The Top 9 Restaurant-Specific POS Systems

Are you opening a new restaurant? Good for you! Honestly, I wish I had your drive and passion. One of the first decisions you’ll have to make, aside from paint colors, is which POS system to use. Fortunately, you’re in luck; restaurants may need fairly specific features when it comes to point of sale, but the industry is exploding with options sure to fit your specific needs. And you’re in even MORE luck because we have gathered some of the best-reviewed restaurant-specific POS systems on our site and put them together for you in this easily-digestible article (vendors are not listed in order of merit). So please browse and then thank us later.

Don’t have time to read a whole article? Our restaurant POS comparison page can give you the low-down on our top-rated solutions.

1) Lightspeed Restaurant

• Web and app-based, but features can be accessed remotely through Lightspeed’s website.
• Accessible on most iPads
• Three different price points: $69, $129 or $198 a month
• Enterprise option available
• Ideal for small to mid-sized restaurants
• Raw ingredient tracking
• Timed events for promotions
• Multiple integrations for online ordering, delivery, scheduling, and loyalty programs

Lightspeed Restaurant (see our Lightspeed review) is a powerhouse in the industry, particularly for small to mid-sized restaurants. It has established itself as an easy-to-use system with the ability to fit the custom needs of each individual client at an extremely affordable price. LR has an easily digestible interface on both the front and back end, maintaining consistency throughout. The front end is easily customizable from the floor plan to the menu and helpful training videos are included. LR is particularly impressive on the back end. Managing employees is simple; you have the ability to quickly add employees to specific groups (bartenders, servers, hosts etc…) and give those groups whatever level of access they need. The menu is simple to set up and things like tax rates, discounts and modifications can all be added in a matter of seconds. LR is loaded with plenty of integrations and has a terrific customer service department.

You can browse through our Lightspeed review for more details or sign up for a free trial.

2) Toast

• Web-based with a LAN network to store data
• 7” Samsung Galaxy Tablet, 5.5” OnePlus 10”, 15” or 22” Elo Touch I Series
• Starting at $100 a month. $50 a month for each additional station with add-ons available
• Enterprise option available
• Virtually any sized food service business
• Time Tracking
• Inventory Management
• Gift Card creation

Toast (see our Toast POS review) has only been around for five years but is quickly becoming one of the best and most versatile restaurant POS systems on the market. The POS has the capability to manage virtually every aspect of your restaurant. While Toast is lacking slightly in the number of integrations it offers, its customer service is among the best in the industry. The company makes sure that its clients are well-versed in the product and are fast and responsive if a problem arises. Like LR, Toast is also an affordable choice, especially considering all it has to offer. From its loyalty program add-ons, customizable delivery options and the ease in which loyalty cards can be created and utilized, Toast gives a client plenty of options to create a system that is perfect for his or her restaurant.

Read our complete review or Toast for more information.

3) TouchBistro

• Locally installed (internet not needed after initial download except for printing)
• iPad or iPad Mini
• $69 per month for one license, $129 for two, $249 for up to five, $399 for unlimited
• Virtually any dining establishment
• Course/Menu Management
• Ordering and Payment Mobility

Touchbistro (see our review) is a heavily awarded POS system; in fact, it is the top-grossing POS in the Apple app store. The POS is simple and easy to use with a functional design. What sets Touchbistro apart is its mobility, allowing servers to take the system directly to tables, easily plugging in orders, splitting checks, and making modifications, all while charming customers with tableside banter. This accessibility increases servers’ speed and gets tickets sent to the kitchen in an instant. The uniqueness of Touchbistro comes without an excessive markup, either—its pricing is very competitive in the market. Touchbistro offers everything a top of the line POS should, with customizable menus and table settings. It also has a solid back end, with easily digestible sales histories, statistics, and reporting. This POS integrates with a handful of other programs, including Square and Quickbooks, and can be used in Spanish or French. The customer service is solid, featuring tutorials on YouTube and its website and 24/7 phone and email options. TouchBistro is not all-in-one, nor is it cloud-based, but for a simple, highly functional POS, it is a strong option.

Go to our full our review of TouchBistro for a closer look at the product.

4) Revel

• Hybrid: Locally installed which syncs to the cloud
• Apple iOS devices
• Varying monthly fee and hosting charges
• Small to mid-sized restaurants
• Real-time inventory
• Flexible ordering
• Intelligent reports suite
• Plethora of integrations

If you like options and integrations, Revel (see our Revel POS review) might be very much up your alley. Revel has a solid interface and modifiers are easy to tack on. It isn’t quite as user-friendly as other POS systems, but though it has a slightly steeper learning curve, its back-end features are easily navigated. In fact, the back end offers a bevy of options from real-time inventory to retail fuel sales (if that interests you). Its Intelligent Reporting Suite is one of the most detailed in the industry. Employee management is also a highlight; each employee can be given a unique pin-activated log-in number or card. Revel is versatile, functioning well as a kiosk POS or more traditional restaurant POS. The POS has dozens of integrations as well, making it easily customizable. The 24/7 customer service is solid and technicians have the ability to access the product remotely. The initial set-up for Revel can be a little more complicated than it is with other POSs, but Revel offers more options and add-ons than nearly anyone.

Check out our complete review of Revel POS if you’re interested in learning more.

5) Lavu

• Cloud-based
• Can be used with any current iPad
• $69 a month or $59 with an annual contract
• Enterprise available
• Small to mid-sized restaurants
• Employee and inventory management
• Loyalty program add-on

Founded in 2010, Lavu (see our Lavu review) is a consistent and affordable option that has had success all over the world, with terminals being used in nearly 90 countries. It is one of the cheaper POS programs you can find that still gives you everything you would expect from a top-end product. Lavu has a visually appealing interface and a helpful setup program that is useful for first-time users. The POS has a well-designed check-splitting feature and solid options for custom menu creation. The back-end allows you to manage employees, inventory etc., and creating your own alerts for when items are running low is simple. There is an additional cost for the program’s gift card and loyalty program, which Lavu has created itself. Lavu also offers many of its own unique integrations which pair easily with the POS. Its customer service has expanded recently, offering 24/7 support and live chatting from its website.

Read our full review of Lavu to see what else we like about it.

6) Meza

• Hybrid system
• iPad 2 or iPad mini
• $60 a month $79 in Australia
• Nearly any sized restaurant
• Waiter retrieval from iPhones
• Interactive floor plan
• Customer VIP app

Meza (see our review) is a cutting edge POS that is hoping to revolutionize the restaurant experience. Founded in 2012, the company is forward thinking and boasts some of the most unique features on the market. Its biggest sell may be its ability for customers to access their servers from an iPhone, alerting waitstaff when they need assistance or the check (or even if they just missed seeing their faces). It also offers a convenient pricing plan—at $60 a month—for unlimited devices and support. The front end is easy to set up and navigate, and the ability to download menus through Excel CSV is a plus. Servers will appreciate the functionality and look of the interface; each member of your team can log in with an individual pin number. Meza’s dashboard also allows servers and hosts to easily assess the needs of customers. On the back end, managers can track their staff’s performance and access robust inventory and reporting features. Though Meza is currently only compatible with iPhones and has limited integrations, it is one of the more exciting new products on the market.

Check out our full review of Meza if you’d like a better idea of what this system can do.

7) Ambur

• Cloud based
• iPhone, iPad touch iOS 8.3 or later
• $69 a month ($59 if billed annually) for one device
• $139 ($99 annually) for two or three
• $199 for unlimited ($149 annually)
• One-location businesses
• Audit logs
• Database back-up

Ambur (see our Ambur review) is another solid option that offers virtually everything an individual restaurant owner could want. Recently purchased by ShopKeep, Ambur has been steadily growing and it looking to expand its capabilities further. The front end is well-designed and easy to understand; in particular, it handles orders and check-splitting quite well. The audit logs are a popular feature on the back end, allowing managers to keep close tabs on employees (these logs are kept and stored for 30 days). Ambur also offers the ability to back up the database to Dropbox every hour. This POS has one of the better employee management systems on the market. Its other back end features are fairly basic but should meet most industry needs. Ambur is lacking in integrations but has a very well-reviewed customer service department featuring email and phone support plus a YouTube channel.

You can read more about it in our Ambur review.

8) Brigade Society 

• Cloud based
• iPad Air 1 or 2 recommended
• $129 per month ($99 if billed annually) per station
• $199 per month unlimited ($159 if billed annually)
• Small to mid-sized restaurants
• Team creation
• Custom order creation

Brigade Society (see our review) is relatively new to the scene and, despite a few limitations, is a functional and sleek product for smaller restaurants. This is probably one of the most user-friendly POSs on the market. Both its front end and back end are designed similarly and, after limited training, navigating the system is seamless. Another extremely handy feature is its ability to import data on its own, taking formatting out of your hands. The ordering interface is easy, allowing for quick modifications, and its check-splitting function is also a snap. One of the most unique features is its ability to create teams from the back office. Team members can access fellow members’ orders without having to log in separately, meaning that personal log in information doesn’t have to be shared. Brigade Society does not offer raw ingredient tracking, nor does it have much in the way of integrations. But a solid customer service department and its overall ease of use make it a popular option.

Read our full review of Brigade Society for more details.

9) Breadcrumb

• Cloud based
• iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 2, iPadPro
• (Core) $99 per month $50 for additional terminals
• (Pro) $249 per month $50 for additional terminals
• Enterprise available
• Any-sized restaurant
• Live reporting
• Back end headquarters
• Inventory management

After undergoing a few changes in ownership, Breadcrumb (see our Breadcrumb review) has emerged as a very strong contender among other top-end POS programs on the market. It has a simple design that is sure to please even the most obsessive-compulsive servers or managers. The mobility of the iPad and the nearly endless customizable menu options are notable functions, though Breadcrumb Live is another unique and popular feature. This app allows managers to see sales in real-time from their iPhones. In addition, Breadcrumb HQ is a well-designed all-in-one app for back-end features. Perhaps what sets Breadcrumb apart more than anything is its inventory management tool, which allows servers to instantly see if any stock items have changed since the beginning of a shift. Breadcrumb integrates with a wide variety of products, most of which come at an expected extra cost. It also offers email and phone support and is active on social media accounts.

You’ll find a full write-up in our comprehensive Breadcrumb review.

Final Thoughts

If you are opening a restaurant today, you are in luck. With so many options in the market, you don’t have to settle for a POS that fails to fit your needs completely. Read our POS reviews for more information about any of the vendors listed above, or check out our restaurant POS comparison chart for a bird’s eye view of the industry.