Guides · Updated 2026-10-17

Best AI tools for cafés and coffee shops (UK): tills, menus, admin

These are the best AI tools for cafés, coffee shops and small restaurants in the UK, picked job by job: tills and card readers, menu wording and allergen information, staff, tips and hiring, reviews, social posts and accounts. It links to the AI for cafés and restaurants hub and sits alongside our free AI tools for small business and best card readers UK guides. In a café, AI saves time on writing (menus, posts, replies, adverts) and the till does the number crunching; food safety and allergens still need a person to check every detail.

Prices checked: 14 to 17 October 2026 on each provider's own page (the same figures as our tools directory). Some companies price in US dollars, so the pound cost moves with the exchange rate.

No affiliate links on this page. No tool paid to be included. See how we make money.

The short version

Tills and card readers

For most cafés the till app is the most important tool. Square has a free plan with 1.75% on UK cards in person and a reader from £19 + VAT; its paid Plus plan starts at £29 a month. Dojo charges a 1.2% blended rate under £100,000 annual card turnover, with a £239 or £179 device and an optional Plus plan. At £6,000 a month in card takings, the difference between 1.75% and 1.2% is £33 a month before device and plan costs. Compare all five readers at £1,000, £3,000 and £6,000 a month in best card readers UK, or head to head in Square vs Dojo.

Menus and allergen information

AI is good at menu descriptions, specials boards and seasonal menus. It is not reliable for allergens, so never let it decide what a dish contains.

• If you sell food that isn't prepacked (meals, drinks made to order, counter food), you must give allergen information for every item containing any of the 14 regulated allergens. You can do this in writing, or verbally with a clearly visible written notice telling customers how to ask (FSA allergen guidance, checked 15 October 2026).
• Since 1 October 2021, food prepacked for direct sale (such as sandwiches made and packed on the premises before they're ordered) must be labelled with its name and full ingredients, with allergens emphasised (FSA: PPDS labelling). This is often called Natasha's Law.

Use AI to lay out an allergen matrix or the wording of your notice, then fill in and check every cell against your recipes and supplier labels yourself. Prompts: ChatGPT prompts for cafés and restaurants.

Opening or moving premises

You must register a food business with your local council at least 28 days before you start trading in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including if you trade from home, a van or a stall (GOV.UK: food business registration, checked 17 October 2026). At an inspection, officers look at how food is handled, the premises and how you manage food safety; use the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business pack for the food safety content.

Staff, tips and hiring

• Tips. All tips must be passed to workers without deductions, and a statutory code of practice covers written tipping policies and records (GOV.UK: tips at work). AI can draft your written tipping policy; check it against the code.
• Pay. From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over (GOV.UK, checked 17 October 2026). Tips don't count towards it.
• Adverts and costs. Write adverts with the job advert generator, which flags pay below the minimum, and see the full cost with the cost of employing someone calculator. Work out holiday for casual staff with the irregular hours holiday pay calculator.

Reviews, posts and your Google profile

Most customers find a café on Google Maps. Write a description within Google's 750-character limit with the Google Business Profile description generator, keep opening hours up to date, and reply to reviews, especially critical ones, with the review reply generator. Turn new dishes and events into posts with the social post generator and design boards in Canva. For a complaint about a meal, the complaint reply generator drafts a calm, fair reply.

Starter kits for cafés

See also: how to use ChatGPT for menus and best AI tools for caterers.

How we picked

One best free start and one best-value paid pick per job, from provider pricing pages in our tools data. No paid placements. We haven't yet compared restaurant booking or rota apps.

Sources

• Tool pricing pages linked from each tool page (checked 14 to 17 October 2026).
• Allergens: FSA guidance, PPDS. Registration: GOV.UK. Tips: GOV.UK. Pay: GOV.UK.

FAQ

What is the best till system for a small café?

Square's free plan suits many small cafés: no monthly fee and 1.75% on UK cards in person. If you take a lot by card, Dojo's 1.2% blended rate can cost less, though its devices cost more upfront.

Can AI write a café menu?

Yes, it writes good descriptions and specials. Don't use it for allergen information: check every dish against your recipes and supplier labels and keep the allergen matrix up to date yourself.

What is Natasha's Law?

Since 1 October 2021, food prepacked for direct sale, such as sandwiches packed on site before they're ordered, must carry its name and full ingredients list with allergens emphasised.

How far ahead must I register a new café?

At least 28 days before you start trading, with your local council, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland has its own guidance from Food Standards Scotland.

Do cafés have to give all tips to staff?

Yes. All tips must be passed to workers without deductions, under a statutory code of practice that covers written tipping policies and records.