Best EPOS for Street Food - SumUp vs Zettle vs Square vs Dojo

EPOS for Street Food: Real Comparison for Mobile Caterers

You're standing in a muddy field at a festival. It's 2pm, the queue's snaking across the grass, and someone's waving a contactless card. Your reader won't connect. You're losing sales by the second, watching customers peel off to the next van. This scenario plays out hundreds of times daily across UK street food markets.

The right EPOS system makes the difference between smooth trading and chaos. We're not talking about fancy restaurant setups here.we're talking about something that works in a carpark, in the rain, when your phone's got one bar of signal. This guide cuts through the marketing noise and compares what actually works for food vendors.

What Matters When You're Mobile: The Real Checklist

Forget what the sales reps say. Here's what'll actually keep you trading.

Connectivity isn't optional, it's survival. Your reader needs to work with poor signal, spotty WiFi, and no guaranteed data. If your system requires perfect internet every single transaction, you're dead in the water at outdoor events. Some readers handle this better than others.that's the first thing to check.

Battery life wins or loses your day. You're working 6-8 hours on a market stall, maybe longer at a festival. A reader that needs charging mid-shift is a liability. Most modern readers manage 8-12 hours on a charge, but it varies wildly depending on the device.

No contracts means no trap. You want to switch systems? You should be able to. Some providers lock you in with monthly fees whether you hit certain volumes or not. Others let you walk away whenever.

Speed matters more than you'd think. Customers aren't standing around while your reader processes for 5 seconds. Modern readers should handle a transaction in 2-3 seconds. Slower than that, you're bleeding sales momentum.

Offline mode isn't luxury, it's insurance. When signal dies completely.and it will.you want your reader to keep working. It should queue transactions and sync when connection returns.

SumUp: The Newcomer's Go-To

SumUp's captured around 40% of the UK EPOS market for small traders. There's a reason for that.

SumUp Air: The Entry Point

Price: £39 upfront

Fees: 1.69% on all card transactions, no monthly fees

Battery: 8-10 hours typical use

Connection: Needs phone WiFi or mobile data

This is the reader most new vendors buy. It's genuinely cheap to get started, and the fees are competitive. The device connects to your phone via Bluetooth and uses your smartphone's internet connection.either WiFi at a market or your phone's data allowance.

Here's the reality though: if your phone's got dodgy signal, the Air struggles. You're dependent on decent mobile coverage or being near a WiFi source. Works perfectly fine at established markets with good infrastructure. Less reliable in remote fields or areas with patchy signal.

The Air handles roughly 500 transactions per charge cycle. Most vendors don't hit that in a single day, so one charge gets you through most trading sessions. SumUp's app is straightforward.you get basic reporting, staff management, and inventory tracking. No frills, but it does the job.

Who it's for: Casual vendors, market stalls in town centers, anywhere with decent signal coverage.

SumUp Solo: The Field Player

Price: £79 upfront

Fees: 1.69% on all transactions, no monthly fees

Battery: 12-14 hours typical use

Connection: Built-in SIM card, free data included for transactions

The Solo is what seasoned vendors choose. It's got its own built-in mobile connection.a Telefónica SIM that comes with free data for processing transactions. You don't rely on your phone's signal. You don't need to be near WiFi. The reader itself handles the connection.

Battery life is noticeably better than the Air. You're looking at full trading days without needing to charge mid-shift. The device is slightly chunkier than the Air, but that's the tradeoff for built-in connectivity.

The fees are identical to the Air, but the reliability is higher. SumUp's network handles around 80,000 transactions daily across UK traders. The Solo integrates with Xero easily, exports data to spreadsheets, and keeps everything synced.

Who it's for: Established traders, event circuit vendors, anyone trading in areas with variable signal.

Zettle: The Serious Trader's Choice

Zettle's owned by PayPal since 2020. It's the choice of around 35% of UK food traders turning serious turnover numbers.

Zettle Reader 2: The Smart Card Reader

Price: £29 for the first device, £20 for additional readers

Fees: 1.75% on card transactions

Battery: 8-10 hours

Connection: Bluetooth to phone, needs phone's internet

Zettle's Reader 2 is cheaper upfront than SumUp's Air. More importantly, it's built around inventory management. You punch in what you're selling, track stock in real-time, and get alerts when items are running low.

That's not a small thing. You're at a market, you want to know exactly how many portions of pulled pork you've got left before you price them up or stop taking orders. Zettle shows you this. SumUp doesn't, not as elegantly anyway.

The reader itself is reliable. Connection's handled through your phone, so signal quality matters. Works brilliantly in established markets. Less brilliant if you're chasing rural events with patchy coverage.

Zettle's integrated kitchen display is genuinely useful if you're running a proper operation. Orders pop up in real-time, you can see how busy you are, and staff can see what needs making. It's restaurant-grade functionality squeezed into mobile catering.

Who it's for: Vendors hitting £2k+ weekly turnover, multi-unit operations, traders tracking inventory seriously.

Zettle Terminal: The All-in-One

Price: £149

Fees: 1.75% on card transactions

Extras: Built-in printer, touchscreen, larger display

Battery: 10-12 hours

Connection: WiFi or 4G modem (sold separately for £29)

This is a proper countertop terminal, not a card reader. It's got a 5-inch touchscreen, an integrated receipt printer, and full PIN pad functionality. Think of it as a mini POS system that you can take anywhere.

The printer's built-in, so you're not relying on phone printing. Receipts come out instantly. It handles contactless, chip, and PIN with zero hassle. The display is bright enough to see in daylight, which matters when you're working outdoors.

Battery life's solid. The printer does drain it faster than a pure card reader would, but you're still hitting 10+ hours comfortably. Total cost of ownership is higher.the terminal itself, plus whatever connectivity solution you choose.but you get a proper retail experience.

Who it's for: High-volume traders, multiple staff, vendors running a full-service operation, anyone who wants to look professional.

Square: The North American Import

Square arrived in the UK later than US vendors remember, and it shows a different fee structure.

Square Reader

Price: £49

Fees: 2.6% + 15p per transaction

Battery: 6-8 hours

Connection: Bluetooth to phone, needs phone's internet

Square's reader is decent hardware, but the fees sting. On a £10 transaction, you're paying 41p. Same transaction on SumUp costs 17p. Over the course of a trading day, that difference adds up. At a typical market doing 150 transactions averaging £12 each.£1,800 takings.you're paying £47 to Square versus £30 to SumUp. Same volume, £17 daily difference.

The device itself works fine. Build quality's solid, Bluetooth connection's reliable, and the ecosystem is good if you're already using Xero or other accounting software. Square's been around longer globally, so there's less risk of them disappearing.

Battery life's the weakest point. Six to eight hours is doable for a market shift, but you're cutting it close. Any longer event and you're bringing a power bank.

Who it's for: Traders already deep in the Square ecosystem, anyone with Xero integration as a priority, higher-volume operations where the 2.6% fee is worth it for the reporting.

Dojo: The Enterprise Play

Dojo's different because it's built for restaurants and isn't really marketing to street food traders. That said, some high-volume vendors do use it.

Setup: £10 platform fee + £20/month reader rental

Fees: 0.8-1.3% blended rate depending on volume

Contracts: 12-month commitment for operators under £100k annual turnover

Terminal: 4G-enabled, built-in printer, touchscreen

Payment: Next-day payouts

Dojo's pricing looks brilliant on paper. 0.8% is less than half what you'd pay to competitors. The catch? You're locked into a 12-month contract, and if you're doing under £100k yearly.most street food vendors fall here.you've got that commitment hanging over you.

The hardware is top-tier. Proper point-of-sale terminal, everything built in, 4G connectivity that doesn't depend on your phone. Print receipts, handle complex orders, run promotions. But it's overkill for most street food vendors.

The next-day payout is genuinely useful if you're working capital-sensitive. Most readers take 2-3 days to settle funds. Dojo gets you the money next working day. That matters when you're buying stock daily.

Who it's for: Serious multi-unit operations, vendors hitting £80k+ yearly, anyone who'll stick with one system for a year and wants the absolute lowest percentage rate.

Side-by-Side Comparison

The Connectivity Problem: Which System Actually Works in Bad Signal

This is where the rubber meets the road. You're not trading in a clean shop with guaranteed 4G. You're in a field, a carpark, or a heritage market with stone walls. Signal's going to be variable.

SumUp Air and Zettle Reader 2 are the weakest here. Both depend entirely on your phone's internet connection. If your phone's got one bar, you're gambling. Transactions may process, or they may time out. The readers have no stored connectivity of their own.

SumUp Solo changes the game. The built-in SIM card means you don't need your phone to have signal at all. The reader itself connects directly. This is a massive advantage in rural events or areas with patchy coverage. You could trade without a phone entirely (though you'd want one for orders and customer communication).

Zettle Terminal with 4G modem gives you similar advantages to the Solo. The modem's a separate purchase, but it means independent connectivity that doesn't rely on your phone's signal. Cost difference is small compared to the reliability gain.

Square Reader falls back on phone connectivity like the Air and Reader 2. Decent for town center markets, risky for outdoor events.

Dojo Terminal comes with 4G built-in as standard. If you're on Dojo, connectivity's your last worry.

The real-world verdict: If you're trading at established markets in towns, phone-dependent readers are fine. If you're hitting festivals, outdoor events, or anywhere with variable coverage, pay the premium for built-in or independent connectivity.

Cash vs Card at UK Events: The Numbers Changing

Customer behavior's shifted dramatically in five years. You need to understand this before choosing your system.

In 2019, around 45% of food market purchases were cash. Today, it's reversed. At least 85% of transactions at UK festivals are now card-based. At urban markets, that figure's even higher.some London markets are seeing 92% contactless.

The 54% of UK consumers who prefer contactless payment over anything else aren't a fringe anymore. They're your average customer. If you're cash-only, you're turning away more than half your potential sales at modern events.

This drives system choice directly. You can't get away with a cheap reader anymore because customer expectations have changed. You need something reliable, something that handles contactless smoothly, something that doesn't make the customer wait.

The secondary shift is speed expectations. Customers used to be patient while a system processed. They aren't anymore. Process a transaction slowly, and you'll see visible frustration. This matters more at events than casual markets because customers are often queuing.

HMRC and Tax Compliance: Why Card Readers Matter

This isn't glamorous, but it's critical. HMRC's been cracking down on cash-heavy food businesses for years. The compliance net's tightening.

Every card transaction is automatically recorded and timestamped. That's an audit trail HMRC loves. If you're doing £40k yearly turnover.totally legitimate for a successful market trader.and 85% of that's on card, you've got massive documentation of your income. It's clean, it's clear, and it matches your tax returns.

Cash businesses look dodgy by comparison, even if you're completely honest. HMRC assumes underreporting. You're suddenly in audit territory for no reason except your payment method.

Using a proper EPOS system creates those records automatically. Your daily takings sync to accounting software. Xero integration's built into most systems now. You literally can't hide income if you're using SumUp or Zettle properly because everything's timestamped and linked to your bank.

This isn't just about staying legal. It's about not attracting attention. Clean financial records mean smooth tax years.

Which System for Which Vendor Type

The Weekend Market Stall (£400-800/day)

You're doing one or two markets weekly, maybe a couple of festivals in summer. You don't need to talk inventory. You need simplicity and low upfront cost.

Best choice: SumUp Air

The Air's £39, fees are low, and it does everything you need. You're not doing enough volume to justify higher upfront costs. If you hit a market with dodgy signal, you'll know quickly and can upgrade to the Solo.

The Event Circuit Trader (£1,200-2,500/day)

You're hitting festivals, corporate events, weddings, outdoor markets. Signal's variable. You're moving between locations constantly. Reliability matters more than anything.

Best choice: SumUp Solo

The Solo's built-in connectivity is non-negotiable for event trading. You can't afford downtime when you're paying £500-800 for the event pitch. Battery life covers full days. Zero monthly fees means your margins stay yours.

The Established Multi-Location Business (£3,000+/day)

You're running multiple stalls, multiple staff, or you're in a permanent or semi-permanent location. You're tracking inventory seriously. You want reporting that doesn't require thought.

Best choice: Zettle Terminal

The Terminal's touchscreen makes staff life easier. Inventory management's built-in and actually useful at this scale. The printer removes another gadget dependency. Yes, it costs more, but at your volume, efficiency gains justify it.

If you're running two or three units, Zettle Terminal with a 4G modem on each gives you total independence from your phone's connectivity. Each unit's a self-contained POS.

The High-Turnover, Serious Business (£4,000+/day)

You're running proper operation. You've got accountants, you're thinking about next unit expansion, this is your actual business.

Best choice: Dojo Terminal

Dojo makes sense here because your volume justifies the monthly fee. At £4,000 daily, you're doing £1.2m+ annually. Dojo's 0.8% rate saves you thousands yearly compared to SumUp's 1.69%. The 12-month contract doesn't feel like a trap because you're committed anyway.

Next-day payouts help cash flow. Kitchen display functionality actually matters when you're managing staff and order queues. This is where Dojo stops being overkill and becomes genuinely useful.

FAQ: Real Questions Street Food Vendors Ask

Can I switch systems easily if I change my mind?

Yes, mostly. All major systems let you export transaction history. Switching your card reader takes an afternoon.customers don't know anything's changed. What takes time is changing how you mentally handle the system and retraining staff.

The only exception is Dojo, which locks you into a 12-month contract. You can technically leave early, but you'll pay a penalty. Read the terms before signing.

What happens if my phone dies mid-shift?

With phone-dependent readers (Air, Reader 2, Square), you're stuck. Transactions won't process. Queue of customers, phone's dead, nothing you can do.

With SumUp Solo or Zettle Terminal + 4G, you're fine. The reader keeps working. Your phone's just an optional accessory for looking at orders.

This scenario's more common than you'd think, especially at long festivals. Phone battery dies, you've got a backup power bank for the reader, and you're still trading.

Do I need a separate receipt printer?

Not if you have a Terminal with a printer built in. Zettle Terminal and Dojo both have them.

If you're using Air, Solo, or Reader 2, you've got options. Cheapest is printing to your phone's printer.works fine for most vendors. Some traders use a small Bluetooth printer (£40-60) for longer queues. Most vendors honestly just text or email receipts and rely on card statements.

Legally, you don't need printed receipts at food markets. Contactless is assumed to include receipt acceptance by the payer. Printed receipts are convenience, not requirement.

What's the real minimum monthly cost?

With SumUp Air or Solo: £0. No hidden monthly fees ever. You pay per transaction, that's it.

With Zettle Reader 2 or Terminal: £0 monthly, transaction-based.

With Square: £0 monthly, but watch that 2.6% + 15p. It adds up.

With Dojo: £30/month minimum, non-negotiable, plus platform fee.

Most vendors starting out choose SumUp or Zettle specifically because there's no monthly trap. Build turnover before committing to monthly fees.

How do offline transactions work?

All modern systems queue transactions when signal drops. Device keeps working, transactions sit in memory, and they sync as soon as connection returns.

The catch: it works for a while. After 20-30 transactions without connection, systems usually stop accepting new ones as a safety measure. SumUp Solo and Dojo, with built-in connectivity, rarely hit this problem. Phone-dependent readers hit it more often in weak signal areas.

For UK food trading at established venues, this is rarely an issue. For remote festivals, it's worth asking your provider specifically.

Why's Dojo so much cheaper than other systems?

Dojo's built for high-volume, committed operators. They bet on you staying. Monthly fees and contracts mean they know the revenue they're getting from you.

SumUp and Zettle are betting on flexibility. You might leave, so they price by transaction.

There's no hidden angle. Dojo's just a different business model. It works brilliantly for the right operator, terribly for someone wanting flexibility.

Can I use Square or Zettle if I'm also tracking inventory in my own system?

Yes. Both sync transaction data to cloud systems easily. You can run Square's reports, export to Xero or Wave, and reconcile against your own inventory tracking.

It's extra work though. Zettle's inventory integration is smoother because it's built in. If you're doing manual inventory tracking, SumUp and Zettle both export data that imports into Google Sheets or Excel without fiddling.

What if a reader breaks mid-event?

Contact the provider immediately.they usually send a replacement next-day, sometimes same-day for established operators.

In the meantime, you're dead. You can't take cards. This is why some serious traders buy a backup reader (cost £40-150 depending on system) and keep it in the van unused. Insurance against the one thing that kills a trading day.

Real Numbers: How Fees Play Out Across Different Scenarios

Weekly market stall: £1,500 takings, 130 transactions averaging £11.50

• SumUp Air: 130 × £11.50 × 1.69% = £25.36 weekly, £1,318/year
• Zettle Reader 2: 130 × £11.50 × 1.75% = £26.20 weekly, £1,362/year
• Square Reader: (130 × £11.50 × 2.6%) + (130 × 15p) = £38.91 weekly, £2,023/year
• Dojo: £30/month + (130 × 0.8%) = £18.75 weekly blended, but £1,560/year minimum fee

For a casual trader, SumUp or Zettle costs roughly £1,320/year. Square costs £700 more. Dojo costs slightly less on percentage but locks you in with £1,560 fixed cost.

Event trader: £2,400 takings, three events monthly, 200 transactions averaging £12

• SumUp Solo (one reader): 600 × £12 × 1.69% = £121.68 monthly, £1,460/year
• Zettle Reader 2: 600 × £12 × 1.75% = £126 monthly, £1,512/year
• Square: (600 × £12 × 2.6%) + (600 × 15p) = 201.60 monthly, £2,419/year
• Dojo: £30/month + (600 × 0.8%) = £78 monthly blended, but £360/year fixed fee

For event trading, fees matter less because Signal reliability matters more. SumUp Solo's extra £40 upfront buys you connectivity peace of mind worth far more. Over a year, all phone-dependent systems cost roughly the same. Dojo saves money but adds contract risk.

Serious operation: £3,600 takings, 300 transactions averaging £12

• SumUp Solo (two readers for staff): 900 × £12 × 1.69% = £182.52 monthly, £2,190/year
• Zettle Terminal (one unit, one reader backup): 900 × £12 × 1.75% = £189 monthly, £2,268/year
• Square (two readers): (900 × £12 × 2.6%) + (900 × 15p) = 302.40 monthly, £3,629/year
• Dojo (one terminal): £30/month + (900 × 0.8%) = £102 monthly blended, £1,224/year

At this scale, Dojo's advantage becomes real. You're saving over £1,000 yearly compared to SumUp. But you're locked in for 12 months and paying £360 minimum regardless of sales.

Square's cost difference is shocking.£2,400 more yearly than SumUp or Zettle. That's significant money leaving your business for no functional advantage.

The Honest Assessment

SumUp wins on simplicity and cost. The Air's entry point is genuinely low. The Solo is reliable and trustworthy. They're the choice of most UK street food traders for good reason.they've got the volume, the system stability, and the support infrastructure. Fees are competitive, there's no hidden monthly cost, and you can walk away whenever.

Zettle wins on features and integration. If you're tracking inventory seriously, managing multiple staff, or you're hitting real business turnover, Zettle's the smarter choice. The Terminal's built-in printer and touchscreen aren't glamour.they're operational efficiency. Fees are barely higher than SumUp, and you get vastly more functionality.

Square doesn't win anything for food traders. Higher fees, shorter battery life, nothing that justifies the cost premium. It's the choice of traders already committed to the Square ecosystem. For starting fresh, Square's the wrong call.

Dojo wins for the right operator.someone doing serious volume, committed to a single system, and where the monthly fee doesn't sting. For everyone else, it's overkill and a contract you don't need.

Bottom Line: What to Do Right Now

If you're starting out: Buy a SumUp Air (£39). Get trading. See where your signal problems are. If you're good, you're done. If signal's dodgy, upgrade to the Solo (another £40) later.

If you're trading events: Skip the Air, go straight to SumUp Solo. Connectivity's non-negotiable. The £40 difference is insurance you'll actually use.

If you're serious: Pick between Zettle Terminal and Dojo Terminal depending on whether you need flexibility (Zettle) or want maximum savings (Dojo). Both are proper systems that'll handle growth.

If you're already on Square: You're paying more than you need to, but switching isn't worth the disruption if you've got the ecosystem working. When you next review, reassess.

The meta-point: The system matters less than consistency. Pick one, implement it properly, train staff if you've got them, and stick with it for a year. Most vendors waste more money switching constantly than they'd ever save picking the theoretical perfect system. Get trading, review in 12 months.

Your best EPOS isn't the cheapest one. It's the one you'll actually use reliably in the muddy field, in the rain, with one bar of signal, and your phone about to die. That's SumUp Solo or Zettle Terminal for most vendors. Everything else is math.

Last updated: February 2026. Pricing and fees accurate as of publication. Systems and rates change.check provider websites for current offers before purchasing.