Dojo Alternative: The Best Dojo Alternatives for Restaurants
Why restaurants look for Dojo alternatives
Dojo is a UK payments company that has moved into restaurant POS. Most restaurants that start looking elsewhere want something Dojo doesn't do, or doesn't do well enough:
- They need more than payments - a full POS, online ordering, loyalty or kiosks
- They want a system built for restaurants, not a general payments tool
- They're opening more sites and want to run them all from one place
- They want their own online ordering so they hand less commission to the delivery marketplaces
As a card terminal on its own, Dojo is fine. The gaps show up when you want payments, POS, online ordering and marketing working together in one system.
The best Dojo alternatives for restaurants
1. Flipdish - best overall for restaurants and restaurant groups
Flipdish makes restaurant technology for independents, multi-location groups and franchise operators in the UK and Ireland. It covers:
- Restaurant POS system - built for food service, not retail
- Kitchen display system
- Online ordering - direct orders, no marketplace commission
- Branded mobile apps
- Restaurant websites with ordering built in
- Self-service kiosks
- Integrated payments
- AI phone ordering
- AI marketing and customer engagement
- Loyalty programmes
- Multi-location management
Dojo is mainly a way to take card payments. Flipdish runs most of the restaurant. That matters if you're tired of juggling suppliers. Instead of one company for the POS, another for online ordering, another for payments and another for marketing, you get one contract and one support team to call.
Groups get the most out of it. One menu structure, one reporting dashboard and one loyalty programme across every site.
It suits UK and Irish restaurants, takeaways, cafés, QSRs and multi-location groups that want everything on one platform.
2. Square - best for small, simple operations
Square combines payments and POS, and it publishes its pricing openly. It works for places with simple needs: a small café, a market stall, a single-site independent that doesn't need much beyond taking orders and payments.
Square has added restaurant features over the years, but it started as a retail POS and that still shows. Complex menus, multiple sites and delivery management are where it runs out.
Good for very small operations with basic needs.
3. Zettle (by PayPal) - best for low-volume, low-complexity
Zettle is a simple card reader with a basic POS. It's quick to set up and there's no monthly fee at entry level. For a food truck, a pop-up or a market pitch, that might be all you need.
Once you have table service, a kitchen screen or orders coming in from more than one channel, Zettle is out of its depth.
Pop-ups, market traders and very simple setups.
4. SumUp - best for basic mobile payments
SumUp goes after the same low end of the market as Zettle. The card readers are cheap and the per-transaction fee is easy to understand. It has no restaurant POS features worth mentioning.
Fine for sole traders and market-style food businesses.
5. Epos Now - best for restaurants wanting a UK-based POS alternative
Epos Now is a UK EPOS provider for hospitality and retail. It does more than Square or Zettle and connects to a long list of third-party apps. It doesn't have its own online ordering, though, so you'll need a third-party integration for that.
A sensible pick if you want a UK POS with a big app marketplace.
Comparison table
| Provider | POS | Online ordering | Integrated payments | Multi-location | AI features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flipdish | ✓ | ✓ (direct, no commission) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dojo | Partial | ✗ | ✓ | Limited | ✗ |
| Square | ✓ | Basic | ✓ | Limited | Limited |
| Zettle | Basic | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| SumUp | Basic | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Epos Now | ✓ | Via third party | Via third party | ✓ | ✗ |
What to check before you switch
Start with your Dojo contract. Find the notice period and any early termination fees before you sign anything new.
If you own Dojo hardware, ask the new provider whether it can be reused or whether you're buying new kit.
Write down every system your POS has to talk to - accounting software, reservations, loyalty - and check the new provider supports each one.
Staff will need training on the new system. Do the switch in a quiet week, not the run-up to Christmas.
Restaurants are open seven days a week and late into the evening. Check when the new provider's support line is actually open and how quickly they commit to responding.
How to move to Flipdish from Dojo
Flipdish helps restaurants move over from other providers. It usually goes like this:
- Flipdish reviews your current setup and what you need
- Menu build, payment setup and integrations
- Hardware delivery and installation
- Staff training
- Support when you go live
Talk to the Flipdish team about your setup and they'll tell you what the move involves for you.
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