Best POS for a café in Sydney
Last reviewed 2026-08-05 · by the RetailPOS team
A single specialty café in Surry Hills and a small group across the Inner West need the same core: inventory that understands ingredients and pricing that reads correctly to an Australian customer. Here is what to look for in Sydney, and where RetailPOS fits.
What a Sydney café POS must do
1. Recipe-based inventory. Deplete milk, beans and cups as you ring drinks — real cost and waste tracking.
2. GST-inclusive pricing. Australian menu prices include 10% GST; the POS should show tax-inclusive prices and back out the GST for your BAS.
3. Surcharges. Apply weekend and public-holiday surcharges cleanly, disclosed on the receipt.
4. Processing economics. Bring-your-own processing lets you negotiate your card rate instead of a fixed percentage to the POS; surcharging card fees is common in AU and should be supported.
5. Multi-store & offline. Central menu, per-site stock, one report, and a register that keeps working if the connection drops.
How the options compare
| RetailPOS | Square | Lightspeed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Card processing | Bring your own (negotiate) | Bundled fixed rate | Own or Lightspeed Payments |
| GST-inclusive pricing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Recipe/ingredient depletion | Every plan | Add-on / limited | Higher tier |
| Surcharge handling | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-store on base plan | Yes | Higher tier | Per-location |
| Works offline | Yes | Limited | Limited |
Where RetailPOS fits — and where it doesn’t
Pick RetailPOS if you want recipe inventory, flat pricing and your own processor across one or more Sydney sites.
Stay on Square if you run a single low-volume café where the free tier plus its percentage costs less than any flat fee, or you want first-party readers and instant setup. RetailPOS is bring-your-own and runs on hardware you own.
Frequently asked
- What GST applies to a Sydney café?
- Australia's GST is 10%, and menu prices are shown GST-inclusive. The POS backs out the GST for your BAS; check any price with the tax calculator (select Australia).
- Can it add weekend and public-holiday surcharges?
- Yes — surcharges can be applied and disclosed on the receipt, as is standard practice in Australian hospitality.
- Do I have to use a particular card processor?
- No — RetailPOS is bring-your-own-processor, so you choose your provider and negotiate the rate.
Open your shop in 30 seconds.
No card. Free until your first 100 sales. Bring your own Stripe; keep your hardware.