The Ultimate Toast POS Review and Pricing Guide with Feature Comparison: Know if it is really the best POS for Restaurant Business
Toast POS is built specifically for food service businesses.
The platform integrates many features by making it an all-in-one solution for companies. The company was named as one of the best startups at the 2016 NEVY awards.
The competitively priced system caters to the needs of small and big food service businesses.
But does the POS system really make the cut for your company? How does the POS compare with some other solutions? You will find out the answer for this and much more in my in-depth review of Toast POS.
Table of Contents:
Toast POS Introduction
Our Rating: 
Toast POS is an Android-based POS system that is specially designed for the food service business. The system has excellent order processing, menu management, and reward management feature. It is the ideal point-of-sales solution for all types of eatery businesses including full-service restaurants, bars, cafes, and quick-service eateries.
Suggested Read => All That You Need To Know About Restaurant POS
Fact Check
Toast POS was first launched in 2013 with its Headquarters in Boston, MA. The company was founded to cater to the needs of restaurant businesses. Over the years the company has experienced exceptional growth.
Today, the company has more than 1400 employees and is present in 230 regions across the US. The company’s estimated valuation is about $1.4 billion.
You should watch the following video for a quick overview of the important features of this POS.
Toast POS Best Features
Toast system is a highly user-friendly system with lots of features. The app design makes navigation through the menu much easier. Moreover, its online connectivity allows you to access data from anywhere.
The POS system can integrate with lots of apps. You can integrate the application with popular apps such as TableUp, Bevspot, SynergySuite, GrubHub, LevelUp, and others. The system supports Android smartphone.
Let’s take a detailed look at some of the noteworthy features of the Toast system.
Hardware Devices
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You can buy different hardware depending on your exact needs. The company sells POS terminals, handheld Android tablet, kiosks, guest-facing monitor, and a kitchen display screen. In this way, the guests and kitchen employees can know more information about food items.
You can buy the hardware separately or as part of a bundle. The Toast Terminal bundle consists of a terminal with stand, cash drawer, reader, receipt printer, cables, and switches. Buying the bundle will be more cost effective for most of the business owners.
The bundle consists of everything that is required to get started using Toast POS.
Order Management
The highlight of the Toast POS is its order management feature. The system can accept orders from kitchen workers and customers. The server can be immediately notified once a meal is ready to serve the customers. This results in much effective customer services.
The staff can also take tableside payments using the EMV or credit card reader. This greatly streamlines the payment process by saving the time of customers and the staff.
Menu Management
Menu management feature is another highlight of Toast POS. I really like the idea of updating the menu from any device. The cloud-based POS solution will always display the updated menus. This ensures that all the servers know about the latest deals.
Online Ordering
A great feature that I personally liked is the ability to order online. Guests can place an order using a POS menu that is updated instantly. They can save their profiles and purchase history. Your employees can deliver the order instantly after reviewing the order.
The system supports loyalty and gift card management. You can reward repeated customers by creating a reward program for them.
Inventory Management
Kitchen workers can exactly know what ingredients are out of stock using the application. The system lets you to add ingredients along with the value. You can know which ingredients are urgently required and also the ones that you can delay. This result in accurate restocking of ingredients and reduction of wastages.
Data Reporting and Analytics
Toast POS supports efficient data analytics and reporting. The software can help you to monitor important stats regarding the business. With the Location Overview, you can view the net sales, sales growth, labor cost, and labor cost percentage in different stores.
You can generate sale summaries for a different time period. The information can help in identifying areas of improvement to serve the customers better.
Employee Management
Toast POS allows you to set access level restriction for employees.
You can give different access to the employees. The system allows you to adjust the reports based on the roles. For instance, if you can have the maitre d’hotel view menus and add orders, let the chef update food ingredients, and allow the restaurant manager to view the reports.
You can have certain employees to enter discounts and voids. In addition, you can also create a service area and assign a waiter to different areas.
Time Monitoring
You can get a full overview of staff shift using the time tracking function.
The system allows employees to enter a PIN for clock-in and clock-out. A great feature that I liked of the system was the report that is generated at the end of each shift. The report shows an overview of the shift breakdown for each individual employee.
Manager can view the Close Out Day function that reminds about everything that needs to be done before closing the shift.
Cost Management
Toast system generates reports about labor cost percentage of sales. This information can be used for internal cost control purposes. Managers can use the insights gained from the report for evaluating the internal costs and take appropriate cost control measures accordingly.
Customer Management
You can print receipts including the tips when a customer pays. The terminal gives customers an option to select the tip percentage. The tips will be added at the end of the day and distributed among the servers. Toast system will also generate custom receipts.
What I found unique about this system was that you can not only print paper receipts but also send it to people on their smartphone or email. This will make the customer feel good as going paperless is good for the ecology. The system can also save the contact information and order history of the customers for redefining the concept of quick service.
Features at a Glance
- Menu and Labor Management
- Order Notification
- Loyalty and Gift Cards Management
- Customer Management
- Take Credit Card and EMV Payments
- Collet Guest Notification
- Online Access to Data
- Powerful Reporting – location, sales summary, product mix, etc.
- Free 24/7 Customer Support.
Recommended Reading => Best Restaurant POS Systems
Toast Point of Sale Pricing
Toast POS software package costs just $79 per month for each terminal. The cost of the hardware is more than $899. In addition, you can opt for in-person or remote installation by paying $499.
| Software | Hardware | Installation |
|---|---|---|
| $79/mon. | $899+ | $499+ |
A great thing that I like about the pricing structure is its flat payment processing fee. This is unlike some other systems such as Square POS which charges a percentage of fees, Toast Point of Sale charges a fee for payment processing. This means that regardless of the payments processed, the fee will remain the same.
The fee is set based on the industry of business. This fee is different for each industry. You must contact Toast POS to obtain a custom quote for your business. The credit card processing fee is not disclosed on the website. But online reviews show that the average fee per transaction is $0.15 plus 1.8%.
Frequently Asked Questions
Take a look at the most popular FAQs on Toast System.
Q #1) What is Toast POS?
Answer: Toast is a point-of-sale system that is designed for eateries including bars, restaurant, and cafes. The system allows business owners to manage all tasks related to serving customers. With this system, the eatery staff can manage menu, orders, credit payments, and generate reports.
Q #2) Where can Toast system be used?
Answer: Toast platform can only be used in the US. The system is not designed to be run in other countries.
Q #3) What is Toast Point of Sale Best for?
Answer: Toast POS is tailored to the needs of restaurants and other eatery businesses. The intuitive software allows your team to easily manage menus and process orders using the system. It serves as a single platform for POS and payments.
The POS system contains powerful analytics which allows you to know about important sales related information.
Best For:
- Restaurant
- Bars
- Cafe and bakery
- Multi-location restaurant groups
Q #4) What did Customers like about Toast System?
Answer: Ease of installation was also praised by most of the customers. The technical experts can customize the system according to the specific needs of a restaurant.
Its user-friendly interface was also liked by a lot of customers. Customers can easily add and delete items. Moreover, detailed reports can be generated without getting deep in the menu. Customers liked the Toast Knowledgebase that contains searchable content. They can also attend interactive online audio and video training sessions.
Customer service was another highlight of Toast POS that had delighted a lot of customers. The responsive customer support personnel are friendly, patient, and professional while answering queries.
Customers can leave a number if the line is busy, and the support staff will call them back soon. This is something that is unheard of in the industry that has led to satisfied customers.
To summarize, the customers liked the following points:
- Ease of installation
- User-friendly interface
- Extensive knowledgebase
- Responsive Customer service
Q #5) What did Customers Dislike about Toast food service business POS?
Answer: The major complaint about the system is about the hidden fees for the credit payment processing services. Customers have complained that they didn’t get the rates that they were promised. Toast claims that it can match the current rates of the merchant so that no one pays more while switching.
But this does not always happen. Hence, you need to ask about the rates upfront, preferably in writing before opting for this software. Another thing that a number of customers complained about the system was that the POS hardware was prone to occasional down times.
To summarize, the customers disliked the following about this POS:
- Hidden fees
- Occasional downtime
Alternatives and Competitors
| POS Solution | Main Features | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover POS | Payment processing, order management, inventory management, employee shifts and staff accounting, customers engagement tools, remote order printing. | Best for retail and service businesses such as shopping stores, hospitals, barbers, and vets. | Free trial + Paid: $59/ month (Lite), $449/ month (Standard) Hardware: Clover Go $59, Clover Flex $449, Clover Mini $599, Clover Station $1,199 |
| Square POS Hardware | Inventory management, real-time sales monitoring, reporting | Best for small and mid-sized online companies, retail shops, coffee shops, and restaurants. | Fees: 2.75% per transaction for Square Reader App $60 plus 2.75% for Retail; 2.6%+10¢ per transaction for Square POS Terminal Hardware: Square Reader for Magstripe Chip: Free, Square Reader for Contactless Chips: $49, Square Stand with Chip Reader $199, Square POS Terminal $999 |
| QuickBooks POS | Process payments, reports, QuickBooks integration, inventory management, EMV chip card compatible, employee time management, petty cash payment monitoring, loyalty program management. | Best for small and mid-sized online companies, restaurant, retail shops, coffee shops, and bars. | Software Basic: $1200, Pro: $1700, Multi-Store: $1900 Hardware EMV Ready Pin Pad $99, Receipt Printer: $219.95, Barcode Scanner: $199.95, Cash Drawer: $109.95 Pole Display: $209.95, Tag Printer: $329.95, Wireless barcode scanner $409.95 |
| Saapad | Purchase management, inventory management, call center module, sales reports, and ERP integration, recipe management, reporting. | Best for small and mid-sized food eatery business. | Custom Quote: $59 to $2499 /month |
| AccuPOS | Inventory management, barcode scanning, customizable GUI, credit payment processing, gift cards. | Best for small and mid-sized businesses. | Free trial Subscription: $59/month (Basic) | $79/month (Platinum+) |
Final Verdict
Toast POS is a restaurant-grade online software system that is great for processing payments and order processing. The POS system is built from the ground up solely for Restaurant and fine dining business. The dashboard is beautifully designed with the restaurant business in mind.
The software contains all the important features that are required for the seamless operation of the restaurant. With the easy user interface, the team can spend more time with the guests, speed up the checkout, and ensure timely service.
Hope this tutorial would have helped you in exploring all about Toast POS.