MIT License · Zero cost forever

Restaurant POS that speaks AI

AI-native · API-first · Zero recurring cost

Get StartedgithubView on GitHub

Compatible with your favourite Agentic Harnesses

Dashboard

Welcome back, John.

Dishes

24

Tables

12

Orders

8

Bookings

5

Most Popular Dishes

Sashimi Platter
142 sold
#1

Sashimi Platter

刺身盛り合わせ · HKD 288

Yakitori
118 sold
#2

Yakitori

焼き鳥 · HKD 58

Ramen
97 sold
#3

Ramen

ラーメン · HKD 88

Gyu Don
84 sold
#4

Gyu Don

牛丼 · HKD 88

Edamame
76 sold
#5

Edamame

枝豆 · HKD 38

Karaage
71 sold
#6

Karaage

唐揚げ · HKD 68

Katsu Don
65 sold
#7

Katsu Don

勝つ丼 · HKD 98

Tempura
58 sold
#8

Tempura

天ぷら · HKD 128

Works on:

Trusted by restaurants around the world

Sushi ZenDumpling HouseBurger BrosTaco StandPasta LabCafe NoirSushi ZenDumpling HouseBurger BrosTaco StandPasta LabCafe Noir
Ramen BarDim Sum CourtSeafood GrillSteakhouse 88Noodle LabBistro 42Ramen BarDim Sum CourtSeafood GrillSteakhouse 88Noodle LabBistro 42
Core feature
AI-Native POS

Run your entire POS through AI agents

This is what Zest is built for. Connect Claude, Codex, Hermes, or any agentic harness — then order, price, and report through natural language. No admin panels required.

terminal
$ zest order --table T03 --items
'[{dish:2,qty:1},{dish:5,qty:2}]'
 
✓ Order #42 placed
1× Tonkotsu Ramen → T03
2× Salmon Sashimi → T03
Kitchen notified ✓
01

Order through agents

Tell your AI agent what to place. It calls the REST API or CLI — table orders, takeaway, multi-round rounds. Kitchen sees it instantly.

Set lunch price of ramen to HK$78
✓ Ramen lunch price updated:HK$88 → HK$78
Show me today's top dish
Sashimi Platter · 38 ordersHK$40,896 revenue this week
02

Manage pricing through agents

Update dish prices, set lunch/dinner rates, or bulk-adjust the menu — all via conversation. No clicking through admin panels.

New Dish
AI fill
JA豚骨ラーメン
ENTonkotsu Ramen
ZH豚骨拉麵
CATRamen
03

AI data entry & translation

Type a dish name in any language — AI fills names, descriptions, and categories across all three languages instantly. Works through the GUI, REST API, or CLI — no manual translation needed.

This WeekAI query
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
142 orders↑ 18%

Sashimi Platter · HK$40,896 revenue

04

Reports through agents

Ask for sales summaries, top dishes, revenue by period, or table turnover. Your agent queries the API and returns answers in plain language.

Features

Everything a modern restaurant needs

Six reasons why Zest is the last POS you will ever install.

AI-Native Architecture

The first POS built for the agent era. CLI and REST API designed for LLM consumption.

Multilingual by Default

English, Traditional Chinese & any other language baked into every dish, description, and time slot.

Zero Recurring Cost

No SaaS fees. No per-terminal charges. No transaction percentages. Your data stays on your machine.

Real-Time Order Board

Kanban-style order management with live SSE updates. Kitchen sees orders instantly.

QR Table Ordering

Customers scan a QR, browse the trilingual menu, add rounds, view the bill. Dine-in and takeaway.

Time-Based Pricing

Automatic breakfast/lunch/dinner pricing. Different prices per meal period.

How it works

From QR to kitchen in seconds

No app install. No waiter delay. Just scan, order, and eat.

1
01

Scan

Customer scans the table QR code with their phone.

2
02

Order

Browse the trilingual menu and add dishes across multiple rounds.

3
03

Done

Order appears on the kitchen printer and staff dashboard in real time.

Compare

Zest vs Traditional POS

Your POS vendor charges you $200/month. We charge you nothing.

FeatureZestTraditional POS
Monthly cost$0$50–$200/terminal
Transaction fees0%2.5–3.5%
AI/CLI supportBuilt-inNone
TrilingualNativeBolt-on
Real-time updatesSSEDepends
Data ownershipYour serverTheir cloud
API accessFull RESTLimited/Paid
Time-based pricingBuilt-inManual
Command Line Interface

Built for developers, loved by staff

A CLI-first workflow that feels as fast as the kitchen needs it to be.

zest-cli
$ npx zest-cli menu --pretty

  山喬 ZEST — Menu

  Sashimi
    #1 鮭の刺身
       Salmon Sashimi
       三文魚刺身
       HK$88.00

    #2 マグロの刺身
       Tuna Sashimi
       金槍魚刺身
       HK$98.00

$ npx zest-cli order \
    --mode dine-in --table T01 \
    --items '[{"dish_id":1,"qty":2}]'

✓ Order #42 placed. 2x Salmon Sashimi for Table T01.

Copy-paste friendly. Pipe it into your own tools.

Tech Stack

Boring stack, exciting results

Open source, offline-first, and designed to last.

LayerTechnology
FrameworkNext.js 16 + React 19
DatabaseSQLite (WAL mode)
StylingTailwind CSS v4 + shadcn/ui
Authbcrypt + SHA-256 API keys
PrintingESC/POS BLE thermal
AIDeepSeek API (optional)
CLICommander.js + Axios
Roadmap

Shipping now and what is next

We ship fast, in the open. Here is what is already real and what is cooking.

Built & Shipping

  • Trilingual menu & admin dashboard
  • QR table ordering (dine-in + takeaway)
  • Real-time kanban order board
  • BLE thermal printing
  • Time-based pricing
  • Dish variants & options
  • Reservation system with calendar
  • AI-assisted menu entry
  • Customer CLI
  • 4 theme system
  • Full REST API (50+ endpoints)

Coming Soon

  • Cloud database (Postgres multi-device sync)
  • Payment processing (Stripe Terminal, Octopus)
  • Receipt & invoice PDF generation

On the Roadmap

  • Inventory tracking
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Delivery platform integration
  • Multi-location support
  • Employee scheduling
Start here

Get started in one command

Self-host in minutes. No sales call required.

curl -fsSL https://zestai.secretbase.dev/install.sh | bash