Hardware

Your hardware. Your call.

ChowHub runs on basically anything with a browser. No proprietary terminals, no $1,500 POS station mandates. Here's what we recommend and why.

The POS device

Pick what fits your room.

Raspberry Pi 4/5

$75–$150. Mount under the counter, plug in any HDMI touchscreen. The cheapest reliable POS device on the market.

Old laptop

$0 if you have a spare. Anything from the last 5 years works. Great for trucks where a laptop with a long battery is its own UPS.

iPad or Android tablet

$200–$500. The most counter-friendly form factor. Pair with a basic stand and a card reader.

Payment hardware

Card present, your processor.

Stripe Terminal

WisePOS E from Stripe runs ~$349. BBPOS WisePad 3 (handheld) runs ~$59. Both pair to ChowHub over the network — tap, dip, swipe, all supported.

Square Terminal / Reader

Square Reader from $49. Square Terminal (countertop with built-in printer) from $299. Pairs to ChowHub if you've configured Square as your processor.

Kitchen + bar screens

Any screen with a browser.

Mounted tablet

A $200 Android tablet on a wall mount is the most common KDS setup. Cheap, replaceable, splash-proof if you spend $20 on a case.

HDMI screen + Pi

Plug a Pi into any TV-grade HDMI screen for a larger KDS. Useful for high-volume lines where cooks are 6+ feet away.

Old monitor + computer

That dusty Dell in the office? Plug it in to a spare computer, open a browser to the KDS URL, done.

ChowHub charges nothing per KDS or Bar screen. Add as many as you need.

Receipt printers, cash drawers, kitchen ticket printers

Most standard ESC/POS network or USB printers work. Common picks: Epson TM-m30, Star TSP143. Cash drawers that trigger via the printer's RJ11 work the standard way.

If you'd rather skip paper kitchen tickets entirely (highly recommended), use the KDS instead — that's the whole point.

No hardware lock-in. Ever.

Bring what you have. Upgrade pieces as you outgrow them. Pay $0/mo to ChowHub per device.