How to use this glossary

Jump to a letter, or search the page. Every term links to the guide that explains it in depth. New to POS? Start with our restaurant POS system guide or the beginner's guide to restaurant POS.

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · K · L · M · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · Y

A

Aggregator
A food delivery platform such as Zomato or Swiggy that lists restaurants and handles delivery orders for a commission. Learn more →
All-in-one POS terminal
A touch-screen POS machine with a built-in receipt printer. Learn more →
Audit log
A record of every action in the POS, such as voids, discounts and price changes, with the user and time. Learn more →
Average bill value
Total sales divided by the number of bills; a quick measure of how much each table or order spends. Learn more →

B

Bill of supply
The bill a composition-scheme restaurant issues instead of a tax invoice; it shows no GST. Learn more →
Bump
Marking a ticket or item as done on a kitchen display, which clears it from the screen. Learn more →

C

Captain app
An ordering app servers use on a phone or tablet to take orders at the table and send them to the kitchen. Learn more →
Cash drawer
A drawer for cash that opens automatically from the receipt printer when a cash payment is recorded. Learn more →
CGST and SGST
The central and state halves of GST on an intra-state sale; at 5% GST, each is 2.5%. Learn more →
Cloud POS
POS software whose data is stored online, so you can see sales and reports from anywhere. Learn more →
COGS
Cost of goods sold: opening stock plus purchases minus closing stock, for a period. Learn more →
Comp
An item given free, recorded with a reason so it still counts in stock and reports. Learn more →
Composition scheme
A simpler GST scheme for small businesses; composition restaurants can't charge GST on bills. Learn more →
Contribution margin
A dish's price minus its ingredient (and, for delivery, commission and packaging) cost: what it contributes to overheads and profit. Learn more →
Course firing
Holding later courses and sending them to the kitchen only when the captain fires them. Learn more →
Covers
The number of guests served. Learn more →

D

Day end
The end-of-day close in the POS, summarising sales, taxes and payments; sometimes called a Z-report. Learn more →
Dynamic UPI QR
A UPI QR code generated for one bill, carrying the exact amount, which reduces payment errors. Learn more →

E

E-invoice
A GST invoice registered with the government portal; required for certain B2B invoices above a turnover threshold. Learn more →
Expo screen
A kitchen display at the pass showing which orders are complete and ready to go out. Learn more →

F

Food cost percentage
Ingredient cost as a share of food sales; most Indian restaurants target 28–35%. Learn more →
FSSAI licence number
The 14-digit food safety licence or registration number food businesses must print on bills. Learn more →

G

GSTIN
A business's 15-character GST identification number, printed on every tax invoice. Learn more →
GSTR-1 and GSTR-3B
The monthly or quarterly GST returns for outward supplies (GSTR-1) and the summary return with tax paid (GSTR-3B). Learn more →
Guest profile
A customer record linked to every bill, with visit history and preferences. Learn more →

H

Handheld POS
A portable Android device with a built-in printer for billing at the table or in a queue. Learn more →
HSN and SAC codes
Classification codes on GST invoices: HSN for goods, SAC for services. Restaurant service is SAC 996331. Learn more →

I

Ideal vs actual variance
The gap between what recipes say you should have used and what you actually used; above 4% signals a problem. Learn more →
IGST
Integrated GST, charged instead of CGST and SGST on inter-state supplies. Learn more →
Input tax credit
GST paid on purchases that a business can offset against GST it collects; most restaurants at 5% can't claim it. Learn more →

K

KDS
Kitchen display system: a screen that shows orders to the kitchen instead of printed tickets. Learn more →
KOT
Kitchen order ticket: the printed order the kitchen cooks from. Learn more →

L

LAN printer
A printer connected to the restaurant network by cable, so any device can print to it; the usual choice for kitchens. Learn more →
Loyalty program
Rewards for repeat guests, such as points or offers, run from guest profiles. Learn more →

M

Analysing each dish's popularity and margin to decide what to promote, reprice or remove. Learn more →
A chart grouping dishes into stars, workhorses, puzzles and dogs by popularity and margin. Learn more →
Merge tables
Combining two or more tables into one order and bill. Learn more →
Modifier
A change to an item, such as "extra cheese" or "less spicy", that prints on the KOT. Learn more →
Multi-outlet dashboard
One view of sales, food cost and performance across all outlets. Learn more →

O

Offline mode
A POS feature that keeps billing when the internet drops and syncs later. Learn more →
ONDC
Open Network for Digital Commerce, a government-backed network for online orders with lower commission than aggregators. Learn more →
On-premise POS
POS software installed on a computer at the restaurant, with data stored locally. Learn more →

P

Par level
The stock level you want on hand for an ingredient; falling below the reorder point triggers an order. Learn more →
POS
Point of sale: where and when an order is billed and paid; also the system that manages it. Learn more →
Prime cost
Food cost plus labour cost as a share of sales; the best-run restaurants keep it at 55–60%. Learn more →

Q

QR ordering
Guests scan a QR code at the table or counter to see the menu and order from their phones. Learn more →
QSR
Quick service restaurant: counter-service outlets built for speed and volume. Learn more →

R

Recipe costing
Working out the ingredient cost of one portion of a dish, including yield. Learn more →
Recipe-linked inventory
Stock that reduces automatically by each dish's recipe whenever it's billed. Learn more →

S

Section 9(5)
The GST rule under which food delivery platforms collect and pay GST on restaurant orders placed through them. Learn more →
Service charge
An optional charge for service; under India's 2022 guidelines it can't be mandatory or added by default. Learn more →
Split bill
Dividing one table's bill equally, by item or by seat. Learn more →
Split payment
Paying one bill with more than one method, such as UPI and card. Learn more →

T

Thermal printer
The printer type used for bills and KOTs; 80 mm for most counters and kitchens, 58 mm for small or portable use. Learn more →
Token number
An order number given to QSR guests so they can collect when it's ready. Learn more →
Transfer table
Moving a running order from one table to another. Learn more →

U

UPI sound box
A small speaker that announces each UPI payment received, usually rented from a payment provider. Learn more →

V

Void
Cancelling an item or bill after it's entered; should need a manager and a reason. Learn more →

W

Wastage log
A record of spoiled, spilled or returned food with a reason and rupee value. Learn more →

Y

Yield
The usable share of an ingredient after cleaning or trimming; 80% yield means 5 g usable needs 6.25 g from stock. Learn more →
See the terms in action: F&Bos restaurant POS brings KOTs, the kitchen display, GST billing, split payments, recipe-linked inventory and dish margins together in one system. For the full feature list to compare any POS, use our restaurant POS features checklist.

Frequently asked questions

What is a KOT in a restaurant?

A KOT (kitchen order ticket) is the order slip the kitchen cooks from. A POS prints it at the right kitchen station, or shows it on a kitchen display, as soon as an order is placed.

What is the difference between KOT and KDS?

A KOT is a printed ticket; a KDS (kitchen display system) shows the same orders on a screen, updates them live and tracks prep times.

What does POS stand for in a restaurant?

Point of sale: the place and moment an order is billed and paid, and the system of software and hardware that manages it.

What is SAC code 996331?

It's the GST services code for restaurant service, covering restaurants, cafés and similar eating places, including takeaway and door delivery of food.

Related POS guides

PILLAR GUIDE

Restaurant POS system: the complete 2026 guide

How a POS works, GST and UPI, costs and launch.

Read the guide → KITCHEN

KDS vs KOT printer

Which does your kitchen need?

Read the guide → GST

Restaurant bill format in India

A GST-compliant sample bill, field by field.

Read the guide →
About F&Bos. F&Bos is a restaurant POS and margin-analytics platform built by Aimtech Dynamics in Kolkata, used by restaurants, cafés, ice cream parlours and cloud kitchens across India. More about F&Bos.