Advertiser Disclosure

💳 Save money on credit card processing with one of our top 5 picks for 2024

8 Best Restaurant POS Systems

These restaurant POS systems are all easy to use, priced well, and built with all the tools you need to run your restaurant efficiently.

    Nicolette Kier
  • Last updated onUpdated

  • Matt Sherman
  • REVIEWED BY

    Matt Sherman

    Lead Staff Writer

Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity.

Restaurant POS systems help business owners take orders, accept payments, create menus, manage inventory, and generate sales reports. The best restaurant POS systems have online ordering capabilities, a loyalty program builder, advanced inventory and menu management, offline payment acceptance, and several software integrations.

We reviewed several of the best POS systems for restaurants based on pricing, ease of use, restaurant POS hardware options, and niche features to help you find the system for your business. Keep on reading to find out more about our top choices.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

CompanySummaryNext StepsSummary

Read More

  • Best for fast casual restaurants & hotels
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best for fast casual restaurants & hotels
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Monthly/custom contracts, early termination fee

Visit Site

Read More

Read More

  • Best for full-service restaurants offering reservations/waitlists and catering
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee
  • Best for full-service restaurants offering reservations/waitlists and catering
  • $69-$399+/month
  • Custom contracts, early termination fee

Visit Site

Read More

Read More

  • Best free/low-cost restaurant POS
  • $0-$60/location/month
  • Monthly contracts, no early termination fee
  • Best free/low-cost restaurant POS
  • $0-$60/location/month
  • Monthly contracts, no early termination fee

Visit Site

Read More

Read More

  • Easiest to customize software, hardware, and payment processing
  • $44.95-$310+/month
  • Custom contracts dependent on merchant services provider
  • Easiest to customize software, hardware, and payment processing
  • $44.95-$310+/month
  • Custom contracts dependent on merchant services provider

Visit Site

Read More

Read More

  • Best for scaling up a restaurant to more locations or more service offerings
  • $0-$165+/month
  • Standard two-year contract, early termination fee
  • Best for scaling up a restaurant to more locations or more service offerings
  • $0-$165+/month
  • Standard two-year contract, early termination fee

Visit Site

Read More

Show More Options

Read More

  • Best for large restaurants, franchises, and drive-thrus
  • $198+/month
  • Two-year standard contract, early termination fee
  • Best for large restaurants, franchises, and drive-thrus
  • $198+/month
  • Two-year standard contract, early termination fee

Visit Site

Read More

Read More

  • Best budget POS for full-service restaurants
  • $0-$99/month
  • Monthly/annual contracts, no termination fee
  • Best budget POS for full-service restaurants
  • $0-$99/month
  • Monthly/annual contracts, no termination fee

Visit Site

Read More

Read More

  • Best for cafeterias, delis, and frozen yogurt shops
  • $59-$388+/month
  • Monthly and custom contracts
  • Best for cafeterias, delis, and frozen yogurt shops
  • $59-$388+/month
  • Monthly and custom contracts

Visit Site

Read More

Show Fewer Options

Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Table of Contents

What Is A Restaurant POS System?

A restaurant POS system is software that, when combined with credit card readers, allows you to take orders and accept digital payments. Restaurant POS systems also help you record and monitor inventory, accept online orders for takeout and delivery, and produce business reports that inform you about potential sources of profit and losses.

What To Look For In A Restaurant POS System

Every restaurant should have tipping, menu building, and basic inventory management functions. You should also be able to accept cash, credit card, and mobile wallet payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Quick-serve restaurants require a fast POS order interface, while full-service restaurants require table seat management and the ability to split a bill between patrons. Ideally, your POS system allows servers to take orders, fire menu items, and accept payments from a tablet or POS device while at the table.

Extra POS features such as online ordering, connections with third-party ordering platforms such as Doordash and Grubhub, kitchen display system order screens, and a curbside pickup/delivery manager are useful additional revenue sources for restaurants. Niche restaurant types like hotels may require niche integrations, and you should look for the right integrations when choosing your restaurant POS system.

Consider your restaurant size, budget, and service offerings when choosing a restaurant POS system.

8 Best POS Systems For Restaurants In 2024

The best restaurant POS systems have great inventory management, online ordering capabilities, durable restaurant POS hardware, a loyalty program builder, and add-ons like kitchen display systems. Our top choices include:

Compare The Best Restaurant POS Systems

Perishable Inventory Management Online Ordering Loyalty Program Self-Serve Kiosks Free Trial
Lightspeed Restaurant Essential plan+ Paid add-on
TouchBistro Paid add-on Paid add-on
Square Paid add-on Paid add-on
Clover Third-party app Third-party app Third-party app
Toast Paid add-on Paid add-on Paid add-on
Revel Systems Paid add-on Paid add-on Paid add-on
talech Standard plan+ Standard plan+
Lavu Paid add-on Paid add-on

Lightspeed Restaurant POS Review: Best For Fast Casual Restaurants & Hotels

Lightspeed Restaurant POS Review

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing3.1

Ease Of Use3.8

Features5.0

Customer Service4.3

User Reviews4.7

Pricing

$69-$399+/month

Online Ordering

Essential plan and up

Equipment Cost

$129-$519

Pros

  • Built-in takeout and delivery capabilities
  • In-depth ingredient management
  • Several integrations, including hotel management
  • Loyalty program builder available on all plans

Cons

  • Early termination fee
  • Add-ons can get expensive

Lightspeed Restaurant POS tablet

Lightspeed Restaurant tablet POS user interface.

Why We Chose Lightspeed Restaurant For Fast Casual Restaurants & Hotels

We like Lightspeed for fast casual restaurants because it has one of the best kitchen display systems, which helps kitchen staff move orders quickly. Also, the menu builder allows menu items to be created and charged as a composite of individual ingredients, making Lightspeed Restaurant a great POS system for serving buildable items like salads and warm bowls.

Lightspeed has several hotel management integrations that allow hotels to centralize room reservations, charge restaurant bills to a room number, monitor room cleanings, and more. There are restaurant reservation integrations for full-service hotel restaurants and liquid inventory management capabilities that help hotel bars minimize liquid wastage and improve profit margins.

Lightspeed Restaurant POS System Pricing

Lightspeed Restaurant POS Review Plans Price  When To Use
Starter $69/month Single-location restaurants looking to start a loyalty program
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

We recommend the Starter plan for small counter or full-service restaurants. The plan includes extensive menu item setup and pricing management, the ability to completely customize your iPad POS screens, floor planning, card pre-authorizations, and a basic loyalty program builder.

The Essential plan includes online ordering, tableside ordering, QR code ordering, and advanced inventory management, making this plan much more suited for larger restaurants with more ordering option requirements. Multi-location management is included in this plan.

The Premium plan includes hotel revenue management, API access to build custom integrations, and custom payment processing rates to help you lower credit card processing fees.

Lightspeed Restaurant Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

Features such as third-party ordering platform integrations, kitchen display systems, and self-ordering restaurant kiosk software cost extra and require a custom quote.

You’ll pay extra monthly subscriptions to third-party providers for integrations, such as hotel property management and waitlist/reservations software, should you choose to use them.

Lightspeed Restaurant POS System Features

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

Fast casual restaurants that feature buildable items such as burritos or grain bowls will appreciate how easy it is to create forced and optional modifiers and add-ons, plus the ability to create your own custom POS screen and order workflow. Predefined order items are a composite of ingredients that can be added for free or at an added price, such as an extra $1 for guac. You can display nutritional information and allergens (or lack thereof) on every menu item so customers and staff can easily see that information on-screen.

Lightspeed Restaurant POS system for restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant add item to menu.

Lightspeed’s best inventory management features include:

  • Inventory sync with all ordering platforms and kitchen display systems to automatically monitor inventory in real-time
  • Automatic ingredient removal on all ordering platforms and alerts you when you run out of something
  • Automatically generate a purchase order email or connect the alert to a supplier’s website if you order from the supplier’s site
  • Excellent inventory reporting features to cut down on spoilage

Lightspeed also offers one of the best self-ordering kiosks, with the ability to convert an iPad register to a standing kiosk or tableside ordering tablet. Customers can view items (with nutritional information displayed), order items at their own pace, and press a “get help” button to call a server over from a tablet stationed at their table.

Lightspeed Restaurant tablet ordering system

Lightspeed Restaurant self-order menu for customers to order with a tablet stationed at their table or a standing kiosk.

The kitchen display system accepts orders from all third-party ordering platforms and in-store orders from registers and self-serve kiosks and mirrors your POS register workflow to make it easy for all staff to navigate all devices in your restaurant.

The company now offers an order pickup screen which you can place at the front of your restaurant so individuals can see when their order is being prepared and when it’s ready for pickup. This is an excellent way to automatically communicate with customers at a quick-serve restaurant who are waiting on carryout orders.

Lightspeed Restaurant’s unique hotel management features include:

  • Hotel Management Integrations: Lightspeed hotel integrations (StayNTouch, Mews, WebRezPro) allow you to bill food and drinks to customers’ rooms, integrate room management into your POS, monitor guest check-in/check-out, make online reservations, and more.
  • Bar Management: Hotel bars can monitor liquid inventory, take card pre-authorizations, create composite drink items, and sell food.
  • Order Anywhere: Guests can order from their room or table with a special QR ordering code or order online.
  • Menu Management: Create different menus for dine-in, room service, and poolside service.
  • Multiple Revenue Support: Generate a single report with information from all your revenue-generating locations, such as different ordering touchpoints and room charges.

Lightspeed restaurant POS system

Lightspeed Restaurant hotel management integration.

Hardware Cost & Options

lightspeed restaurant POS hardware

Lightspeed Restaurant countertop POS with customer display

Lightspeed Restaurant hardware is all iPad-based. Similar to Revel, hardware options may include a countertop POS with a customer display, standalone iPads for tableside ordering, and/or iPad kiosks for self-ordering. Lightspeed’s KDS is also iPad-based.

You may purchase your own iPads or through Lightspeed at $329 per device. The iPad stand costs $199, the kitchen bump bar costs $199, the cash drawer costs $129, and the kitchen printer costs $299.

It’s important to purchase your card reader (Lightspeed supports Verifone products) from Lightspeed to make sure your Lightspeed Payments account is configured correctly with the hardware.

We advise contacting Lightspeed to get a custom quote on a hardware bundle.

Payment Processing

Lightspeed has its own processing program, Lightspeed Payments. Its fees are 2.6% + $0.10 for card-present transactions or 2.9% + $0.30 for card-not-present transactions for business owners on the Starter and Essential plans.

Those on the Premium plan can get a custom payment processing rate, which should be lower than the rate offered on lower-level plans.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Lightspeed lists monthly costs but will have you fill out a custom order form, which will dictate your payment period. You could be charged monthly or annually for a predefined amount of time.

However, Lightspeed does charge an early termination fee if you decide to cancel your subscription early, and hardware return windows are short, so start with a monthly plan until you’re sure Lightspeed is the POS for your restaurant.

When To Choose Lightspeed Restaurant POS For Your Restaurant

Lightspeed Restaurant is a great choice for you if you:

  • Plan on running a restaurant inside of a hotel
  • Want excellent ordering and inventory management for a quick-serve or fast-casual restaurant
  • Want a strong loyalty program that comes with your POS software for no additional monthly cost

Clover is a good alternative if you want POS software that comes with several integration options but allows you to choose your own payment processor. Revel Systems is a better choice if you need a more custom solution for your hotel or restaurant.

Get Started With Lightspeed Restaurant POS Review

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

TouchBistro: Best For Reservations & Catering

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.6

Features4.9

Customer Service3.9

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

$69/month

Online Ordering

Add-on

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Excellent in-house reservation and waitlist system
  • Offline mode with locally-installed software
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Upsells and recommendations for servers

Cons

  • Add-ons can get pricey
  • Not many third-party software integrations
  • Early termination fee

TouchBistro restaurant tablet handheld POS system

TouchBistro tablet restaurant ordering system.

Why We Chose TouchBistro For Reservations & Catering

Unlike most restaurant POS providers on this list, TouchBistro offers a built-in waitlist and reservation system, which is sophisticated yet intuitive.

TouchBistro also has a great online catering order portal for customers to order on-site catering and special large orders for takeout/delivery. The system has an excellent offline mode, making it easier for you to sell on-site at events, catering gigs, or at your own food kiosk or food truck.

TouchBistro Restaurant POS System Pricing

TouchBistro Plans Price  When To Use
TouchBistro Plan $69+/month If you have basic restaurant needs and are interested in purchasing add-ons

If you don’t use any integrations or add-ons, TouchBistro is $69/month for one register, billed annually. The Dual plan includes two user licenses and costs $129/month. The Team plan includes five user licenses at $249/month, and the Unlimited plan includes unlimited user licenses at $399/month.

The company also charges a nonrefundable setup fee that starts at $200 and includes your hardware setup plus software walkthrough.

TouchBistro Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

TouchBistro pricing is mostly for the POS core feature set. TouchBistro add-ons include:

  • Online Ordering: $50/month
  • Reservations: $229/month
  • Gift Cards: $25/month
  • Loyalty: $99/month
  • Marketing: $99/month

Note: TouchBistro’s add-ons may be expensive compared to budget/starter restaurant POS systems such as Square and talech. However, considering that TouchBistro charges no per-order fees on online orders or reservations, and no per-member loyalty program signup fees, we think TouchBistro is worth the investment for restaurants that can afford the flat-rate additional monthly fee.

TouchBistro Restaurant POS System Features

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

TouchBistro makes upselling a focus since upselling increases revenue significantly no matter what type of restaurant you own. Menu items such as dinner entrees and wine are intelligently paired to show on-screen as customers order, whether on the server’s POS screen or an online ordering screen.

TouchBistro’s online ordering feature is not just a link to an ordering page like most providers on this list offer. You get to build out your own custom-branded web app, which can include the menu (which can be different from in-person menus), your loyalty program, gift card purchases, reservations, location information, and guest feedback.

Full-service restaurants will appreciate these special TouchBistro features:

  • Reservation System: Customers can make reservations from your web app, your Google Business Profile, and by calling. Send reminder emails/phone messages about upcoming reservations. Create floor plans specifically for managing reservations.
  • Waitlist: Allow customers to add themselves to the waitlist online when your restaurant is currently full. Send customers SMS notifications about their waitlist status and enforce waitlist cutoff times.
  • Liquid Inventory Management: Track liquid sales and wastage at your in-house bar or events featuring alcohol with TouchBistro’s Bevchek or Freepour integration.
  • Customer Accounts: Allow billing to customers’ house accounts with saved payment types and partial or full balance payoffs. Allow customers to preload credits to an account.
  • Customer Dining Preferences: You can ask for dining preferences/allergies when taking reservations. VIP diners can be flagged in customer reports, and their preferences can be saved for future orders to create a personalized dining experience.

TouchBistro restaurant POS system

TouchBistro’s restaurant POS waitlist/reservation settings.

Catering companies will appreciate the ability to create a quote for a future order, require a deposit for future orders, and choose how far in advance someone can order. Caterers can also set delivery parameters, add service/delivery fees, make notes about catering events, set up event start/end times, and use offline mode.

TouchBistro’s offline mode is made possible by TouchBistro’s unique blend of cloud-based and locally installed POS software, which is not common among restaurant POS software. This feature makes TouchBistro one of the best POS systems for food trucks.

Hardware Cost & Options

TouchBistro POS hardware

TouchBistro countertop iPad POS, iPad stand, handheld iPad POS, cash drawer, card reader, and receipt printer.

TouchBistro runs on iPads and iPad Minis, which you may source yourself or purchase from TouchBistro. TouchBistro-compatible payment hardware, such as Genius and Ingenico card readers, can be plugged into iPads to take mobile payments. Alternatively, when it’s time to pay, you can bring a separate credit card terminal to guests, take cards to the register, or send customers to the front to pay at a register.

TouchBistro also supports hardware from third-party suppliers such as Chase Payments Solutions (formerly Chase Merchant Services), Square, Star Micronics, Verifone, and Epson.

Check with TouchBistro before purchasing any hardware to make sure the hardware models are compatible with TouchBistro software. Alternatively, you can contact TouchBistro for a quote on hardware and make your purchases through the POS company.

Payment Processing Costs

TouchBistro offers its own payment processing services through Chase Merchant Services.

The software also integrates with several payment processors, including Square and Worldpay, allowing you to choose the most cost-effective option for your restaurant.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Like most other POS systems, TouchBistro gives you options to sign up month to month but offers its best rates if you pay for services a year in advance. However, TouchBistro does charge an early termination fee if you cancel your plan early, and the fee is dependent on how long you had between your cancellation date and the end of your contract.

Consider starting with a monthly plan until you’re sure TouchBistro is right for your business.

If you do end up canceling your plan, you must send a written notice to TouchBistro at least 30 days before the end of your subscription term, or you’ll be automatically charged for another term.

When To Choose TouchBistro POS For Your Restaurant

You should use TouchBistro for your food service business if you want:

  • An in-house waitlist/reservation system for your full-service restaurant that does not charge per-customer fees
  • A catering order manager built into your POS system and kitchen display systems
  • A POS system that is affordable for restaurants that need several different user accounts

We recommend pairing Square or Clover with a reservation management app to create a reservation system that may be less expensive than TouchBistro’s in some cases. We recommend Toast if you’re willing to pay more for catering software that also includes banquet event orders and a calendar for event management.

Get Started With TouchBistro

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Square For Restaurants: Best Free/Low-Cost Restaurant POS

Square For Restaurants

Total Rating 4.8
Pricing4.8

Ease Of Use4.9

Features4.9

Customer Service4.6

User Reviews4.5

Pricing

$0-$60/month/location + custom option

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 POS software plan
  • Free online ordering for pickup/delivery
  • Unlimited POS devices on free plan
  • Affordable hardware options

Cons

  • No perishable inventory management
  • No built-in reservation management
  • No built-in self-serve kiosk software available

Square POS hardware iPad stand

Square tablet POS iPad stand with a built-in card reader.

Why We Chose Square For Restaurants For A Free/Low-Cost Restaurant POS

Square is one of the best free restaurant POS systems due to its free POS software, free online ordering site for takeout and delivery, unlimited number of POS devices allowed, and free digital gift card function. The paid plan is also highly affordable and includes an unlimited number of kitchen display screens, advanced employee management, and advanced team management.

Plus, Square card readers, registers, kitchen display systems, and hardware accessories like weight scales are highly affordable. The company allows you to finance your purchases over time with no interest if needed.

Note: Square offers a completely free plan that you can sign up for today and a 30-day free trial on paid plans.

Square Restaurant POS System Pricing

Square For Restaurants Plans Price  When To Use
Free $0/month Use if you need the basics in restaurant POS software plus simple processing
Plus $60/month/location Use if you need advanced inventory and 24/7 customer service
Premium Custom Use if you process more than $250,000 a year

Newer business owners should stick to the free plan until they have more complex menu and inventory management requirements, require full-service restaurant features like course management and floor planning, need more business reports, and/or want to use the Square mobile ordering kit. The relatively low inventory and menu management requirements and great price make Square one of the best coffee shop POS systems.

Note: The Plus plan comes with one countertop POS device license per location. You have to pay an additional $40/device/month for each new device you add Square For Restaurants to. The Plus plan comes with unlimited Square KDS software licenses, while on the free plan, you’ll be charged an additional $20/device/month.

Square Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

These are the most popular Square For Restaurants add-ons:

If you pay for a website rather than use the free Square ordering page, you can customize the page to match your brand and remove Square advertising.

Also, Square now offers an excellent mobile POS device that rivals Toast’s handheld POS device, the Toast Go 2. It costs $50/location/month for locations to use the mobile POS.

Square Restaurant POS System Features

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

Many of Square’s best features are free for all users. On the free plan, you get to equip an unlimited number of devices with Square POS software. You can take orders with conversational modifiers, create combos and discounts, sell Square gift cards, and take payments on any device you have.

One of Square’s best free features is its online ordering website builder and order manager, which allows you to:

  • Create custom in-person and online ordering menus
  • Accept online orders for pickup and delivery during set hours and disable online ordering if there are too many orders to keep up with
  • Deliver through Square’s partnership with DoorDash Drive if you don’t have your own delivery fleet
  • Build out your branded online ordering website complete with an online menu, ordering hours, location information, contact form, and newsletter signup
  • Sell retail items, such as merch, tickets to in-house events, and prepackaged ready-to-eat items.

Square restaurant POS online ordering site builder

Square for Restaurants online ordering site builder.

You can connect your ordering page to your Google Business Profile and social media profiles (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.) so customers can order as soon as they discover your restaurant. Square For Restaurants can also connect to DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats, Postmates, Caviar, Skip The Dishes, and more.

Square For Restaurant order with Google integration

Square POS Order With Google integration.

On the Square For Restaurants app, you can set orders for auto-acceptance or require manual verification every time, message customers about their orders, adjust pickup times, and get detailed reports about orders from each third-party ordering platform.

While Square’s inventory management is not as extensive as other POS systems, one of Square’s more special features is that inventory syncs between in-person and online orders so that when you run out of an item, the system will auto-86 it from the menu entirely until it’s restocked. Servers can 86 an item from the POS, and kitchen staff can 86 an item from the touchscreen kitchen display.

Hardware Cost & Options

Square for restaurants hardware

Square kitchen display screen, online ordering platform, mobile ordering app, Square Register, and Square Terminal.

You can use the Square For Restaurants POS app on most iPads.

Since our last update, Square has made the KDS software available exclusively on Android devices, including the $599 15.6″ Microtouch Android screen, the $699 Microtouch 21.5″ screen, the $164.99 Lenovo Tab 10.6″ screen, and the $269.99 Samsung Galaxy Tab 10″ screen.

To take payments, you’ll need at least a first-generation Square Card Reader, which costs $49, or the newly released second-generation card reader at $69. This will allow you to take chip and tap card payments, mobile wallet payments, and digital payment apps, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Countertop POS options include the all-in-one Square Register with customer-facing display ($799) and Square Stand for iPad ($149, not including iPad).

As for mobile options, which are great for taking tableside orders, the handheld Square Terminal costs $299. Square also offers the Square Restaurant Mobile Kit for $259 plus $50/month for the mobile kit software. The mobile kit includes a smartphone and case with a built-in slot for the Square card reader (also included in the kit).

It’s sleek, elegant, and fits right in a server’s pocket. It rivals the Toast Go 2, Toast’s proprietary mobile POS system that’s at the forefront of handheld restaurant POS systems, in terms of functions, but outranks Toast when it comes to pricing.

Payment Processing Costs

Square is known for its simple credit card processing. With Square Payments, in-person transactions have a fee of 2.6% plus $0.10, while online orders are charged at 2.9% plus $0.30.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Square has incredibly transparent monthly subscriptions with no early termination fees. The company also has a great hardware warranty. It will cover Square hardware from the company website and third-party companies.

When To Use Square POS For Your Restaurant

Square is the right option for you if you:

  • Need a low-cost restaurant POS system and don’t have complicated inventory management needs
  • Want affordable registers, card readers, and hardware accessories like cash drawers and barcode scanners
  • Want transparent, predictable monthly contracts with no early termination fee

We recommend Clover as an alternative if you want similar POS hardware but want to choose your own payment processor. talech is a good option for those who want more full-service POS capabilities for a relatively low price point.

Get Started With Square For Restaurants

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Clover POS: Easiest To Customize

Total Rating 4.3
Pricing4.0

Ease Of Use4.8

Features4.5

Customer Service4.4

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

Starts at $0/month

Contract

Depends on merchant services provider

Equipment Cost

$49-$1,799 per device

Pros

  • Potential for very cost-effective payment processing rates
  • Full-service and quick-service software plans are available
  • Several Clover hardware setups to choose from
  • Loyalty program included

Cons

  • Long contracts and early termination fees if purchasing through Clover.com
  • Not all Clover sellers are reputable
  • Hardware can get expensive

clover station at fast-casual restaurant point of sale system
Why We Chose Clover POS As The Easiest Restaurant POS System To Customize

We like that Clover offers several POS hardware, software, and payment processing options for restaurant owners. Clover is one of two providers on this list that does not charge you to work with any of its several payment processing partners, meaning that you'll get the best payment processing rates possible. Clover is also one of two providers on this list that offers an extensive line of strong Android-based hardware. Plus, Clover offers more pre-built third-party software app integrations than any other restaurant POS system available.

Clover Restaurant POS System Pricing

Clover POS Plans Price  When To Use
Clover Payments $0/month If you only need to process payments and don’t need any POS hardware
Clover Essentials $14.95/month If you have a small retail/service-based business and don’t take returns
Clover Register $49.95/month If you have a small to mid-size retail/service-based business and need more POS features
Clover Counter Service Restaurant $54.95/month If you have a quick-serve restaurant, cafeteria, or mobile food service business
Clover Table Service Restaurant $84.95/month If you have a full-service restaurant or bar

The Clover pricing above is available if you purchase your Clover hardware upfront from Clover.com.

If you decide to pay for your Clover hardware over time, you’ll be charged one monthly fee for your Clover hardware/software package. Monthly pricing for both your software and hardware is the following:

  • Counter Service Restaurant: $100/month-$190/month
  • Table Service Restaurant: $160/month-$310/month

We strongly discourage paying monthly for your hardware since you don’t actually own your hardware while using it, and in general, you end up paying more over time. We recommend a small business loan or line of credit if you can’t pay for your POS hardware upfront, or finding a Clover merchant services provider that allows you to finance equipment.

Clover Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

Clover’s built-in features do not usually provide everything a successful restaurant needs to function. You can get features such as kitchen display screens, perishable inventory management, and reservations with an app from the Clover app market, with pricing for a single app ranging from $0 to $400/month.

Clover’s kitchen display software costs $25/device/month.

Besides your base subscription, pricing for Clover POS software can and will vary greatly depending on your restaurant’s needs.

Clover Restaurant POS System Features

Clover POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments Depends on hardware choice
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering Depends on software plan
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance Add-on app
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Clover offers both quick-serve and full-service software plans. The biggest difference between the two is that full-service plans include floor planning, table mapping, card pre-authorizations, bill splitting, and tipping. Clover offers its own built-in loyalty program on all plans to help business owners gain repeat customers.

Clover restaurant POS loyalty program

Clover restaurant POS loyalty program.

Like Square, Clover offers an online ordering page on all subscription plans. You can connect your ordering page to your Google Business profile and allow customers to order from there as well as your own custom ordering page. You can also integrate Clover with third-party ordering platforms such as DoorDash and Grubhub for free on all plans. Plus, you can create custom menus for all ordering touchpoints, which is great if you want to reduce your menu for online orders.

Clover users have access to the Clover app market, which includes hundreds of retail, restaurant, and general business apps made by Clover and third-party providers to help your restaurant succeed. You can add an app to help you with anything from liquor inventory management to customer house accounts to digital menu board creation. There are even pizza shop-specific apps, which makes Clover one of the best pizza shop POS systems.

Hardware Cost & Options

Clover’s restaurant hardware options include the following (pricing is for merchants who purchase their hardware upfront and in full through Clover.com):

  • Clover Go: $49; Bluetooth card reader to accept swipe, chip, tap, and mobile wallet payments
  • Clover Flex: $599; handheld POS terminal for servers to take orders, accept payments, and print receipts
  • Clover Mini: $799; compact countertop POS device for restaurants with little space to take orders, payments, and print receipts
  • Clover Station: $1,699 (Clover Station Solo) or $1,799 (Clover Station Duo); full-size countertop POS system and optional customer-facing display to take orders, payments, print receipts, fire orders, and more

In July 2023, Clover made kitchen display hardware and software available to all business owners, making Clover a more competitive restaurant POS system. Clover’s new kitchen display screens cost $799.

The company also offers a variety of hardware accessories, such as kitchen printers, barcode scanners, and cash drawers. Pricing for additional hardware may vary depending on your current Clover hardware setup.

If you purchase your Clover hardware, software, and merchant services from a Clover reseller, your hardware costs may vary dramatically from the pricing listed above.

Payment Processing Costs

If you use Clover’s parent company, Fiserv, for payment processing, you’ll get the following flat-rate payment processing:

  • Card-Present Transactions: 2.3% + $0.10 per transaction
  • Card-Not-Present Transactions: 3.5% + $0.10 per transaction

Card-not-present transactions include any phone order, third-party ordering platform order (e.g., Grubhub and Order With Google), invoice payment, online order on a Clover-hosted website, manually-keyed-in card payment, and any form of payment that is not a swipe/chip/tap card payment, cash, or check.

Note: If a large amount of your revenue comes from online or phone orders, choose a different payment processor or POS provider for your restaurant.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Clover offers 36-month and 48-month contracts, with early termination fees if you cancel your Clover subscription early.

Also, you can’t use your Clover hardware with any other POS software, sell your Clover hardware, or transfer ownership of your hardware in any way, making your Clover devices useless if you want to stop using Clover POS software.

We recommend you really consider whether Clover is the right POS system for you before committing to getting any hardware and that you get a better merchant contract with one of these top Clover resellers if you decide that Clover is the best fit for your restaurant. Look out for Clover scams while researching the best merchant services provider for you.

When To Use Clover POS For Your Restaurant

You should use Clover for your restaurant if you want to:

  • Have your own merchant services provider and custom payment processing rates (with no added monthly fees from your POS providers)
  • Choose from a line of durable Android-based registers, card readers, and kitchen display systems
  • Customize your POS system with a number of third-party add-ons such as a reservation manager or invoicing software

We recommend Toast POS if you like the idea of spill-proof and heat-resistant Android hardware but want a more synchronized, fully developed restaurant management software. We recommend talech if you want to choose your own payment processor but want to pay less for features like online ordering.

Get Started With Clover POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Toast POS: Best For Scaling Up A Restaurant

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing2.6

Ease Of Use4.7

Features5.0

Customer Service5.0

User Reviews4.1

Pricing

$0-$165 plus custom plan

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$0+

Pros

  • Numerous digital ordering options
  • Excellent loyalty program
  • Durable heat-resistant and spill-proof hardware
  • Advanced employee management

Cons

  • A long-term commitment with early cancellation fees
  • High transaction fees for online orders
  • Proprietary hardware is more expensive

toast flex point of sale hardware
Why We Chose Toast POS For Scaling Up A Restaurant

We love that Toast is a self-contained restaurant-specific software that provides everything a restaurant needs to grow its customer base, service offerings, number of locations, and profit margins. All Toast products, from Toast POS to Toast Delivery Services to Toast's new catering and events management software, all sync perfectly to create a unified restaurant management solution so that growing your business is smooth for you and your employees.

Plus, whether you have a quick-serve or full-service restaurant, a multi-section restaurant with a bar, or another type of restaurant model, you'll appreciate Toast's line of durable Android-based hardware.

Toast Restaurant POS System 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
Growth $165/month You need advanced features and are looking to bundle with digital ordering
Custom Custom Larger businesses looking to access the entirety of Toast’s features

Toast offers a $0 down, pay-as-you-go Quick Start Bundle plan. While you pay $0/month in subscription fees, you will pay a lot in payment processing fees. You can also only have one free POS terminal on this plan, which is not ideal for mid-size restaurants.

We recommend starting with at least the Core plan, which does require you to pay for your Android-based hardware upfront but will save you a lot of money in payment processing fees.

Restaurants that are planning to scale fast but have no upfront capital to invest in hardware should consider signing up for the Quick Start Bundle plan, and then bumping up to a paid plan (with more POS systems) as quickly as possible. Alternatively, restaurant owners interested in Toast may consider getting one of these best small business loans to get hardware now and pay for it over time.

Toast offers a Restaurant Basics plan for new restaurants, which includes everything in the Standard package plus employee scheduling, payroll, 401(k)s, and business insurance. This plan costs $110/month plus $4/employee/month.

The $165/month Growth plan includes the Toast digital ordering and delivery platform (you can get this as a paid add-on if you’re on the Core plan).

Toast Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

You can purchase these popular Toast software add-ons at the following prices:

  • Digital Ordering: $75/month (if not included in your plan)
  • Third-Party Ordering Platform Sync: $30/month for Grubhub, DoorDash, or Uber Eats; $75/month for all three
  • Loyalty: $50/month (if not included in your plan)
  • Gift Cards: $50/month (if not included in your plan)
  • Kitchen Display: $25/month plus one-time hardware purchase
  • Self-Serve Kiosk: $90/month plus one-time hardware purchase
  • Email Marketing: $75/month
  • Catering & Events: $100/month

Other popular add-ons, such as Toast Payroll and Toast Scheduling, require you to get a custom quote which will be determined based on factors like the number of employees and locations you own.

If you plan on purchasing multiple Toast products at once, ask about a discount for bundling products.

Toast Restaurant POS System 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 has an extensive number of proprietary software products that all integrate with the POS system. Each touches on another aspect of running a mid-size to a large restaurant, such as employee scheduling and payroll, vendor management, and centralized multilocation management.

Toast has one of the best loyalty rewards programs because of these unique features:

  • Multiple Enrollment Opportunities: Customers can enroll during or after checkout on in-person, self-serve kiosks, tableside, delivery, and takeout orders, plus via a link on your website.
  • Custom Account Information: Customers can sign up via text or email and receive a welcome message, plus updates on your loyalty program.
  • Earn On Every Purchase: Customers automatically earn points with every purchase made through a card linked to their loyalty account (automatically set to whatever card was used to pay for the order during signup). They may add more linked cards whenever they want and manually enter their loyalty account information on purchases made with cash or check.
  • Customer Loyalty Account Link: Customers get their own digital loyalty account link where they can view their points, see ways they can earn, and add their birthday to get a birthday reward.
  • Automated Redemption Prompt: Once customers have spent enough to earn a reward, they are automatically asked if they’d like to redeem it. This automated prompt shows up on online, takeout, and in-person orders, so customers will never forget to redeem their points.

Toast restaurant POS loyalty program signup prompt on tablet

Toast restaurant POS loyalty program signup prompt.

Toast also has stellar floor planning, order firing by prep time so that everything comes out at the same time (and temperature), extensive tip pooling and splitting, and large-party service management so that mid-size restaurants with several sections and menu offerings can effectively wait on customers.

The company has recently added a catering and events product that allows you to create banquet event orders and turn them into invoices, publish online inquiry forms for interested customers, create prep lists, and build online catering menus.

You can also incorporate Toast’s new restaurant retail product into your sales solution to sell things like liquor bottles, which makes Toast a great POS system for bars and other restaurants that want to sell items on shelves.

Finally, Toast’s restaurant costing tool, xtraCHEF, allows you to create a catalog of vendors and an ordering guide so that anyone ordering stock can easily do so. You can generate one large purchase order from several vendors simultaneously or send one based on a previous invoice. The tool makes purchase ordering feel like a B2C experience, with an easy checkout function that looks like you’re just shopping online.

Toast restaurant POS system purchase ordering

Toast restaurant POS system purchase ordering.

Hardware Cost & Options

Toast POS hardware

Toast mobile ordering app on smartphone devices, PC user dashboards, kitchen display screens, handheld POS systems, and countertop POS systems.

Toast is one of the best Android POS systems, and the software is compatible only with Toast’s proprietary line of Android POS hardware. Android-based POS systems are generally more durable than iPad-based systems. Toast hardware is very spill-proof and heat-resistant.

Toast hardware comes at the following prices:

  • Toast Go 2 Handheld POS: $627
  • Countertop POS: $875
  • Outdoor Wi-Fi Access Point: $104
  • Kitchen Printer: $269
  • Cash Drawer: $134
  • KDS: $629 + $25/month
  • Self-Serve Kiosk Terminal: $809 + $90/month

The Toast Go 2 is one of the best handheld restaurant POS systems on the market, and we highly recommend it for sit-down restaurants and bars.

On the pay-as-you-go Quick Start Bundle plan, you can get the handheld POS for no upfront cost and no monthly fees, as long as you agree to pay higher per-transaction payment processing fees. If you pay upfront for your POS hardware, you’ll pay between $69/month and $165/month for your POS software.

In general, we do not recommend the pay-as-you-go plan because the higher per-order fees will cost you more than the original price of the hardware once you get in enough orders.

If you can, pay for your POS hardware upfront. Otherwise, look into equipment financing to help you cover the costs of the restaurant hardware you need in your establishment.

Payment Processing Costs

You must use Toast’s payment processor, and you’ll get a custom payment processing rate unless you purchase a Starter Kit, which includes hardware and fixed payment processing fees.

That fixed fee ranges from 2.49% plus $0.15 per transaction (Standard plan) to 2.99% plus $0.15 per transaction (Starter plan.) If you add online ordering to the Starter plan, you’ll pay an extra 0.40% per transaction, whether the order is made online or in person.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

You do have to sign up for a contract through Toast, which can be from one to three years, and the cost of breaking one of these contracts can be pretty pricey.

When To Choose Toast POS For Your Restaurant

You should choose Toast POS for your restaurant if you want:

  • A product that syncs perfectly with products such as employee payroll, scheduling, vendor invoicing, and inventory management software
  • To implement a highly customizable loyalty program at your single or multi-location business
  • Extremely durable Android-based registers, mobile ordering devices, self-serve kiosks, and kitchen display systems

We believe that TouchBistro is a good alternative if you want catering software that costs much less than Toast. Lightspeed Restaurant is a good option if you don’t want to pay an additional monthly fee to implement a loyalty program.

Get Started With Toast POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Revel POS: Best For Large Restaurants, Franchises, & Drive-Thrus

Total Rating 4.0
Pricing3.6

Ease Of Use3.9

Features4.7

Customer Service4.2

User Reviews3.8

Pricing

Quote-based

Contract

Three-year commitment for lowest rate

Equipment Cost

Call for quote

Pros

  • Highly customizable
  • Retail and restaurant capabilities
  • Full offline functionality
  • Fast food and drive-thru features

Cons

  • Many features cost extra
  • Requires a long-term processing contract for the best subscription price
  • Early termination fee

Revel POS system dashboard

Revel POS bar management dashboard.

Why We Chose Revel Systems POS For Large Restaurants, Franchises, & Drive-Thrus

We love how flexible and customizable Revel Systems is (including API access) and how many third-party integrations are available for both general use and more specific needs, such as headsets and digital signage integrations for drive-through restaurants. We also appreciate that the company provides enterprise-level single-location and multi-location restaurant and franchise solutions. Plus, you have the choice to work with several payment processors, which allows you to find the best payment processing rate and save money in the long run.

Revel Restaurant POS System Pricing

Revel POS Plans Price  When To Use
Revel plan Quote-based: three-year commitment for cheapest plan Use if you are committed to the product and have a need for high-end features.

Revel used to advertise the above plan, which has a two-terminal minimum and a three-year contract with Revel, making the starting price of this POS $198/month. However, the company no longer advertises this and instead requires every business owner to get a custom quote.

Keep in mind that Revel is for larger businesses, and larger businesses will always have to pay more than the average monthly bill to get all the front-end and back-office POS features they need. Some of Revel’s clients include Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s, and Kung Fu Tea.

There’s also a one-time implementation fee starting at $674. This fee covers on-site hardware installation and an initial software setup, which you can customize as needed with your Revel account representative.

Revel Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

Revel add-ons, such as online ordering and self-serve kiosks, will cost extra and require you to get a custom quote from your dedicated Revel representative.

Costs for Revel third-party integrations, such as Vines OS, a wine club management software that makes Revel one of the best winery POS software options, come from the third-party provider, not Revel. You may find the costs for these integrations on provider websites.

Try to add only what you need to your system to reduce your monthly bill.

Revel Restaurant POS System Features

Revel 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

Revel offers a combined retail and restaurant POS system which makes it a great POS system for grocery stores with cafes, specialty international markets, and other businesses that sell both retail and fresh food items.

Larger restaurants that provide catering services or rent out their location for special events will appreciate Revel’s appointment scheduling, service charging, pre-ordering module, and catering reporting capabilities.

Revel is one of the best drive-thru POS systems and an excellent choice for fast food joints because of these unique features:

  • Drive-Through Hardware/Software: Integration with Delphi Display Systems, which provides digital signage, drive-through headsets, order confirmation displays, and more.
  • Online Ordering: Online ordering from your own website and delivery platforms, such as Grubhub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash.
  • Delivery Service: Create your own in-house delivery fulfillment with delivery driver monitoring.
  • Self-Serve Kiosks: Self-serve kiosks that can display a custom self-serve kiosk menu.
  • Timed Menus: Predefined menu changes, so you can serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner items.
  • Efficient Order Management: Revel incorporates kitchen display systems (KDS) that streamline order flow from all ordering touchpoints (at the counter, drive-through, online order, third-party platform order, pre-orders, etc.).

Revel restaurant POS system drive-through expo screen

Revel restaurant POS system drive-through ordering expo screen.

Whether quick-serve or full-service, multilocation restaurants, and franchises will appreciate Revel’s enterprise-level multi-location inventory, employee, and menu management from one master dashboard.

There’s also a suite of smart reporting tools that help you figure out which menu items perform the best, what’s draining money, and forecast your business’s performance.

Hardware Cost & Options

Revel POS hardware

Revel iPad POS register, iPad stand, iPad customer-facing display, cash drawer, receipt printer, and card reader.

Revel offers everything you need to get your business up and running, including individual iPads, stands, printers, and card readers. The website doesn’t list prices, but you can contact Revel directly for packages.

All of Revel’s hardware is iPad-based. Some choices include a countertop POS with an iPad customer display option, iPads for tableside ordering, and self-service kiosks.

Payment Processing Costs

Revel offers its own in-house payment processing system, Revel Advantage. You will have to contact Revel for a custom payment processing quote based on your business’s sales volume, average ticket size, and time in business, among other factors.

You also have the choice to integrate your POS with third-party payment processors, such as Adyen or FreedomPay. You will face an extra monthly fee if you choose a third-party provider over Revel Advantage, but the payment processing rates from a third-party provider may be worth this added cost.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

You need to sign up for a three-year deal and agree to use Revel Advantage to get the best monthly subscription price, but this isn’t a requirement to use Revel’s services.

There is a substantial early termination fee, so consider negotiating a short-term plan over a longer contract until you’re sure Revel is the right POS for your restaurant.

When To Use Revel POS For Your Restaurant

Revel is the right choice for your restaurant if:

  • You run a drive-thru that requires digital signage, server headsets, and other drive-thru operating hardware/software
  • You want a highly customizable, scalable restaurant management solution for multiple locations or franchises
  • You want to use your own payment processor (and are willing to pay an additional monthly fee for it)

We recommend an alternative such as Lightspeed Restaurant if you’re looking for software with great multi-location management but fits a smaller budget. Lavu is a good option for open API access and the ability to choose your own payment processor (for a substantially increased monthly fee.)

Get Started With Revel POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

talech POS: Best Budget Full-Service Restaurant POS

Total Rating 3.6
Pricing3.2

Ease Of Use4.0

Features3.9

Customer Service4.1

User Reviews3.9

Pricing

$0-$99/month

Online Ordering

Standard & Premium plans only

Equipment Cost

Contact talech for pricing information

Pros

  • Affordable monthly price
  • Purchase ordering
  • Works with multiple payment processors
  • Works on iPad and Android

Cons

  • Can’t accept credit cards offline
  • No integrated reservation system
  • User reviews report poor customer support

talech pos on ipad

talech iPad POS register interface.

Why We Chose talech POS For A Low-Budget Full-Service Restaurant POS System

We appreciate how affordable talech has made its POS offering, especially considering the many full-service features available. While this POS is not as well-designed or feature-rich as other full-service POS systems, such as TouchBistro and Toast, talech scores highly in pricing because it offers a formidable set of features at a transparent, affordable price for smaller sit-down restaurants.

talech Pricing

talech POS Plans Price  When To Use
talech Mobile $0/month If you need a simple way to accept payments on the go
talech Starter $29/month If you operate a cafe or small retail shop
talech Standard $69/month If you operate a quick-service restaurant, a fast-casual establishment, or a medium size retail shop
talech Premium $99/month If you operate a full-service restaurant, salon, spa, or another business with multiple locations

To use talech at your restaurant, you’ll need to sign up for at least the Starter plan, although the majority of features that make talech a good full-service POS are available on the Premium plan.

talech Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

All plans come with one terminal. Additional terminals cost $29/terminal/month.

A one-time $199 “getting started” package is optional for Starter plan users and required for individuals on higher-level plans.

talech Restaurant POS System Features

talech POS Features Availability
Multi-Store Support Starter plan & up
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards Starter plan & up
Customer Loyalty Standard & Premium plans
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering Standard & Premium plans only
Inventory Management Starter plan & up
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management Standard & Premium plans
Text Messaging Receipts only

talech offers top-tier inventory management features. You can send and receive purchase orders, create suppliers when you receive an item in the POS, perform stock takes, and get low-stock alerts when automated inventory monitoring is set up.

talech also offers these full-service features at a highly affordable price:

  • Customer house accounts
  • Table management and floor planning
  • Menu coursing
  • Ticket splitting and server tipping
  • Service charges and automated gratuity

talech restaurant POS system customer house account

talech restaurant POS system customer account.

The POS system also has great employee management features, including the ability to pay by position, generate timesheets, create user permissions, and even create employee access cards.

Hardware Cost & Options

talech handheld POS system for restaurants

talech Poynt device handheld POS system for restaurants.

talech offers bundles for restaurants and individual hardware items for sale, with both iPad and Android options. Some options include Elo PayPoint countertop POS systems, Poynt handheld ordering and payments devices, and handheld Ingenico MOBY devices. Call a talech rep to get complete pricing.

Payment Processing Costs

talech has its own in-house payment processing solution as well as an unintegrated solution that allows you to take payments with a separate card reader from your own merchant services provider (typically a Verifone or Ingenico card reader).

Since the company does not list its payment processing fees, restaurant owners will have to contact a representative for a quote if they want to use talech’s integrated payment processor.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

talech has a free option, and its paid services are offered month-to-month, so you don’t have to worry about being locked into a contract.

When To Use talech POS For Your Restaurant

You should use talech for your restaurant if you want:

  • To use a third-party payment processor without huge additional monthly fees
  • An affordable makeshift reservations and waitlist system
  • Affordable catering features like house account charges and store credit
  • Retail features such as barcode label printing and retail item bundles

We recommend Square as an alternative if you want a fully-featured free POS system, not just a low-cost one. TouchBistro is a great alternative for a more well-developed catering solution.

Get Started With talech POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Lavu: Best For Cafeterias, Frozen Yogurt Shops, & Delis

Total Rating 3.7
Pricing3.3

Ease Of Use4.1

Features4.0

Customer Service3.6

User Reviews3.8

Pricing

Starts at $59/month

Online Ordering

Yes

Equipment Cost

$55-$2,500

Pros

  • Loyalty program available on all plans
  • Local server option for full offline functionality
  • ID card reader for student/employee meal account charges
  • Bluetooth scale plugin available for selling by weight

Cons

  • Expensive equipment leases
  • Add-ons can get expensive
  • Huge fee for using third-party payment processor

lavu ipad self-ordering kiosk

Lavu self-ordering kiosk enclosure for iPad.

Why We Chose Lavu POS For Cafeterias, Frozen Yogurt Shops, & Delis

We love that Lavu has created solutions for several niche restaurant types, including cafeterias, delis, and frozen yogurt shops. Lavu's niche feature set includes a sandwich creator, Bluetooth scale integration so you can sell items such as yogurt by the ounce/pound, and ID badge scanning so that customers with registered accounts (such as employees at a company's cafeteria) will get orders charged to accounts instead of having to pay every time they pick something up.

Plus, Lavu has a great self-service kiosk, order routing capability, and the ability to manage multiple locations at once.

Lavu Restaurant POS System Pricing

Lavu Plans Price  When To Use
Lavu POS Starter Plan Starts at $59/month If you have a small fast casual eatery and don’t want to take online orders
Lavu POS Growth Plan Starts at $129/month If you want to take online orders and offer delivery services
Lavu POS Optimize Plan Starts at $279/month If you have a full-service establishment or a very busy fast casual foodservice

The listed pricing is with Lavu’s cash discount program (the Dual Pay program), which requires you to pass payment processing fees onto your customers when they use a card to pay. You must sign a 36-month contract to use the cash discount program.

If you choose not to use the cash discount program but still use Lavu’s in-house payment processing, you’ll be charged an additional $10/month.

If you decide not to use Lavu for payment processing and pay month-to-month, plans can range from $170-$388.

All plans come with one register. Extra registers cost $50/register/month.

The Starter plan includes the core POS, a loyalty program, a Bluetooth scale plugin, inventory management, and team management.

The Growth plan includes online ordering, QR code ordering, DoorDash delivery integration, and API access, so you can integrate Lavu with any other third-party software you want.

The Optimize plan includes tableside ordering, kitchen display system software, invoice management software, and QuickBooks integrations.

Lavu Pricing For Common Restaurant Add-Ons

Lavu offers fixed plans as well as à la carte options, meaning that you can start with the base plan and add specific things, such as online ordering for a monthly fee. This helps restaurant owners pay for only the things they need.

Previously, Lavu listed its pricing for add-ons like self-ordering kiosks and gift card programs. However, you must now contact Lavu for a quote on a custom plan that will include a quote on custom payment processing rates.

Lavu Restaurant POS System Features

Lavu Features Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards Core and Grow plans only
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging

Lavu’s most important niche feature is the integrated Bluetooth scale that allows delis, frozen yogurt shops, and bulk food sale establishments to sell by weight.

Lavu restaurant POS system interface enter weight of item

Lavu restaurant POS sale by weight.

Also, you can turn an iPad’s camera into an ID scanner so students and staff at school/work cafeterias can easily scan their badges and have their meals charged to a dedicated account.

Food service establishments with several different food sections, such as food halls, can easily assign individual menus to different POS stations while allowing all of them to take payments. This is also great if you want to offer different menus for, say, a permanent location and a food truck, a temporary location, or a special event.

Establishments with strict menu rules can also display nutritional information and allergen warnings on POS systems and online orders.

The company also offers numerous third-party integrations, such as digital signage boards, liquid inventory management, and security systems. With open API access, you can create your own restaurant POS solution.

Hardware Cost & Options

Lavu POS hardware

Lavu iPad, iPad stand, cash drawer, and Epson receipt printer.

Lavu offers numerous hardware options, including:

  • iPad Device: $190 – $1,099 depending on model
  • iPad Stand: $95 – $230, depending on model
  • Kitchen Display Bundle: $1,351 – $2,799 depending on bundle; includes Epson kitchen display screen, kitchen printer, and bump bar

Lavu POS is compatible with PAX, Verifone, and Ingenico card readers. It is also compatible with Tor Rey L-EQ Bluetooth scales, RFID card readers and scanners from Epson, and receipt/kitchen printers from Epson and Star Micronics.

Payment Processing Costs

Lavu has its own processing program that you are incentivized to use but not locked into. You’ll need to contact Lavu directly to get your best rate.

The company has recently updated its pricing to the point where it probably isn’t worth it to find your own payment processor, but it may be worth it to get quotes from third-party payment processors and bring those numbers to Lavu to negotiate the best rates for your business.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Lavu offers month-to-month pricing options for its software. However, there have been issues with users complaining about feeling trapped after signing leases for Lavu’s hardware.

When To Use Lavu POS For Your Restaurant

You should use Lavu for your restaurant if:

  • You run a deli or frozen yogurt shop that requires you to sell food items by weight
  • You run a school or company cafeteria with standing user accounts
  • You’re interested in starting a cash discount program to avoid payment processing fees

We recommend Lightspeed Restaurant if you like having a low-cost loyalty program included in your plan but want more inventory management capabilities. talech POS is a good alternative if you want to sell by weight but want to affordably use your own payment processor.

Get Started With Lavu

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

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.

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


What Is The Best POS System For Your Restaurant?

The best POS system for your restaurant depends on your business size, dining type, budget, inventory and menu sizing, and niche requirements. You also have to consider what kind of payment processing types and models work for your transaction volumes, what kind of POS hardware you want to add to your restaurant (self-serve kiosks, kitchen displays, etc.), and how quickly you expect to grow your business.

Don’t forget to test out a POS system before committing to it. Some companies offer a free trial, while others may just offer a free demo. It’s also a good idea to read reviews about the system and find out what the common complaints are.

Once you decide on a POS system, consider learning how to negotiate a merchant agreement to get the best POS contract terms.

Best Restaurant POS System FAQs

What restaurant POS system is easiest to use?

Square is the easiest POS system to use because it’s highly intuitive and doesn’t require any third-party software integrations to work well.

How do I set up online ordering for my restaurant?

To set up online ordering for your restaurant, get a POS system with an online ordering feature like Square or Toast, connect your restaurant POS to platforms like Doordash, and enable Order with Google on your Google Business Profile.

Can my restaurant POS software link to my accounting software?

Most restaurant POS software links to popular accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero. Some POS providers, like Toast and Lightspeed Restaurant, offer proprietary accounting software for an all-in-one solution.

What's the best restaurant POS for delivery?

Revel Systems is the best POS for delivery. You can create your own delivery app for customers and integrate your POS with popular third-party delivery services.

Alternatively, Square offers a low-cost online ordering platform and integrations like Doordash and Grubhub.

Jump back to comparison chart

Nicolette Kier

Nicolette Kier

Senior Staff Writer
Nicolette began writing on small business topics in 2020. After hundreds of hours researching, testing, and assisting small business owners with web building and point of sale software, she is now an expert on all things eCommerce and point of sale. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Nicolette Kier
View Nicolette Kier's professional experience on LinkedIn.

Sources