, list every cost line below for each option and add them up over twelve months. Use your own numbers: the right total depends on how many tills, phones and branches you run.
The subscription
The base plan, plus any modules sold separately, such as stock, reports or accounting.
Setup and training
Loading your menu, creating staff accounts, and the time your team spends learning the system.
Devices
Tills, tablets, printers and cash drawers. Some systems need their own hardware; others run on phones you already own.
Add-ons and other tools
Connections to other software, and anything you keep paying for because the system doesn’t do it.
Switching later
Notice periods, early-exit charges, and the work of moving your records if you change systems.
Keep money-collection charges (what a mobile money or card provider takes per payment) on a separate line. They are not part of the software fee.
Café or full-service?
The same system can be a good fit for one and a poor fit for the other. Start from a normal day at your place: how an order comes in, reaches the kitchen, gets paid and ends up in the books.
Fast counter, simple menu
- Quick order entry at one counter
- Phone and walk-in orders on one screen
- Cash and mobile money at the till
- A daily sales report and a till count at close
Tables, waiters, kitchen
- Waiters ordering per table, with rounds added later
- Kitchen tickets that show what is new and what is served
- Bills paid at the table, split if needed
- Stock, purchases and food costs
Riders and their cash
- Orders handed to riders, and where each one is
- Cash each rider collected, and its handover
- Your own online menu, so you keep your customers
A twelve-month worksheet
| Count this | Café | Full-service | Several branches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tills and devices | One counter, maybe a phone | Counter, waiter tablets, kitchen printer | The same, for each branch |
| Staff accounts | Cashiers | Cashiers, waiters, kitchen | Per branch, plus managers who see all |
| Functions you need | Orders, payments, daily report | Tables, kitchen tickets, stock | Branch reports side by side |
| One-off costs | Menu setup, a printer | Menu setup, tablets, printers | Setup at every branch |
| Tools you’d still pay for | Spreadsheet for books? | Separate stock or accounts? | Separate reporting? |
Mobile money and the internet
Two questions matter more in Uganda than the feature list suggests.
How does the system handle MTN MoMo and Airtel Money?
Ask whether it only records that a customer paid, or whether it can check the payment. If it only records, someone must compare transaction IDs with the merchant statement by hand. Also ask whose merchant account the money goes to, and what the provider charges per payment, since that cost sits outside the software fee.
What happens when the internet drops?
Power cuts and slow connections happen at the worst times. Check whether the counter can keep taking orders offline, and whether those orders upload by themselves when the connection is back, without being entered twice.
Ask for a test, not a promise. During a trial, switch off the Wi-Fi at the counter for a few orders, then switch it back on and check the board and the till.
Contract terms to check before you sign
The commitment matters as much as the price. A yearly plan may cost less per month, but it ties you in for longer; a monthly plan may cost more but lets you change course. Weigh both against how sure you are that the system fits. Go through these five checks:
- List what you need for orders, payments, stock and reports.
- Match each need to a plan or a paid add-on, in writing.
- Write down the term: length, renewal date, notice period and how to cancel.
- Find the extra fees for support, connections, more tills or more branches.
- Check your data: can you export everything, and what happens to it after you cancel?
Also ask who can see your sales records, how staff access is removed when someone leaves, and how backups are made and restored. You will need these answers on the day a phone is lost or a cashier leaves.
More than one branch
With several branches, the subscription becomes part of running the group. Check whether the price is per branch, per till or per user, and add it up for every branch you have today and the ones you plan to open.
Then look at control. Each branch needs its own cashiers, kitchen board and stock, while the owner needs every branch in one view, with the same report categories so branches can be compared fairly. Give one person the job of matching each invoice with the branches, plans and devices actually in use, so the bill and the business don’t drift apart.
How RelayEats fits
RelayEats is restaurant software built for Uganda. It puts counter, waiter, table QR, phone and online orders on one kitchen board. It handles riders and their cash, checks mobile money, works offline at the counter, and keeps the books and URA EFRIS fiscal receipts in the same system.
- Two plans, Basic and PremiumPay monthly or yearly by mobile money. More than one branch is on Premium.
- 14 days free, no cardTry it on the plan you pick, with your own menu.
- No contract, no commissionStop any time. Your own prices, one plan fee.
- Runs on what you haveAny phone, tablet or laptop with a browser.
- Your data is yoursDownload everything, any time, with full backups.
- Built for hereMTN MoMo and Airtel Money, offline orders, URA EFRIS.
Pictures show a demo restaurant; the names, orders and amounts are made up, and the street map is a drawn stand-in. Current plan prices are on relayeats.app.
Questions
Is a “free” POS really free?
It can remove the software fee, but check the limits: how many devices, which reports, whether you can export your data, and what devices and payment charges cost on top. A free plan that covers the till but not stock counts can still cost you.
What is a subscription POS?
Software you pay for monthly or yearly instead of buying a licence once. You keep using it while the subscription runs, and updates come with it.
How do I choose the right system?
Write down one normal service: take the order, send it to the kitchen, get paid, close the shift, check the sales. Mark who does each step and what the manager needs to see afterwards. Then try each system against that list, ideally during a real shift.
Can I try RelayEats before paying, and stop later?
Yes. The free trial is 14 days on the plan you pick, with no card. After that you pay monthly or yearly by mobile money. There is no contract, and you can download all your data at any time.
Do I need new phones or tills for RelayEats?
No. RelayEats runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or laptop. You can add a receipt printer and a cash drawer when you are ready.
How do I set up a new system without disrupting service?
Give one manager the setup. Load the menu and staff accounts first, then run a quiet shift on the new system, including an order change and a shift close. Compare its records with your own before switching fully.
Try it on your own menu, for a full shift.
RelayEats, by Embiro Concepts: fourteen days free, no card, no contract. Set up your menu, run a real service, and decide with your team.
The real twelve-month cost
A low monthly fee can hide a large first year. Before comparing systems, list every cost line below for each option and add them up over twelve months. Use your own numbers: the right total depends on how many tills, phones and branches you run.
The subscription
The base plan, plus any modules sold separately, such as stock, reports or accounting.
Setup and training
Loading your menu, creating staff accounts, and the time your team spends learning the system.
Devices
Tills, tablets, printers and cash drawers. Some systems need their own hardware; others run on phones you already own.
Add-ons and other tools
Connections to other software, and anything you keep paying for because the system doesn’t do it.
Switching later
Notice periods, early-exit charges, and the work of moving your records if you change systems.
Keep money-collection charges (what a mobile money or card provider takes per payment) on a separate line. They are not part of the software fee.
Café or full-service?
The same system can be a good fit for one and a poor fit for the other. Start from a normal day at your place: how an order comes in, reaches the kitchen, gets paid and ends up in the books.
Fast counter, simple menu
- Quick order entry at one counter
- Phone and walk-in orders on one screen
- Cash and mobile money at the till
- A daily sales report and a till count at close
Tables, waiters, kitchen
- Waiters ordering per table, with rounds added later
- Kitchen tickets that show what is new and what is served
- Bills paid at the table, split if needed
- Stock, purchases and food costs
Riders and their cash
- Orders handed to riders, and where each one is
- Cash each rider collected, and its handover
- Your own online menu, so you keep your customers
A twelve-month worksheet
| Count this | Café | Full-service | Several branches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tills and devices | One counter, maybe a phone | Counter, waiter tablets, kitchen printer | The same, for each branch |
| Staff accounts | Cashiers | Cashiers, waiters, kitchen | Per branch, plus managers who see all |
| Functions you need | Orders, payments, daily report | Tables, kitchen tickets, stock | Branch reports side by side |
| One-off costs | Menu setup, a printer | Menu setup, tablets, printers | Setup at every branch |
| Tools you’d still pay for | Spreadsheet for books? | Separate stock or accounts? | Separate reporting? |
Mobile money and the internet
Two questions matter more in Uganda than the feature list suggests.
How does the system handle MTN MoMo and Airtel Money?
Ask whether it only records that a customer paid, or whether it can check the payment. If it only records, someone must compare transaction IDs with the merchant statement by hand. Also ask whose merchant account the money goes to, and what the provider charges per payment, since that cost sits outside the software fee.
What happens when the internet drops?
Power cuts and slow connections happen at the worst times. Check whether the counter can keep taking orders offline, and whether those orders upload by themselves when the connection is back, without being entered twice.
Ask for a test, not a promise. During a trial, switch off the Wi-Fi at the counter for a few orders, then switch it back on and check the board and the till.
Contract terms to check before you sign
The commitment matters as much as the price. A yearly plan may cost less per month, but it ties you in for longer; a monthly plan may cost more but lets you change course. Weigh both against how sure you are that the system fits. Go through these five checks:
- List what you need for orders, payments, stock and reports.
- Match each need to a plan or a paid add-on, in writing.
- Write down the term: length, renewal date, notice period and how to cancel.
- Find the extra fees for support, connections, more tills or more branches.
- Check your data: can you export everything, and what happens to it after you cancel?
Also ask who can see your sales records, how staff access is removed when someone leaves, and how backups are made and restored. You will need these answers on the day a phone is lost or a cashier leaves.
More than one branch
With several branches, the subscription becomes part of running the group. Check whether the price is per branch, per till or per user, and add it up for every branch you have today and the ones you plan to open.
Then look at control. Each branch needs its own cashiers, kitchen board and stock, while the owner needs every branch in one view, with the same report categories so branches can be compared fairly. Give one person the job of matching each invoice with the branches, plans and devices actually in use, so the bill and the business don’t drift apart.
How RelayEats fits
RelayEats is restaurant software built for Uganda. It puts counter, waiter, table QR, phone and online orders on one kitchen board. It handles riders and their cash, checks mobile money, works offline at the counter, and keeps the books and URA EFRIS fiscal receipts in the same system.
- Two plans, Basic and PremiumPay monthly or yearly by mobile money. More than one branch is on Premium.
- 14 days free, no cardTry it on the plan you pick, with your own menu.
- No contract, no commissionStop any time. Your own prices, one plan fee.
- Runs on what you haveAny phone, tablet or laptop with a browser.
- Your data is yoursDownload everything, any time, with full backups.
- Built for hereMTN MoMo and Airtel Money, offline orders, URA EFRIS.
Pictures show a demo restaurant; the names, orders and amounts are made up, and the street map is a drawn stand-in. Current plan prices are on relayeats.app.
Questions
Is a “free” POS really free?
It can remove the software fee, but check the limits: how many devices, which reports, whether you can export your data, and what devices and payment charges cost on top. A free plan that covers the till but not stock counts can still cost you.
What is a subscription POS?
Software you pay for monthly or yearly instead of buying a licence once. You keep using it while the subscription runs, and updates come with it.
How do I choose the right system?
Write down one normal service: take the order, send it to the kitchen, get paid, close the shift, check the sales. Mark who does each step and what the manager needs to see afterwards. Then try each system against that list, ideally during a real shift.
Can I try RelayEats before paying, and stop later?
Yes. The free trial is 14 days on the plan you pick, with no card. After that you pay monthly or yearly by mobile money. There is no contract, and you can download all your data at any time.
Do I need new phones or tills for RelayEats?
No. RelayEats runs in the browser on any phone, tablet or laptop. You can add a receipt printer and a cash drawer when you are ready.
How do I set up a new system without disrupting service?
Give one manager the setup. Load the menu and staff accounts first, then run a quiet shift on the new system, including an order change and a shift close. Compare its records with your own before switching fully.
Try it on your own menu, for a full shift.
RelayEats, by Embiro Concepts: fourteen days free, no card, no contract. Set up your menu, run a real service, and decide with your team.