Restaurant POS Blog Posts

With more businesses adding the option to tip following a purchase, combined with prices going up, many customers are fighting back with their wallets. Tipping actually decreased from 2022 to 2023 according to a report from our top payroll systems systems recommendations,  Gusto.

We recommend Lightspeed for small to midsize restaurants focused primarily on quick-serve and fast-casual orders because the software is affordable, you can install it on any iPad, the inventory management is best suited for buildable items and combo meals, and a straightforward loyalty program is available on all plans.

It will cost you more for features you might expect to be standard (reservations, customer loyalty, and online ordering to name a few) which can run up your monthly bill. There are fewer integrations available which is a blessing for easily-overwhelmed new business owners but a curse for quickly growing restaurants.

Restaurant POS hardware is a worthwhile investment for an efficient restaurant. These are our recommendations for the best restaurant POS systems along with compatible POS hardware options and pricing.

You may need a KDS in your restaurant if you offer multiple ordering methods (at the counter or the table, drive-thru order window, online, etc.), currently run into order errors and slow turnaround time because kitchen staff has a hard time deciphering order tickets, have a restaurant with more than one prep station, or want to cut down on your physical paper usage.

Small restaurants and food trucks will likely only need one countertop POS system with basic inventory management, so we recommend a simple POS system setup that meets a smaller budget. These businesses can save money with a free restaurant POS system like Square For Restaurants and affordable Square POS hardware ($59-$799).

A restaurant POS system is software combined with a credit card reader that allows you to take restaurant orders on a tablet screen, manage a menu and inventory, manage orders in the kitchen, accept digital payment types, and print receipts.

To set up online ordering for your restaurant, you have to create a menu, customize your online ordering site, choose takeout and delivery settings, route orders to POS and kitchen display devices, and connect to delivery services like DoorDash. You can also accept orders through your Google Business Profile and social media.

Toast POS costs $0-$165+/month for POS system software, $627-$1,034 for POS hardware, and 2.49%-3.69% in payment processing fees unless you get a custom quote on a Toast POS pricing plan. Add-ons like Toast Payroll and Toast Kitchen Display System also require a custom quote.

If Toast seems pricey or too restrictive, check out one or more of the restaurant POS systems on this list. Most of them offer a free trial or free demo that you can use to test out the system before committing. A lot of these Toast competitors offer month-to-month contracts (or no contracts at all) making it easier for you to move between systems if needed to find your perfect fit.