Do you own a restaurant or cafe and want to streamline operations?
Toast POS is an all-in-one point-of-sale system designed specifically for restaurants, cafes, and bars. It helps simplify daily business operations by combining inventory management, customer data tracking, and sales reporting into one easy-to-use platform. You’ll have real-time insights into your restaurant’s performance to help drive success in any hospitality environment.
With Toast POS, you can customize menu items on the fly, reducing errors, freeing up valuable staff time, and increasing overall efficiency. So you can focus less on admin tasks and more on creative endeavors to better serve your customers. Plus, its cloud-based infrastructure offers reliability while minimizing disruption due to maintenance or outages, ensuring that all orders are quickly processed no matter the location!
Read my comprehensive Toast POS review to see how Toast POS can streamline your restaurant operations.
Toast POS Summary
If you work in the food service industry, you know how important it is to have a reliable and efficient restaurant POS system. Toast POS has a user-friendly interface and powerful features. It’s an Android cloud-based system that offers a range of services to help your processes, from online ordering to managing your menu and inventory. Plus, with the Toast Takeout app, your customers can easily place orders and pay from their mobile devices. In this article, I’ll take a closer look at what Toast POS offers and how it can benefit your restaurant
Full offline mode
Continue operations even with spotty internet connection.
Online ordering website integration
Integrates with restaurant’s website for seamless online ordering.
Tableside ordering and payments
Orders and payments taken directly at the table.
Back-of-house systems
Make your kitchen operations smoother and more efficient.
Customer relationship management
Engage your customers
Back Office Operations
Manage business operations efficiently
Overall Rating:
4.8 / 5
Toast POS Pros
Toast POS Cons
Starts at $0/month
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What People are Saying about Toast POS
Toast POS reviews on Trustpilot give Toast 3.7 stars (491/781 5-star, 63%; 105/781 4-star, 13%; 51/781 4-star, 7%; 35/781 2-star, 4%; 99/781 1-star, 13%).
Toast is accredited with the Better Business Bureau with a B rating. There are 153 customer complaints closed in the last 3 years, and 84 complaints closed in the previous 12 months. The customer reviews are poor at 1.16/5 stars.
What is Toast POS?
Toast POS is a cloud-based restaurant POS that caters to the needs of the food service industry. It’s designed to help refine your operations and improve the customer experience. The Toast system allows you to easily manage your menu, inventory, and orders from one centralized system.
One of the standout features of Toast POS is its online ordering capabilities. Customers can place orders directly from your website or through the Toast Takeout app, which can help increase sales and reduce wait times. Plus, with the app’s built-in payment processing, customers can pay for their orders directly from their mobile devices.
In addition to online ordering, Toast POS also offers a range of other features that can benefit your restaurant. For example, it can help you manage your inventory by tracking ingredients and alerting you when supplies run low. It can also help you create custom reports to gain insights into your sales and operations. With Toast Payroll, you can manage your employees’ wages and accounts.
Overall, Toast POS is a powerful and user-friendly restaurant POS system that can help take your operations to the next level. Whether you’re looking to optimize your ordering process, manage your inventory more efficiently, or gain insights into your business, Toast POS has you covered.
Who is Toast POS for?
Toast POS is ideal for various food service establishments, including coffee shops, fast casual dining venues, full-service restaurants, bars and nightclubs, and even Toast delivery services. As a restaurant owner wanting to improve your operations and customer experience, Toast POS is a great choice.
Coffee shops can benefit from Toast POS’s online ordering capabilities, allowing customers to place their orders ahead of time and skip the line. The system also makes it easy to track inventory and sales, ensuring that you always have the supplies you need on hand.
Fast casual dining venues and other quick service shops, like sandwich shops and pizza parlors, can take advantage of Toast POS’s customizable menus and tableside ordering and payment options. The system’s fast and efficient ordering process can help reduce wait times and improve customer satisfaction.
Toast POS’s built-in payment processing and loyalty program integration can benefit full-service restaurants. The system also offers a range of features to help manage inventory, track sales, and create custom reports.
Toast delivery services allow restaurants to use local drivers to deliver food through an on-demand network.
What benefits does Toast POS provide?
Here are my favorite benefits provided by the Toast POS system.
Full offline mode
The full offline mode feature of the Toast POS enables restaurant owners to continue with their business operations even when they experience internet outages or network disruptions. The offline mode feature ensures that restaurants can continue to serve customers, take orders, and process payments even when they don’t have a reliable internet connection.
In an internet outage, the offline mode feature enables restaurants to continue operating without interruption in service. The orders taken offline are automatically synced with the system when the internet connection is restored. This prevents any data loss or discrepancies in the order and payment process.
Another benefit of the offline mode is its flexibility for restaurant owners. They can use it to take orders and process payments while on the go, such as during outdoor events, food festivals, and other occasions where internet connectivity may be limited. This feature helps restaurants maximize their sales potential and minimize any disruptions in their business operations.
Online ordering website integration
Toast’s online ordering website integration feature helps restaurants improve their operations and increase sales. Once a restaurant integrates Toast with its website, customers can easily place orders online without calling or visiting the establishment in person. This can reduce wait times and increase order accuracy, as customers can take their time selecting items from the menu and customizing their orders.
Online ordering is also becoming increasingly popular, with more and more customers opting to order food online instead of dining in or calling in for takeout. By offering online ordering through their website, restaurants can tap into this growing market and increase their overall sales.
One benefit of using Toast when integrating Toast into your website for online orders, their system effectively utilizes Address Verification System (AVS) checks to detect and manage any AVS mismatches, providing an added layer of security to protect businesses from potential fraudulent transactions.
This integration feature of Toast POS also allows for easy management of your menu, as changes made to the menu in the system are automatically reflected on the website. This minimizes the need for manual updates and ensures that customers always have access to the most up-to-date menu information.
Tableside ordering and payments
Restaurants that want to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their operations can use the tableside ordering and payments feature of the Toast POS. Servers can take orders and process payments directly at the table using a handheld device, eliminating the need for paper tickets and reducing the chances of errors or misunderstandings.
This feature also allows for faster service, as orders can be sent directly to the kitchen as soon as they are taken, reducing customer wait times. In addition, customers can pay their bills at the table, so they don’t need to wait in line at a cash register or flag down their server.
The Tableside ordering and payments feature also offers a higher level of security for both the restaurant and the customer. Since credit card information is not transferred to a separate device or location, the risk of credit card fraud or theft is reduced. Additionally, customers can feel more secure knowing that their payment information is not leaving their sight.
Back-of-House Systems
Toast POS back-of-house systems include different features to remove friction from your kitchen.
Kitchen display system
The kitchen display system of the Toast POS connects the front-of-house with the back-of-house. The server’s handheld device or the front-of-house device sends orders directly to a display screen in the kitchen. As a result, the kitchen staff can see the orders immediately and start processing them.
The Kitchen display system also allows for more efficient order processing, as orders can be prioritized and organized by course or timing. This helps to ensure that dishes are prepared in the proper order and are served to the customer quickly.
Inventory management
By accurately tracking inventory levels and identifying which items are being wasted, restaurants can make informed decisions about how much to order and which items to remove from their menus.
By ensuring that inventory levels are correctly listed and tracked and that any special requests or modifications are accurately communicated to the kitchen, restaurants can reduce the chance of errors or miscommunications and provide a better overall customer experience.
Menu Management
Restaurant owners and managers can easily create and update their menus across all of your locations with Multi-location Management. You can add new items, adjust prices, and track real-time sales data.
XtraChef
A new feature of Toast POS, XtraChef is an accurate cost management tool that help you monitor exactly where your money is going. XtraChef automates invoice processing and integrates sales and payroll data with your accounting system, saving time and reducing the need for data entry and spreadsheet management. It also helps you determine how much each recipe costs and simplifies recipe management.
Customer relationship management
Toast POS offers a comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) system that can help businesses engage with their customers meaningfully.
Email marketing
Create targeted email campaigns to promote new products, share special offers, and inform your customers about upcoming events. It is easy to track the performance of these campaigns, so you can see how effective they are at driving sales and engagement.
Loyalty program
Create custom loyalty programs that reward customers for repeat purchases or other desired behaviors. You can easily manage these programs, track customer points and rewards, and adjust as needed.
Gift card management
Create and sell gift cards through the Toast platform. Customers can easily redeem them online or in-store. This feature can drive revenue, encourage repeat visits, and expand a business’s customer base by allowing customers to share their positive experiences with friends and family through gift card purchases.
Back Office Integrations
Toast POS offers a range of back office integrations that help manage restaurant operations.
Toast Payroll
Payroll integration allows restaurant owners to manage employee payroll directly within the Toast platform. This integration helps reduce manual data entry and the potential for errors.
Toast Reporting and Analytics
The platform offers robust reporting and analytics tools that give restaurant owners detailed insights into their sales, inventory, and customer behavior. This information lets owners make data-driven decisions to optimize their restaurant’s performance.
Multi-location Management
Multi-location management is another area where Toast POS excels. The platform allows restaurant owners to manage multiple locations from a single dashboard, making it easy to view and manage data across all sites. This feature is handy for growing restaurant chains or franchises.
Payment Processing
Built-in payment processing simplifies the payment process for both the restaurant and the customer. This integration allows restaurant owners to process payments directly within the Toast platform, reducing the need for additional hardware or software.
Toast POS Pricing – How Much Does it Cost?
Toast uses a subscription-based pricing model. Depending on your plan, you get different point-of-sale hardware and integration packages with that plan.
Toast Point-of-Sale Hardware
- Restaurant Grade (IP54 spill-proof rated)
- Faster speed of service
- Designed to blend in with your decor
POS Hardware Choices
- Toast Flex – POS designed for restaurant
- Toast Go 2 – fully integrated handheld (swipe, dip, tap)
- Toast Flex for Guest – Toast flex with guest screen
- Toast Flex for Kitchen – connect front- and back of house with kitchen display screens
- Self-service Kiosk (contactless)
Starter Kits
Two different payment plans:
- Pay-as-you-go – the payment processing fees pay for the hardware
- Standard – you pay for the hardware upfront and pay monthly for Toast software
Starter Kit Options
- Countertop kit includes POS terminal Toast Flex, Payment device with Toast Tap, Data security hardware PCI compliant router, Software subscription – POS, integrated menu management, real-time analytics, reporting, and more. $0 or $799 upfront + $69/month (2-year contract)
- Handheld Kit includes Handheld point of sale terminal Toast Go 2, wireless access point, data security hardware PCI compliant router, Software subscription – POS, integrated menu management, real-time analytics, reporting, and more. $0 or $609 upfront + $69/month (2-year contract)
- Guest Self-service kit – self-service terminal for your guests Toast 22″ kiosk, Payment device with Toast Tap, data security hardware PCI compliant router, Software subscription – POS, integrated menu management, real-time analytics, reporting, and more. Free setup and installation support. $0 or $999 upfront + $99/month (2-year contract)
Accessories
- Toast Tap(TM) (on counter and direct attach) – tap, dip, or swipe, accepts Apple Pay, digital wallets, and credit and debit cards
- Toast Printer – print order receipts in multiple languages
- Impact Printer – Kitchen printers configured in English and Chinese
- Toast Hub – ethernet port and USB hub
- Flip Stands and Wall mounts
- Scale that connects to POS for weighing food items
- Barcode scanner for grab-and-go retail or food items
- Cash Drawers
- MSR Credit card reader (swipe device)
- EMV credit card reader (dip)
- Wireless access points
- Robust routers
Toast POS Software
- Cloud-based access
- easy to learn and use
- open integrations to other applications
Quick Start Bundle (see above):
- Core starts at $69.
- Growth starts at $165/month
- Custom build your own has custom pricing.
- Bundle POS and Payroll starts at $110/month plus $4 per employee/month
Payments
Transparent payment processing fees
- Pay-as-you go – 2.99% +$0.15 transaction fee
- Standard – 2.49% + $0.15 transaction fee
- Card-present (CP) transactions (EMV dip, contactless tap, mag swipe) fees are lower than Card-not-present (CNP) transaction fees (online ordering, 3rd party delivery, phone orders, online invoices)
- No hidden fees
- One single point of contact for payments and POS
- Custom-built rate based on your business
Toast POS Alternatives
There are several alternatives to Toast POS, including:
Each POS system has unique features and pricing models, so it’s essential to compare them and choose the one that best fits your restaurant needs.
Conclusion – Is Toast POS Worth It?
I have analyzed the features and benefits of Toast POS, and I recommend it to restaurant business owners looking for an Android POS system.
With a user-friendly interface, customizable features, and robust functionalities like inventory management, menu engineering, and online ordering, Toast POS can help businesses streamline operations and increase efficiency.
The platform’s cloud-based technology allows easy installation, automatic software updates, and access to real-time data insights. The Tableside ordering and payments feature and the back-of-house systems The offline mode also ensures uninterrupted service during internet outages.
Despite some limitations, Toast POS is a reliable and efficient choice for restaurant businesses.
