Comparison

Dines vs Kobas

An honest, feature-by-feature comparison of two UK & Ireland-focused hospitality EPoS platforms. Both serve the sector well. The right choice depends on your venue type and operational model.

The short version

Dines Dines is purpose-built for complex, multi-vendor hospitality: food halls with dozens of independent traders, festivals needing offline-first reliability, and theatres maximising 15-minute interval windows. It includes automated vendor settlement, Tilly AI, and offline-first architecture with eSIM failover.

Kobas Kobas is a credible UK & Ireland hospitality EPoS with food hall capabilities, workforce management, and multi-site reporting. It is well-suited to managed pub groups and centrally operated food halls. It has a solid track record in UK & Ireland hospitality.

Feature comparison

A factual overview of what each platform offers across key hospitality functions.

Ordering

FeatureDinesKobas

iPad ePOS

Self-order kiosks

QR mobile ordering (no app)

Handheld POS (roaming)Partial

Multi-vendor basket (one checkout)Partial

Pre-ordering from seats (theatres)

Operations

FeatureDinesKobas

Kitchen display system (KDS)

Automated vendor settlementPartial

Commission and revenue splitsPartial

Centralised multi-vendor menu management

Stock management across vendors

Staff management (rotas, permissions)

Payments

FeatureDinesKobas

Integrated card payments

Automated vendor settlementPartial

Offline payments (full functionality)Partial

Offline failover (Wi-Fi > eSIM > offline)

9-second automatic failover

Advanced

FeatureDinesKobas

AI assistant (menu creation, reporting)

Vouchers, loyalty, pre-paid tabs

Real-time cross-vendor reportingPartial

Festival-scale deployment (100+ devices)Partial

Which is right for your venue?

The best POS is the one that fits how your venue actually operates. Here is our honest assessment by venue type.

Food Halls

Best fit: Both

Both Dines and Kobas have food hall experience. Kobas serves managed food halls and pub groups well with centralised menu control and stock management. Dines is stronger for food halls with independent vendors needing automated settlement and individual commission splits. The choice depends on whether your vendors are independent traders or centrally managed.

Festivals & Events

Best fit: Dines

Large-scale festivals need offline-first reliability and rapid multi-device deployment. Dines maintains a 97.4% offline capture rate with 9-second failover and has a proven track record at major UK & Ireland festivals. Kobas has more limited offline capability and less experience at festival scale.

Theatres & Venues

Best fit: Dines

Interval ordering requires pre-ordering from seats and fast bar mode for 15-minute service windows. Dines is purpose-built for this. Kobas does not currently offer theatre-specific interval features.

Managed Pub Groups

Best fit: Kobas

For managed pub groups and bar chains with centralised operations, Kobas is a credible choice with strong UK & Ireland hospitality experience, good workforce management, and multi-site reporting. It has a solid track record in the managed group sector.

Restaurants & Bars

Best fit: Both

Both platforms handle table service, tabs, kitchen routing, and loyalty well. Dines offers AI-powered menu creation (Tilly AI) and stronger offline resilience. Kobas offers solid workforce management and has a well-established UK & Ireland customer base. Both are capable for single-site hospitality.

Dines by the numbers

97.4%

Offline capture rate

<60s

Average support response

98%

Customer retention year on year

Common questions

Is Dines or Kobas better for food halls?

Both platforms serve food halls. Kobas is well-suited to centrally managed food halls and pub groups. Dines is stronger for food halls with independent vendors needing automated settlement, individual commission splits, and cross-vendor basket ordering. The choice depends on whether your vendors are independent traders or centrally managed.

Does Kobas work offline at festivals?

Kobas has limited offline capability. Dines provides an offline-first architecture with automatic failover from Wi-Fi to eSIM to full offline mode in 9 seconds, achieving a 97.4% offline capture rate. For large-scale festivals and outdoor events, Dines has a stronger track record in unreliable connectivity environments.

How do Dines and Kobas compare on price?

Both platforms offer competitive pricing for UK & Ireland hospitality. Kobas typically charges a monthly subscription per site. Dines offers competitive card processing rates with a platform fee, and for some products you only pay when trading. Contact both providers for a quote tailored to your venue type.

Can I switch from Kobas to Dines?

Yes. Dines offers rapid deployment, with single-site venues going live within 24 hours. Your menu, pricing, and product data can be migrated, and our team handles the setup for you. Both platforms serve UK & Ireland hospitality, so the transition is straightforward.

See Dines in action

Book a 15-minute call and we will show you how Dines works for your specific venue type.

Book a call