Overview

A computer at the venue runs OrderRestro, and tills, tablets, and phones on the same network use it through a browser. Order-taking, billing, kitchen display, and printing continue over the local network without internet. That resilience is valuable where connectivity is unreliable, but the restaurant takes responsibility for running the server rather than relying on a hosted service. Deployments can also run on a VPS or cloud server.

The POS covers dine-in, takeaway, and delivery orders, split or merged bills, discounts, gift cards, tips, mixed payments, and refunds. Regional tax setups include GST, US Sales Tax, EU VAT, and Spain IVA. The breadth should suit varied service and checkout patterns, although delivery orders do not amount to a complete delivery-management workflow: that capability is planned.

Key features

Kitchen and floor operations

The live kitchen display routes tickets by station and supports priorities, timers, and order-status tracking. A visual floor plan, reservations, and a waitlist connect table management with kitchen flow. This is a strong fit for venues that need more than a basic order screen, while those seeking a standalone kitchen display may prefer a narrower tool.

Guest ordering and inventory

Guests can scan a table QR code, see the live menu, and order in English, Spanish, or French without installing an app. Ingredient tracking, recipe costing, purchase orders, batch and expiry tracking, waste logging, and automatic stock deduction when bills are processed give operators a useful link between sales and stock. Additional QR ordering controls remain planned.

Customer, staff, and integrations

Customer profiles, loyalty points, gift cards, and role-based staff accounts support repeat business and access control. A website Integration API can send orders and bookings into the system. Its MCP server can also let Claude or another MCP-compatible AI use permitted order and reservation functions; the value of that connection depends on whether a venue wants those workflows.

Deployment and upkeep

The server runs on Linux, macOS, or Windows, while browser-based devices connect on the same network. The maker describes a one-command installation taking under 10 minutes, and a Settings-page button handles updates. S3-compatible backup and restore support gives operators a way to keep recoverable copies. The stated network design exposes port 1995, with the API and Swagger documentation reached through the web app proxy rather than published directly. These controls are relevant to a self-hosted deployment, but the venue still owns server operation and backup responsibility.

Pricing

Free / AGPL-3.0: 0.00 USD per free, billed Free forever. The plan is the self-hosted restaurant POS and management system, with no subscription or per-seat fees. There is no free trial because the product is free. The absence of seat charges suits teams that need multiple staff accounts, while the trade-off is operating the installation yourself. No usage quota is stated.

Platforms

OrderRestro supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows. The server runs on Linux, macOS, or Windows; staff-facing tills, tablets, and phones access it in a browser on the same network. Offline mode is supported for core ordering, billing, kitchen display, and printing.

Who it's for

Independent restaurants and other venues that want local control, offline continuity, and a combined POS, kitchen, floor, and inventory system are the clearest fit. It is less suitable for operators who want delivery management, payroll, accounting, employee records, or branch management now: those are planned for later phases. Restaurants that do not want to maintain a server should also consider a hosted alternative.

Pros and cons

Pro: Order-taking, billing, kitchen display, and printing work on the local network without internet, helping maintain service through a connection outage.
Pro: POS, kitchen routing, floor planning, reservations, QR ordering, and stock tools cover a wide span of restaurant work in one system.
Pro: Free forever with no subscription or per-seat fees makes the published plan straightforward for larger staff teams.
Con: Self-hosting places server operation, backup, and upkeep on the restaurant rather than a hosted provider.
Con: Delivery management, employee records, payroll, accounting, and branch management are not part of the current scope.

Alternatives

For venues focused on a kitchen display, Kitchen Display System Software is a category to compare with OrderRestro's broader restaurant-management approach.

Baresto Manager is another free, locally run open-source option for Linux, macOS, web, and Windows, with optional paid installation support; consider it if MIT licensing is preferable.

Odoo Restaurant offers a free one-app plan with unlimited users and a paid Standard plan for all apps on Odoo Online; choose it if that app-based hosted option better matches your setup.

Ordering.Tools has a free plan capped at 20 orders per month and a Starter plan at 30.00 EUR per month, plus a free trial; it may suit a venue that wants an order-focused service rather than OrderRestro's self-hosted breadth.

FloCafe KDS is free, open-source kitchen display software for Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and Windows deployments, with hardware and operating costs separate; consider it for a kitchen-display-only need.

HungerRush has a qualifying Starter plan from $0 / Month for one location and one POS terminal, as well as custom pricing; it is an option for venues that meet those criteria and want to compare another POS offering.

PAR Ordering uses custom pricing and asks prospective customers to contact PAR for a demo and pricing details.

SterkChef is a paid restaurant software option for web, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.

Lightspeed Restaurant is a paid option with a Starter plan at 69.00 USD per month that includes a customizable POS, menu manager, floor plans, Advanced Insights, offline mode, and 24/7 support; consider it if those included services and support outweigh OrderRestro's free self-hosted model.

Verdict

Choose NodeDR OrderRestro if you want a free, broad restaurant system that keeps core service running locally without internet and are prepared to manage your own installation. Its main reason to choose is the combination of offline POS, kitchen and floor workflows, and inventory without subscription or per-seat fees. Look elsewhere if delivery management or the planned payroll, accounting, employee, and branch tools are essential today, or if you need a hosted system managed for you.

	FloCafe KDS	NodeDR OrderRestro
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	Free
Platforms	Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Windows	api, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, Web, Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Station routing	Yes	Yes
Order status tracking	Yes	Yes
Expo screen	Yes
Offline mode	Yes	Yes
Deployment	on_premise
Display platforms		web

FloCafe KDS vs NodeDR OrderRestro

FloCafe KDS

NodeDR OrderRestro