The 5 Best Bakery POS Systems To Boost Sales In 2023

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.

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

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: For bakeries with seating and in-store dining, TouchBistro can help you lay out your restaurant and track orders across tables efficiently.
• Menu management: Easily display your menu items on your tablet and make pricing changes or add daily specials.
• Kitchen display system: Send orders from your POS system directly to the kitchen and allow your bakers to see orders instantly on an intuitive screen.
• Inventory cost tracking: See what items are selling well and what are the most cost-effective to push or feature.
• Employee management: Assign employees various permissions and easily track and create schedules for your bakers.
• In-depth reporting: Run analytics on your best-selling products and what stores are performing best.
• Mobile ordering: Allow customers to purchase items online for pick-up to maximize efficiency and increase sales.

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

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.

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

As one of the best POS systems for restaurants, the cloud-based Lightspeed Restaurant 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.

Lightspeed Restaurant has three pricing plans plus an enterprise plan.

The Essentials Plan is likely all you need for a smaller bakery. The larger Plus and Pro plans are better suited for sit-down restaurants.

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. It is the best POS system for inventory management, too.

Here are some of the feature highlights:

• Inventory management: Get real-time updates on what products you have in stock and do a cost analysis on items to keep your bakery profitable.
• Kitchen display: Send orders directly to the kitchen and allow bakers to see specific recipes for reference.
• Staff profiles: Set up specific and unique profiles for each employee in your business.
• Takeout and delivery options: Allow customers to order online and pick up in store, or set your business up for delivery through your own service or a third-party company.
• Contactless ordering: Allow customers to type in their own orders and make their own payments without any employee contact.
• Built-in loyalty: Reward and entice customers to come back to your establishment by allowing them to rack up points for free or discounted items.
• Multistore functionality: If you’re looking to expand your business to multiple stores, Lightspeed can track employees and inventory across locations.

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

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. Established businesses with larger sales volumes should consider finding a dedicated merchant account that gives the best payment processing fees and account stability.

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.

Square is popular among all types of small businesses in the foodservice sector. It conveniently combines payment processing with cloud POS functionality and can be used on any hardware, including iPads, Android smartphones, and Square’s custom-built POS hardware solutions like 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.

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.

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:

• Auto-gratuity: Increase profits with prompts for tipping and auto-tipping for larger orders.
• Advanced modifiers: Make sure orders are accurate with forced modifiers, walking customers through menu choices and options.
• Table maps: For dine-in establishments, lay out your store and track orders from table to table.
• Item counts: Always knows exactly how much inventory you have at all times for easy re-ordering.
• Team management: Keep track of employee schedules, hours, wages, and tips in one convenient area.
• Square hardware compatibility: Square has a number of unique hardware options, allowing for mobile and contactless ordering.
• Order management: Easily split tickets if necessary or make quick revisions to orders through Square’s intuitive interface.

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

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.

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

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 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.

Toast has four pricing tiers, including a custom plan for larger businesses.

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: With Toast Go, you can have employees take orders directly from the table, saving valuable time and turning tables over quickly.
• Sales summaries: Track your best-selling items and trends in ordering.
• 24/7 customer support: Toast is known for its excellent customer service that’s accessible at any time of day.
• Menu management: Easily create and change menus as much as you want with Toast’s templates and easy modifying system.
• Loyalty: Sign customers up for rewards and store their information for future marketing campaigns.
• Marketing: Get customer information for email campaigns and tailor-made promotions to encourage repeat business.
• Access to integrations: Toast integrates with hundreds of companies, giving you access to niche software that can help your bakery in ways you may not have even thought about.

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’s priced at $518.

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.

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. Make sure you read all of your contract requirements carefully before signing up with Toast.

While KORONA is probably not the best option for full-service restaurants, its inventory management and deep reporting set make it more than capable of handling even a mid-sized bakery. It has strong ingredient tracking, 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 things running efficiently, and the built-in eCommerce and gift card functionality are nice bonuses.

KORONA has three pricing plans plus an enterprise plan for larger businesses. The plans are $59/month, $69/month, and $89/month, and all come with unlimited users, eCommerce, and gift cards.

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

Here are some of its best functions:

• Promotions and discounts: Bring in customers with Korona’s simple marketing features that allow you to create sales and discounts quickly.
• Employee management and time clock: Track hours and let employees clock in and out with this built-in feature.
• Customer facing displays: Ensure accurate orders and set up contactless ordering with Korona’s kiosk mode.
• Stock notifications: Get instant alerts when certain items are running low and set up automatic re-ordering.
• Product analysis: Do a deep dive into your inventory and find out what ingredients are driving up prices or cutting into profits.
• Gift cards and loyalty: A built-in feature with Korona, set up a gift card program and encourage repeat customers by offering rewards for every dollar spent.

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 the option to purchase equipment with a payment plan.

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.

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