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Many restaurants need a point-of-sale (POS) system with spill-proof, attractive hardware options that blend in seamlessly with their decor. Toast fits the bill. It’s an excellent option for restaurants of all sizes, providing a wide range of hardware and software. You can choose from multiple software plans with straightforward, transparent pricing. There’s also a free plan for new restaurant owners. Additionally, Toast is easy to set up and implement, providing a central platform for restaurant owners to manage their establishments.
Toast provides POS solutions for quick-service and full-service restaurants, including food trucks, bars and fine-dining establishments. Source: Toast
9.3 / 10
We selected Toast as the best POS system for hardware because the vendor’s offerings are durable and blend in at any restaurant easily. You have a wide variety of options to choose from, including handheld devices, counter displays and self-service POS kiosks. Notably, Toast’s hardware is designed to hold up in fast-paced restaurant environments. In fact, using Toast mobile payments can save servers four minutes per table. Additionally, on average, restaurants that use Toast Mobile Order and Pay™ experience a 10% increase in revenue.
The equipment is spill-proof and can withstand high temperatures. The displays can be mounted anywhere in the kitchen so that employees don’t lose visibility. The technology allows restaurants to provide all guests with excellent service.
We like that you can purchase the necessary hardware based on your restaurant’s size and type. You can customize your POS system further with accessories like flip stands, wall mounts and printers. Additionally, all Toast POS devices let customers make contactless payments, including near-field communication mobile payments.
Toast displays can be mounted anywhere in the kitchen so that employees don’t lose visibility. Source: Toast
We like that Toast is a user-friendly POS system provider with various hardware and software options. The company sells restaurant-grade hardware, including terminals, kiosks, handheld devices, a guest-facing monitor and a kitchen display screen. Toast was originally launched as a consumer app to help restaurants process mobile payments and integrate with existing POS systems. Now, it handles various tasks, like allowing customers to book reservations and accommodating quick-service restaurants.
We appreciate that Toast’s hardware options make managing various aspects of your business easier. For example, the Toast Go mobile handheld POS can accept contactless, swipe and dip payments. Plus, the battery lasts twice as long as iPad POS systems.
Toast’s software has everything you need to manage the front and back of the house. Its order management feature notifies servers when a customer’s order is ready, providing a better guest experience.
We also like that you can use Toast’s menu management feature to update your menu from any device and manage your menu availability with item countdowns.
Toast gives you all the tools you need to run your restaurant. Source: Toast
All-in-one POS system | Toast’s POS system comes with restaurant-grade hardware, cloud-based software and payment processing features. |
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Digital ordering | Toast offers online ordering, contactless delivery and takeout. |
Order and pay | Toast Mobile Order & Pay allows guests to look through the menu on their own devices and order right from their table. |
We were impressed that Toast’s all-in-one POS system comes with restaurant-grade hardware, cloud-based software and payment processing features. We like that its hardware is designed to support a fast-paced restaurant environment and can fit in with any restaurant theme or decor. Because Toast has its own payment processing features, you don’t have to look to outside vendors for credit card processing or other services.
Toast’s cloud-based software includes the following features:
Digital solutions are one way POS systems are changing and evolving. We love that Toast is at the forefront of restaurant POS solutions with a full suite of digital restaurant-specific features, including online ordering, contactless delivery and takeout. These services can improve the customer experience, raise your profit margins and increase your restaurant’s revenue. In fact, one reviewer mentioned they experienced a major increase in online ordering after setting up Toast Digital Ordering.
Here are Toast’s digital ordering features that impressed us most:
The Toast TakeOut app helps restaurants reach new guests and make ordering easier for regulars. Source: Toast
We were impressed with Toast Mobile Order & Pay, a mobile ordering feature that lets customers browse your menu, place an order and pay for it right from their table.
This feature is convenient for guests and offers greater flexibility for servers. Waitstaff can focus on upselling customers and providing a higher quality of service instead of dealing with repetitive tasks like processing payments and closing out checks. You can also use Order & Pay to gain valuable data about every customer.
We were pleased that Toast offers competitive and straightforward pricing. Using Toast’s POS services, you’ll get one straightforward system to run your entire restaurant. It has all the features you’d expect in a restaurant POS system, including taking orders, managing your menu and monitoring your restaurant’s performance.
Here’s a breakdown of Toast’s plans:
You’ll also pay a payment processing fee per transaction, but you must contact Toast for a custom quote. The fee is based on the type and size of the restaurant you run.
We like that setting up your POS system with Toast is straightforward. After signing your contract, a Toast Onboarding Consultant will reach out to schedule a kick-off call. During the 30-minute call, you’ll review the onboarding process and determine a timeline for implementing the POS system.
Your Onboarding Consultant will also confirm your hardware list. According to Toast, it typically takes between seven and 14 days to receive your hardware.
Once your hardware arrives, the Toast team will begin building your menu and configuring your software. We also like that the company will train you and your staff on using the software so you feel comfortable managing it on your own — this is a feature not every POS system includes. Many reviewers highlighted Toast’s simple setup process, quotiring its intuitive design and how easy it is to train employees.
Toast’s customer service options are on par with many competitors we reviewed. As a Toast customer, you can access 24/7 customer support via phone, email or live chat. We like that service options are available for all customers, regardless of their plan tier.
The company also provides training videos and online resources with frequently asked questions (FAQs) and troubleshooting support. These are excellent ways to get your questions answered promptly.
Toast’s video courses help restaurant owners learn how to start and grow their businesses. Source: Toast
The biggest drawback to using Toast is that you must use its payment processing services and can’t opt for a third-party payment processor. This means businesses must accept whatever fees Toast charges, which might be higher than other payment processing services. If compatibility with third-party payment processors is a dealbreaker for your restaurant, check out our review of Revel, which integrates with third-party payment processors like First Data, Heartland and Worldpay.
Another drawback: While you can cancel your Toast account anytime, you may get hit with cancellation fees.
When researching the best POS systems for hardware, we looked at hardware durability, accessories, look and feel and options. Additionally, we evaluated crucial POS features restaurants need, including digital and mobile ordering and stellar customer service. When evaluating Toast, we compared the platform’s offerings and services to more than a dozen other POS systems. Our research helped us determine where Toast stands out among competitors and where improvements are needed.
We recommend Toast for …
We don’t recommend Toast for …