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Best Restaurant Inventory Management Software

Is your current food inventory system not making the grade? Try these top restaurant inventory management apps to save time and money.

    Erica Seppala

  • Last updated onUpdated

    • Matt Sherman

  • REVIEWED BY

    Matt Sherman

    Expert Contributor

Our content reflects the editorial opinions of our experts. While our site makes money through referral partnerships, we only partner with companies that meet our standards for quality, as outlined in our independent rating and scoring system.

Running a successful restaurant starts with having reliable, easy-to-use inventory management software. The best POS systems include built-in inventory tools or integrate seamlessly with popular restaurant inventory apps.

This software automates key tasks so you can save time and reduce waste.

Here are our picks for the best POS systems to help you manage your restaurant inventory efficiently.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

CompanyBest ForNext StepsBest For
Toast POS

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  • Best for casual dining
  • $0 - $69/month with custom plans available
  • Processing: 2.49% + $0.15
  • Best for casual dining
  • $0 - $69/month with custom plans available
  • Processing: 2.49% + $0.15

Visit Site

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Lightspeed Restaurant

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  • Best for inventory software integrations
  • $69 - $399+/month
  • Processing: 2.6% + $0.10
  • Best for inventory software integrations
  • $69 - $399+/month
  • Processing: 2.6% + $0.10

Visit Site

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Square For Restaurants

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  • Best for tight budgets
  • $0 - $149/mo/location
  • Processing: 2.4% - 2.6% + $0.15
  • Best for tight budgets
  • $0 - $149/mo/location
  • Processing: 2.4% - 2.6% + $0.15
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Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

The Best Restaurant Inventory Management Software Systems

Restaurant inventory management software should include features like ingredient tracking, vendor management, low-stock notifications, recipe costing, and more.

How The Best Apps For Restaurant Inventory Compare

Multilocation SupportReportingEmployee ManagementMenu Management
Toast POS
Lightspeed Restaurant
Square For Restaurants

Toast POS: Best For Casual Dining

Toast POS

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Read our Review

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing3.3

Ease Of Use4.8

Features5.0

Customer Service5.0

User Reviews4.1

Pricing Range

$0 - $69/month with custom plans available

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$0+ if you agree to a higher processing rate

Pros

  • Excellent built-in inventory management
  • Free plan available
  • POS hardware built for restaurants
  • Strong online ordering and takeout features

Cons

  • Long-term contract required
  • May be expensive

Why We Chose Toast

Toast is a leading Android POS system built specifically for restaurants, combining powerful software with durable, restaurant-grade hardware. Its inventory management tools help owners stay on top of costs and reduce waste with features like automatic syncing, detailed reporting, and menu engineering tools that highlight the most profitable items on your menu.

Toast’s all-in-one system is ideal for busy, full-service restaurants that need advanced controls and real-time insights. However, the price can climb quickly as you add hardware and features, which may make it less practical for smaller operations such as food trucks, cafés, or pop-ups that only need basic functionality.

Toast Pricing

Toast POS Plans Price  When To Use
Quick Start Bundle $0/month You have a small, single-location restaurant with basic feature needs
Core $69/month You need a full point of sale suite with processing and custom hardware
Custom Custom Larger businesses looking to access the entirety of Toast’s features

Toast’s monthly cost can increase quickly depending on the features, hardware, and terminals you add.

Also, keep in mind that the free plan comes with higher processing fees.

Toast Inventory Management Features

Toast POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Toast POS inventory management features include:

  • Automatic syncing and updates as items are sold
  • Advanced reporting for inventory value, COGS, variance, and waste tracking
  • Menu engineering tools to boost item profitability
  • Shelf layout mapping based on your kitchen setup
  • Integrations with BevSpot, BrewLogix, Craftable, MarketMan, and more

Toast Hardware

Toast offers durable, Android-based POS hardware built specifically for restaurants. The Toast Flex countertop kit includes a terminal, payment reader, and router, while another bundle adds the Toast Go 2 handheld terminal with a wireless access point.

You can also choose $0 upfront hardware by opting for a higher payment processing rate.

Toast Payment Processing

In some cases, you must contact Toast for a custom quote. Advertised rates are 2.49% + $0.15 for in-person transactions and 3.5% + $0.15 for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover, and 3.89% + $0.15 for AMEX for online transactions. 

You can get free Toast software and hardware if you pay a higher payment processing fee. However, for most restaurants, it’s more cost-effective to pay for your hardware and software upfront.

What To Watch Out For

Toast requires that you use Toast Payments for credit card processing. The standard Toast contract is two years.

Choose Toast If:

  • You want built-in inventory management with no added fees
  • You need custom-built restaurant-grade POS hardware
  • You don’t mind a long-term contract

Get Started With Toast POS

Read our in-depth review

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Lightspeed Restaurant: Best For Inventory Integrations

Lightspeed Restaurant

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Read our Review

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing3.2

Ease Of Use4.9

Features5.0

Customer Service4.6

User Reviews4.7

Pricing Range

$69 - $399+/month

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$129 - $519

Pros

  • Numerous inventory integrations available
  • Free BevSpot account for inventory management
  • Integrated online ordering

Cons

  • Not as affordable as some systems
  • Standard contracts are 14 months

Why We Chose Lightspeed Restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant is a fast, affordable iPad POS system that helps restaurants streamline operations with built-in inventory tools and digital ordering. It’s a strong choice for restaurants that want to manage sales, stock, and customer orders all in one platform.

While Lightspeed includes some native inventory management features, its real strength lies in its third-party integrations. Restaurants can connect Lightspeed with a range of advanced inventory software solutions to automate counts, track ingredient costs, and simplify ordering across multiple locations.

Lighstpeed Restaurant Pricing

Lightspeed Restaurant Plans Price  When To Use
Starter $69/month Single-location restaurants that want basic POS features with room to grow
Essential $189/month Restaurants with one or more locations looking for online ordering capabilities
Premium $399/month Larger restaurants & hotels looking for custom payment processing rates

Both plans include advanced inventory management.

Lightspeed Restaurant Inventory Management Features

Lightspeed Restaurant Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling Online and third-party delivery platform orders
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management Paid add-on
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Lightspeed Restaurant inventory management features include:

  • Built-in ingredient management with low-stock alerts, stock reports, and recipe costing and margin tools
  • Real-time inventory tracking with automatic deductions and replenishments as items are sold
  • Automatic supplier reordering to keep essential ingredients in stock
  • Free BevSpot integration for tracking variance and product loss by item
  • Third-party integrations with Craftable, Growzer, MarketMan, ORCA, RapidBar, Restaurant365, RESTOCK, BeerSAVER, Whistle, WISK, and other popular food inventory apps

Lightspeed Restaurant Hardware

Lightspeed Restaurant POS hardware is iPad-based. You have the option to source your own components or buy a hardware kit from Lightspeed. Contact Lightspeed directly for a quote.

Lightspeed Restaurant Payment Processing

Lightspeed integrates with several payment processors and has its own Lightspeed Payments, which offers flat-rate in-person processing at 2.6% + $0.10, or custom fees for Premium plan subscribers. 

What To Watch Out For

Lightspeed Restaurant contracts have a standard term of 14 months, but contract terms vary. Your term length will be outlined in your contract.

Choose Lightspeed Restaurant If:

  • You want the option of built-in or third-party inventory features
  • You need integrated online ordering at no extra cost
  • You don’t mind a built-in payment processor, higher payments, and long-term contracts

Get Started With Lightspeed Restaurant

Read our in-depth review

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Square For Restaurants: Best Budget-Friendly Option

Square For Restaurants

Visit Site

Read our Review

Total Rating 4.8
Pricing4.7

Ease Of Use4.9

Features4.9

Customer Service4.6

User Reviews4.5

Pricing Range

$0 - $149/mo/location

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$0 - 799

Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.

Pros

  • Free and affordable plans available
  • Numerous integration options
  • Affordable hardware options
  • No contracts

Cons

  • Requires integrations for advanced inventory management
  • Can’t use with an outside payment processor

Why We Chose Square

Square POS is one of the best free options for quick-service restaurants, food trucks, and mobile food vendors that need an easy way to manage orders and track stock. It’s simple to set up, intuitive to use, and offers just enough built-in tools to keep operations running smoothly without overwhelming smaller teams.

The free plan includes basic restaurant inventory management and access to Square’s kitchen display system, making it a great starting point for growing businesses. However, upgrading to a paid plan unlocks more advanced inventory features, deeper reporting, and additional support options that can help streamline service as your business scales.

Square For Restaurants Pricing

Square For Restaurants Plans Price  When To Use
Square Free $0/month Use if you need the basics in restaurant POS software plus simple processing
Square Plus $49/month/location Use if you need advanced inventory and 24/7 customer service
Square Premium $149/month/location Use if need course and seat management and want reduced pricing for KDS and Kiosks

You can use Square with a third-party restaurant inventory management system, such as BevSpot (which also offers a freemium account to Square users) or Shopventory. Square also integrates with TouchBistro.

Square For Restaurants Inventory Management Features

Square For Restaurants Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty On paid plans
Marketing Tools Add-on
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

The free version of Square includes only basic inventory tools, but its capabilities can be expanded through integrations with platforms like MarketMan, PeachWorks, and Yellow Dog Inventory. These integrations make it easier to manage ingredient-level tracking, purchase orders, and supplier data.

Upgrading to a paid Square plan unlocks advanced inventory features such as auto-86ing (automatic item removal when out of stock) and detailed menu performance reports, giving restaurant owners deeper insight into costs and product trends.

Square For Restaurants Hardware

Square For Restaurants works best with a Square Stand for iPad or Square Register setup.

You can also use a Square Terminal or Square Handheld for tableside payments and an Android Microtouch tablet for KDS purposes.

Square For Restaurants Payment Processing

Processing rates are 2.4% – 2.6% + $0.15 for card-present transactions. The lowest pricing is available to paid subscribers.

Square does not integrate with outside payment processors.

What To Watch Out For

Square doesn’t require a long-term contract, so you can use it month to month and cancel anytime. This flexibility makes it a low-risk option for new or seasonal food businesses testing out POS software.

Choose Square If:

  • You’re a new business or have a tight budget
  • You want a month-to-month contract with no long-term commitments
  • You don’t need advanced built-in inventory management features

Get Started With Square For Restaurants

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Restaurant POS Review Methodology

Merchant Maverick has been researching and reviewing POS providers since 2012. Our writers have tested over 100 different point of sale systems, evaluating pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. Read more about how we rate POS providers.

Weighted Rating Breakdown

Pricing 35%
Features 30%
Ease Of Use 20%
Customer Service 10%
User Reviews 5%

When comparing different POS software systems, we consider many data points, including relative pricing, the depth of niche features offered, the price of hardware, and any associated payment processing fees. Our lists of the best providers include only apps we’ve deemed worthwhile from multiple vantage points. The POS vendors we pick share qualities such as widespread availability, accessibility, user-friendliness, and reasonable pricing. We also look carefully at niche features, such as check-splitting, inventory management, eCommerce, loyalty programs, gift cards, and more.

We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure the providers included meet our internal standards for quality and reputation.

80+

Vendors evaluated

65+

Attributes assessed per vendor

20+

Features weighed

30+

Combined years of experience


How To Make The Most Out Of Your Restaurant Inventory App

While software can automate much of your inventory process, you’ll still need to take a few key actions to make it work effectively.

Take Your Setup Seriously

The setup process may be tedious, but accuracy matters. Enter quantities and units carefully, sync your food suppliers if possible, and train your staff on proper use. Once set up, many tasks will run automatically.

Check Your Reports Regularly

Review your inventory reports often to spot trends, discrepancies, or changes in usage. Consistent monitoring helps you stay on top of waste and costs.

Find Your COGS

Use your software to calculate your true cost of goods sold (COGS). If actual costs differ from your estimates, look for opportunities to reduce expenses or negotiate with suppliers.

Identify Problem Areas

Your reports will reveal waste, theft, or inefficiencies. Variance reports, in particular, can help pinpoint where inventory is being lost and which processes need improvement.

Rethink Your Menu

Leverage your data to refine your menu. Identify slow-moving or low-margin items and focus on dishes that use ingredients efficiently and drive profits.

How Do I Choose The Best App For Restaurant Inventory?

The best restaurant inventory software depends on whether you want a standalone program that integrates with your current POS or a POS system with built-in inventory features.

If you’re new to restaurant inventory management, take time to learn the basics before choosing a system. Understanding methods and terminology will help you make a smarter decision.

Finally, consider pricing, ease of use, and contract terms along with the features you need to find the right fit for your restaurant.

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Erica Seppala

Erica Seppala

Editor & Senior Staff Writer at Merchant Maverick
Erica has been writing about small business finance and technology since 2008. She joined Merchant Maverick in 2018 and specializes in researching and reviewing business software, financial products, and other topics to help small businesses manage and grow their operations. Her expertise has been cited in MSN, Reader's Digest, Vox, U.S. News & World Report, and Real Simple. She is a Certified ProAdvisor for QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Payroll, a graduate of Limestone University, and currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.
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