Payment Kiosk or QR Payment: What Fits Your Venue?

A payment kiosk is a physical terminal where guests handle their own order and payment, usually near the till or entrance. For fast-service concepts like quick-service restaurants or a busy lunch café, that can work. But for most restaurants, cafés and bars with table service, a QR payment solution is faster, cheaper and more guest-friendly, because guests simply pay at their own table without standing in line.

You want to check out faster, ease the pressure on your team and get more revenue from the same venue. It makes sense to look at a payment kiosk. But hardware is expensive, takes up space and does not fit every concept. In this guide we compare the payment kiosk with QR payment on cost, speed, space, guest experience and tips. You will learn exactly which solution fits your venue and why a hardware-free alternative is often the better choice.

What exactly is a payment kiosk?

A payment kiosk is a physical device where guests pay independently. Think of a touchscreen on a stand or mounted to a wall, often connected to a card terminal. In some concepts the kiosk combines ordering and paying in one, which is then called a self-order kiosk.

You mostly see payment kiosks in fast-service formats: quick-service chains, petrol stations, cinemas and self-service concepts. The guest walks up to the kiosk, chooses, pays and waits for a number. For volume concepts without table service, that can work fine.

For classic hospitality with service at the table, it grates. Payment kiosks are designed for throughput, not for guests who sit at a table for hours and want to settle up at the end. Still, many operators consider such a kiosk because they think it will take the load off their staff.

The key characteristics of a payment kiosk at a glance:

• Physical hardware with a screen and usually an integrated card terminal
• A fixed spot in the venue, near the till or entrance
• The guest walks over to it to pay or order
• Purchase or rental costs plus maintenance
• Designed for fast throughput, not for table service

Before you invest in hardware, it is smart to first look at what choosing a hospitality payment system looks like in 2026. The market has changed considerably.

What is QR payment at the table?

QR payment lets guests settle up on their own phone, without walking to a kiosk or to the till. The guest scans the QR code on the table, sees the live bill from your point-of-sale system, splits it if needed and pays instantly via iDEAL, Apple Pay or credit card. No app, no download, no waiting.

The big difference with a payment kiosk: the payment comes to the guest, instead of the other way around. The guest stays comfortably at the table, pays when ready and leaves. Your team does not have to walk back and forth with the card machine and nobody is queueing at a kiosk.

With QR payment like Splitty's, the guest sees the bill directly from the till. The payment is processed instantly and double payments are prevented. Splitty connects with unTill, Lightspeed, Vectron and MplusKASSA, so you do not have to switch to a new point-of-sale system.

What QR payment at the table does in practice:

• The guest scans the QR code on the table and sees the live bill straight away
• Split per item, divide equally or pay a custom amount
• Pay via iDEAL, Apple Pay or credit card, without an app
• Automatic tip suggestion at checkout
• After payment, a request for a Google review

Want to see what such a complete flow looks like, from the order to the payment? Then read from order to payment: the complete digital journey.

Payment kiosk versus QR payment: the direct comparison

The heart of the choice: do you want to send guests to a device, or bring the payment to the guest? For table service, QR payment wins on almost every point that matters to a hospitality operator.

Here you see the key differences side by side:

• Hardware: a payment kiosk requires a physical device, QR payment works with the guest's phone and a simple QR holder on the table.
• Where you pay: at a kiosk the guest walks to the device, with QR the guest stays at the table.
• Queues and waiting: a kiosk can cause a queue at peak times, QR payment does not.
• Splitting: a payment kiosk is often awkward for groups who want to split, QR payment is built for exactly that.
• Tips: a kiosk rarely asks for a tip in a smart way, QR payment shows an automatic tip suggestion.
• Reviews: a kiosk does not link to Google reviews, QR payment automatically asks happy guests for a review.
• Space: a kiosk takes up floor space, QR payment does not.

At venues that work with Splitty we see on average 5x more tips, and guests pay in around 15 seconds instead of the minutes it takes to wait for a server or a free kiosk. That difference adds up over a whole evening.

Cost: hardware versus per transaction

A payment kiosk is an upfront investment, QR payment is a variable cost per transaction. That is the biggest financial difference and often the deciding factor.

With a payment kiosk you pay for purchase or rental, installation, maintenance and sometimes a service contract. One kiosk is usually not enough if your venue is busy, because then a queue forms. Two or three kiosks therefore mean two or three times those costs. Always check the current prices with the supplier, because they vary strongly per provider and per model.

On top of that, hardware ages. In a few years you will want a newer model, again with costs. And if a kiosk breaks down on a busy Saturday, you have a problem.

QR payment carries none of those hardware burdens. You work with QR holders on the table and the guest's phone. With Splitty the rule is: no fixed monthly costs, you only pay per transaction. So you pay in step with your revenue and not upfront for equipment that can sit idle.

The cost items compared:

• Payment kiosk: purchase or rental, installation, maintenance, service contract, replacement over time
• QR payment: QR holders, costs per transaction, no fixed monthly costs with Splitty

Want a broader look at what a payment system costs and delivers? Then read the complete guide to hospitality software for the full picture.

Speed and table turnover

Speed determines how many covers you turn per evening. And on this point QR payment beats the payment kiosk by a wide margin.

With a payment kiosk the guest has to get up, walk to the device, wait if someone is ahead of them, pay and walk back or leave. At peak times a bottleneck forms exactly there: one kiosk, several tables ready to pay at the same time.

With QR payment the guest pays the moment they are ready, right at the table. No waiting for a server, no queue at a kiosk. At venues that work with Splitty, checkout drops from an average of around 13 minutes to about 15 seconds. That frees the table faster for the next guest.

Faster checkout means more table turnover, and more table turnover means more revenue without extra staff. Precisely on the busy evenings where you earn your money, you do not want a bottleneck at a device.

The speed gain comes from three things:

1. The guest does not wait for a server or a free kiosk
2. Splitting happens automatically, without mental arithmetic at the table
3. The payment is processed directly in the till, so your team does not have to check anything

Want to know how that speed relates to your till? See how you connect your unTill till to Splitty for faster checkout.

Space and the layout of your venue

A payment kiosk costs floor space, and that is precious in hospitality. Every square metre that goes to a device does not go to a table.

A kiosk has to stand somewhere guests can easily reach it, usually near the entrance or till. That is where a gathering point forms, and sometimes a queue, which does not help the atmosphere in a restaurant or café. In a small venue the space is simply not there.

QR payment does not have that worry. A discreet QR holder on the table, a coaster or a sticker is enough. No screen, no cables, no device that dictates the layout. Your venue keeps looking exactly the way you want.

With Splitty you choose the format that suits your style: QR holders, coasters, table stands or NFC cards, in your own branding. That way the checkout moment fits your venue instead of the other way around.

When it comes to space:

• Payment kiosk: fixed floor space, a gathering point at the device, less room for tables
• QR payment: only a holder on the table, no extra floor space needed

Guest experience and tips

The way guests pay partly shapes how they remember your venue. And here the payment kiosk leaves opportunities on the table that QR payment does capture.

A payment kiosk feels impersonal. The guest stands in line, taps a screen that a hundred others also touched and leaves. Tipping is often barely set up, and a Google review is rarely requested.

QR payment keeps the payment personal and at the table. The guest pays calmly, automatically sees an optional tip suggestion and is asked for a Google review after a successful payment. That way your team earns more and your online visibility grows, without anyone having to ask.

The numbers we see at Splitty:

• 5x more tips thanks to smart tip suggestions at checkout
• Up to 7x more Google reviews through the automatic review request after payment
• On average 450 transactions per month per venue via Splitty

More tips is not only nice for your team, it also keeps staff on board longer. Want to dig into that? Then read the step-by-step plan to increase tips in your restaurant with proven tips.

And splitting? That is exactly what QR payment is built for, while a payment kiosk causes headaches with a large group. Why that matters so much, you read in why split billing is essential for modern restaurants.

When does a self-order kiosk in hospitality make sense?

A self-order kiosk in hospitality is not always wrong. With the right concept it can genuinely add value. It comes down to whether your format suits self-service.

A self-order kiosk works well when:

• You have a fast concept without table service, such as quick-service or grab-and-go
• Guests stay briefly and fast throughput is the norm
• There is little need for splitting or personal contact
• You have enough room for one or more kiosks without queues forming

A self-order kiosk works less well when:

• You have table service and guests stay longer
• Groups regularly want to split the bill
• Space is scarce
• Tips and reviews matter for your team and your visibility

Important to know: Splitty is not a self-order kiosk and not an ordering system. Splitty shows the live bill to view, split and pay. Guests order from the server, just as they are used to. The personal contact is therefore preserved, only the checkout moment becomes faster and easier.

If you want to handle ordering and digitise the menu, that is a separate topic. For that, read our explainer on the digital menu and smarter ordering in your venue.

Choosing an ordering system for your restaurant: what to look for

A good ordering system for your restaurant stands or falls on the connection with your till and the ease for both guest and team. Whether you are looking at a kiosk, QR payment or something else, these points always weigh in.

What to look at when choosing:

1. Till integration: does the system work with your current till? Splitty connects with unTill, Lightspeed, Vectron and MplusKASSA, without you having to switch.
2. Speed: how quickly does a guest pay and how quickly is the table free again?
3. Splitting: can groups pay their share without hassle?
4. Cost: do you pay upfront for hardware or in step with your revenue per transaction?
5. Space: do you need floor space or not?
6. Extra revenue: does the system help with tips and reviews?
7. Maintenance: what happens if something breaks on a busy evening?

The connection with your till is often the bottleneck. A system that does not integrate well creates double work and errors. With Splitty the payment is processed automatically in the till and double payments are prevented.

Want to see how those connections work? Look for example at the Lightspeed integration for faster checkout, the Vectron integration with Splitty or the MplusKASSA integration. That way you know exactly whether your till is included.

Want to see all systems side by side? Then the comparison of the best point-of-sale systems for hospitality will help you further.

Practical example: from payment kiosk plan to QR

A recognisable situation from practice, sketched qualitatively without invented figures.

Situation: imagine a busy brasserie concept with table service and around 40 tables. On Friday and Saturday evening it is packed. The owner is considering a payment kiosk near the entrance, because the team keeps running with the card machine at peak times and guests complain that paying takes too long.

Problem: a payment kiosk would take up floor space that is now a table. Worse still: at the peak moment when several tables want to pay at once, a queue forms at that single kiosk. Splitting for large groups stays awkward and the team still has to check what has and has not been paid. The hardware investment feels big and it does not solve the core problem.

Solution: instead of a kiosk, the owner chooses QR payment at the table with Splitty, connected to the existing point-of-sale system. On every table a QR holder in the house style. Guests scan, see the live bill, split as they wish and pay on their own phone. The service team no longer has to run with the card machine.

Result: the guest pays in around 15 seconds instead of waiting. No queue, no floor space lost to hardware, no expensive purchase. In line with what we see at Splitty venues: on average 5x more tips for the team and more Google reviews because guests are automatically asked for one after payment. The team keeps time for hospitality, which is exactly what it is all about.

Summary

The key points from this comparison at a glance:

• A payment kiosk is a physical device for fast, self-service concepts and fits less well with table service.
• QR payment brings the payment to the guest at the table, without hardware, queues or extra floor space.
• Cost: a payment kiosk requires an upfront investment plus maintenance, QR payment with Splitty has no fixed monthly costs and works per transaction.
• Speed: with Splitty, checkout drops from an average of around 13 minutes to about 15 seconds, which raises table turnover.
• Guest experience: QR payment delivers on average 5x more tips and up to 7x more Google reviews, a payment kiosk rarely does.
• Splitting is built into QR payment, with a payment kiosk it is often awkward.
• Splitty is not a self-order kiosk or ordering system: guests order from the server and pay via QR, keeping the personal contact.
• Splitty connects with unTill, Lightspeed, Vectron and MplusKASSA, without switching.

You now know which solution fits which concept. Do you have table service and want to check out faster without expensive hardware? Then QR payment at the table is almost always the better choice. Want to know what this means for your venue? Feel free to get in touch.