Card machine for your restaurant

Whether you're running table service, a quick-service counter, or both - we'll find the payment terminal that fits how your restaurant actually works.

Common challenges

  • Current card machine is slow and holds up table turns
  • Need portable terminals for table service but unsure which to choose
  • Locked into an expensive contract with a provider you didn't pick
  • Want tipping on the terminal but your current device doesn't support it
  • Staff find the card machine confusing or unreliable

Published:

Recommended solutions

PAX A920

Portable/countertop Android terminal with 4.9-inch touchscreen, built-in Wi-Fi & 4G connectivity, and thermal printing. Its form-factor means it's ideal when payments need to be taken away from the counter. Easily handles over-the-phone payments, and is configurable for full POS integration with many third-party POS systems.

  • 4.9-inch HD touchscreen
  • Built-in printer
  • Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity
  • Contactless, Chip & Pin, over-the-phone
  • Can be integrated with multiple POS systems
  • Android payment-only terminal
Contract
negotiable

PAX A800

Portable/countertop Android terminal with 5.7-inch touchscreen and Payment & POS functionality. Built-in Wi-Fi & 4G connectivity, along with thermal printing. Includes merchant branding on-screen, an intuitive over-the-phone payment flow, on-board POS features, and is configurable for full POS integration.

  • 5.7-inch HD touchscreen
  • Built-in printer
  • Wi-Fi & 4G
  • Contactless, Chip & Pin, over-the-phone
  • Fast contactless transacting
  • Integrates with its provider's own POS only
  • Android POS and payments
Contract
negotiable

Why restaurants choose uno

Every restaurant works differently. A fine-dining spot with full table service has completely different payment needs to a busy lunch counter or a takeaway with delivery drivers. That’s why a one-size-fits-all card machine recommendation doesn’t work.

We’ll assess your operation, observe how your front-of-house operates, and recommend a payment terminal that fits your actual workflow - not one that forces you to change it. It’s the same approach we take with Somerset restaurants we’ve worked alongside, where the front-of-house rhythm in a Wells gastropub is nothing like the lunchtime cover at a Yeovil bistro.

Table service

For restaurants running table service, a portable payment terminal is essential. Many of suggested card machines support tableside payments with contactless, Chip & Pin, and on-screen tipping. Your staff can process payments at the table in seconds, improving the customer experience and speeding up table turns.

Counter service

If most of your payments happen at a fixed till point, a countertop terminal might be worth considering as a second, static payment terminal. That mix of one fixed and one portable terminal is exactly what works for the Mid Wales restaurants on our books, where a slow connection on one device shouldn’t bring service to a halt.

What you get from uno

  • A full assessment of how your restaurant takes payments
  • An honest comparison across multiple providers — not just one
  • Supply, installation, and on-site configuration
  • Ongoing UK-based support from someone who knows your setup

Common questions from restaurant owners

Can customers add tips on the card machine in my restaurant?

Yes. The payment terminals we supply support on-screen tipping, so customers can add a tip when they pay by card. This works for both percentage-based and custom tip amounts - handy for restaurants, pubs, cafés, and anywhere tipping is common.

Can I use the same card machine for both table service and counter payments?

Yes. One of our portable terminals can easily handle tableside payments, counter walk-ins, and over-the-phone orders. For restaurants doing high volume at both table and counter, we may recommend a terminal at the till plus another for the floor - but each individual restaurant warrants a bespoke solution.

Can the card machine integrate with my restaurant's POS system?

It depends on which POS a restaurant is running. The PAX A920 integrates with many third-party POS systems. The PAX A800 integrates with a proprietary POS platform only - one system handling orders, including those from third-party food-ordering companies, table management and payments together.

General questions about uno
Which card machine is right for my business?

The right card machine depends on how the business trades. A fine-dining restaurant in Covent Garden, a market trader at Glasgow's Barras and a pub beside Cardiff Arms Park take payments in completely different ways, and no single machine suits all three. uno starts by understanding how a business actually operates, and only then recommends - from a range of providers rather than from one.

Do all the card machines uno recommends take contactless?

Yes, every one of them. Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless cards are accepted as standard on every machine uno recommends; contactless is how most UK customers now pay, and every machine features it as standard.

Will I be able to take 'over-the-phone' payments?

For most merchants, yes - available on-screen along with contactless and Chip & Pin. The small minority of high-risk business-types that are not offered over-the-phone payments by default are the exception - for the vast majority, 'over-the-phone' payments will be offered as standard.

How can we process refunds?

From the card machine, in a few taps. Refund a sale on the same day and it is cancelled outright, with the money never leaving the customer's account; refund it after the provider's daily cut-off and the customer's bank typically takes 3-5 days to return it. Every machine uno recommends handles both, and the difference is only in how quickly the customer sees the money.

Is PCI compliance as much of a chore as it is with my current provider?

With several of the providers uno works with the merchant does nothing at all, because the provider handles PCI on their behalf; with the others it is a few minutes once a year. Nobody uno works with makes it complicated, and uno tells a merchant which they are getting before anything is signed.

How long does it take to get set up?

Most businesses are up and running within a few days. uno handles the installation and configuration, then walks the merchant and their staff through everything.

Ready to choose the right card machine?

We make the effort to understand how you operate, and only then recommend the solution that's right for your business - not the provider's.

Get Started 07395 451520