The 5 Best Bakery POS Systems To Boost Sales In 2023

Lightspeed Restaurant Software Features For Bakers

Lightspeed Restaurant has one of the deepest feature sets available for foodservice establishments. This all-in-one platform has everything your bakery could need and is excellent for small to larger establishments.

Here are some of the feature highlights:

• Inventory management
• Kitchen display
• Staff profiles
• Takeout and delivery options
• Contactless ordering
• Reporting
• Built-in loyalty
• Multistore functionality

Lightspeed Restaurant Pricing

Lightspeed Restaurant has three pricing plans plus an enterprise plan.

The Essentials Plan starts at $90/month ($69/month with annual billing) and is likely all you need for a smaller bakery. The larger plans are more suited for sit-down restaurants, including the $246/month Plus plan ($189/month with annual billing) and the $519/month Pro plan ($399/month with annual billing).

Hardware Cost

Lightspeed sells iPad bundles on its website, but you’ll have to call them to get the exact pricing. They also sell individual hardware items, such as printers, card readers, and scanners.

Payment Processing

Lightspeed uses its own payment processing system, with a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction for individuals on the Essentials and Plus plans. Those on the Pro plan can get a custom payment processing rate from Lightspeed.

You can also integrate Lightspeed with a Lightspeed-compatible third-party payment processor. Businesses with larger sales volumes and longer time in business may consider finding a dedicated merchant account that gives you the best payment processing fees and account stability.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Lightspeed allows you to sign up for its services on a month-to-month basis, annual basis, or custom contract length.

There can be substantial early termination fees, so start with a monthly plan until you’re sure you’re ready to commit to this POS software.

Where Lightspeed Restaurant Really Shines For Bakery Shops

With the cloud-based Restaurant version of Lightspeed, the POS runs on the iPad exclusively, and you can access your back end through the Lightspeed website or a mobile app.

One of the many benefits Lightspeed Restaurant offers is the ability to tie in records of raw ingredients to specific products for real-time raw goods tracking. Some of its strongest back-end features include employee management, product management, customer management, and reporting.

Lightspeed also boasts many third-party software integrations as well as paid add-ons for advanced features, including loyalty, a self-order kiosk, online ordering, delivery management, a customer-facing display, and reporting, all with a sleek UI.

TouchBistro Software Features For Bakers

TouchBistro was built by and for restaurant owners and workers and is an incredibly intuitive system loaded with features to help your foodservice establishment run efficiently.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Table management
• Menu management
• Kitchen display system
• Inventory cost tracking
• Employee management
• In-depth reporting
• Mobile ordering

TouchBistro Pricing

TouchBistro has extremely simple pricing as plans start at $69/month with the option to add on advanced features, such as a loyalty program.

Hardware Cost

Like many POS companies, TouchBistro offers hardware bundles, but you will have to contact the company directly to get a custom price. The nice thing is that TouchBistro has different bundles for different business sizes, and you can also choose items à la carte directly from the website if needed.

Payment Processing

TouchBistro does not have its own payment processor, but it integrates with multiple processors, so you can shop around to find the best rate for your establishment. Some of the big names it integrates with include Square, Chase, and Moneris.

Contract Warnings/Requirements

TouchBistro allows you to purchase its software month-to-month with no long-term commitment.

Where TouchBistro Really Shines For Bakery Shops

TouchBistro is great for bakeries because it’s affordable, easy to use, and allows you to take complex bakery orders with ease. TouchBistro is an ideal iPad POS option for bakeries that want a modern tablet-based system and the security of onsite data storage. TouchBistro differs from most other “mobile” POS systems in that all your data is stored onsite.

Rather than syncing back to the cloud, POS app data is stored directly on your iPad or a local Mac server. For the Standard (one iPad) subscription, your entire bakery will be managed directly from the iPad. For two or more registers, you will need to set up a local server on a Mac Mini, Macbook Pro, or iMac, which will sync data to and from your iPad registers. However, you will need an internet connection to process credit card payments.

Square POS Software Features For Bakers

Square has both its free POS app and a free version of Square for Restaurants, which has a few more foodservice-specific features. Either would be well-suited for a smaller bakery.

Here are a few of its feature highlights:

• Remote menu and grid management
• Auto-gratuity
• Advanced modifiers
• Table maps
• Item counts
• Team management
• Square hardware compatibility
• Order management

Square Pricing

Square’s free POS and Square for Restaurants both have free plans. If you need more advanced features, you can also sign up for Square for Restaurant’s Plus plan for $60/month.

Hardware Cost

Square has a number of unique hardware devices, all of which are compatible with Square’s free plans.

Here are some of your options:

• Square Contactless Chip Reader: $49
• Square Stand: $149
• Square Terminal: $299
• Square Register: $799
• Square Terminal Kit: $1,389

Payment Processing

Square is known for its simple and affordable payment processing platform. Its standard rates are 2.6% + $0.10 per transaction for in-person payments and 3.5% + $0.15 for card-not-present transactions.

Contract Warnings/Requirements

There are no long-term contracts with Square, and you can use all of its software on a month-to-month basis.

Where Square Really Shines For Bakery Shops

Square is popular among all kinds of small businesses in the food-service sector, as it conveniently combines payment processing with cloud POS functionality and can be used on any hardware, from iPads to Android smartphones, to Square’s custom-built POS hardware solutions, such as Square Terminal and Square Register.

Square’s free online store allows you to sell online. Square comes with strong inventory management, team management, menu management, reporting, invoicing, eGift cards, and unlimited devices, all of which come with the free plan as well. All in all, Square is probably the most feature-rich free POS available and the easiest to use.

Toast Software Features For Bakers

Toast is one of the more popular restaurant-specific POS systems around. It is chock-full of features that can help any foodservice establishment.

Here’s a bit of what you can expect:

• Tableside service
• Sales summaries
• 24/7 customer support
• Menu management
• Fraud monitoring
• Loyalty
• Marketing
• Access to integrations

Toast Pricing

Toast has four pricing tiers, including a custom plan for larger businesses. The Starter Plan is free and fairly basic, while its Point Of Sale Plan starts at $69/month. For a broader feature set, the Essentials Plan starts at $165/month.

Hardware Cost

Toast is known for its intuitive restaurant hardware, including its handheld Toast Go device, which you can purchase from its website, although they don’t list the specific pricing. There are also a variety of hardware bundles to choose from, including a unique cafe and bakery bundle that runs for $518.

Payment Processing

Toast has its own payment processing platform that you must use with Toast’s software. Toast gives you two options for processing. Its free plan charges 2.99% + $0.15 per transaction. You can also pay $69/month; then, your fees are 2.49% + $0.15.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

In recent years there have increasingly been reports that Toast locks customers into long processing contracts that are borderline impossible to get out of without incurring a significant penalty. You’ll want to make sure you read all of your contract requirements carefully before signing up with Toast long-term.

Where Toast Really Shines For Bakery Shops

Toast is the top Android-based POS solution for restaurants with numerous features and hardware options, all specifically designed for restaurant use. Couple its advanced functionality with best-in-class customer support, and you get a highly capable POS for any sized bakery, including even franchises and multilocation eateries.

Toast is a complete all-in-one POS and payment processing solution. It’s meant to be used with Toast’s custom-built Android hardware, such as the Toast Go handheld ordering device, the Toast Flex POS monitor and customer-facing screen, and the Toast Tap contactless payment terminal. All of the hardware is built for restaurants, so it’s spill-proof and drop-resistant, with more RAM and longer battery life than consumer tablets.

KORONA Software Features For Bakers

KORONA is a simple, cloud-based POS option that is an excellent option for smaller to mid-sized businesses and has a deep feature set for its affordable price.

Here are some of its best functions:

• Promotions and discounts
• Employee management and time clock
• Customer facing displays
• Stock notifications
• Data imports
• Product analysis
• Auto-ordering
• Gift cards and loyalty

KORONA Pricing

KORONA has three pricing plans plus an enterprise plan for larger businesses. The plans are $49/month, $59/month, and $79/month, and all come with unlimited users, eCommerce, and gift cards.

Hardware Cost

KORONA integrates with most POS hardware on the market and has tablets, printers, scanners, and card readers available on its website. It also offers the option to lease equipment (something we don’t usually recommend as well as purchase equipment with a payment plan).

Payment Processing

KORONA doesn’t have its own processor, but it does integrate with dozens of other companies, giving you the ability to search for the best processor and rate for your needs. KORONA integrates with Elavon, Fiserv, Cayan, Global Payments, and many others.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

KORONA does not have any contractual requirements to use its software, allowing you to purchase it month-to-month.

Where KORONA Really Shines For Bakery Shops

While KORONA is probably not the best option for full-service restaurants, its inventory management, and its deep reporting set make it more than capable of handling even a mid-sized bakery. It has strong ingredient tracking and automatic reordering and can help analyze what items are the most cost-effective.

KORONA also makes it easy to customize your POS with multiple payment processing options, hardware bundles, and a simple interface. For most bakeries, the cheapest plan should have more than enough features to keep our running efficiently, and the built-in eCommerce and gift card functionality is a nice bonus.