Toast Pos System Review: Features, Pro & Cons

Discover the features and benefits of the Toast POS system in our in-depth review. Learn how it can streamline your restaurant operations, improve the customer experience, and provide valuable business insights. Get a unique perspective and make a knowledgeable decision.

Whats is Pos System?

A POS system (Point of Sale system) is a software and hardware setup used by businesses to process sales transactions, manage inventory, and keep track of customer data. It typically includes a computer, a receipt printer, a barcode scanner, and a cash drawer, as well as software that integrates these components to automate and streamline sales processes.

POS systems are commonly used in retail and hospitality, but can also be used in other industries. They are designed to provide real-time data and analytics, enhance the customer experience, and simplify sales processes. Some common features of POS systems include:

1. Sales processing: ability to process cash, credit, and other payment methods.
2. Inventory management: tracking stock levels and product information.
3. Customer management: storing and updating customer information, such as contact details and purchase history.
4. Sales reporting: generating detailed reports and analytics on sales, inventory, and customer data.
5. Accounting integration: linking the POS system with accounting software for streamlined financial reporting.
6. Mobile compatibility: ability to process sales from smartphones and tablets.

The choice of a POS system depends on the specific needs and budget of the business, so it’s important to compare the features and pricing of different systems before making a decision.

Toast POS is an all-in-one POS and payment processor that offers fast service and advanced features for full-service restaurants and runs on Android instead of iOS.

Toast is designed to help restaurateurs streamline their daily processes and simplify restaurant management.

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Toast includes pretty much everything you need to take payments, track inventory, manage your workforce, and offer rewards like promo codes and gift cards.

The service strikes an ideal balance of functionality, value, and ease of use.

It is the number one choice for point of sale (POS) systems for restaurants as it is well suited for everyday restaurant management tasks.

WHAT IS TOAST?

Toast is an all-in-one, Android-based POS system designed specifically for the restaurant industry with an stellar feature set, solid table reservation, and outstanding customer service.

Toast is different from many of its iOS-based competitors in the point-of-sale world because it runs on the Android operating system, making it cheaper and more versatile for tablets to use.

Several third-party add-ons and integrations are available.

Toast Go, a mobile POS device created specifically for the platform, makes Toast an attractive option for restaurants.

Toast is sold as an all-in-one point-of-sale package that includes software, hardware, and payment processing.

Unfortunately, it also comes with a tight credit card processing contract.

So, as with any point of sale business, it’s important to read and understand your agreement with Toast before signing up.

Pros and Cons

Here is the pros and cons of using Toast POS:

Key Features

Here are four features that Toast POS have, such as:

1. Tableside Ordering and Checkouts

With Toast’s mobile ordering and payment capabilities, you can take orders and process payments right at your table.

This feature is perfect for busy restaurants that need to change tables quickly.

It’s not perfect, though, as its offline mode doesn’t let you process payments, which can be a problem if your internet connection drops or you sit far away from a Wi-Fi connection.

2. Online Ordering and Delivery

Customers can order online and track their delivery status in real time.

This feature is perfect for businesses that want to offer delivery services but don’t have their own drivers.

Toast will even ping its network of drivers to find consignees in your area.

However, ordering online is not available with the free plan, so you will need to upgrade to the paid plan to access this feature.

3. Reporting

Toast’s reporting capabilities are extensive, allowing you to track your sales, labor expenditure, and inventory levels in real time.

By creating custom reports, you can gain valuable insights into your business, make quick decisions, and stay on top of your restaurant’s pulse.

4. Menu Updates

With Toast, you can change your menu quickly and easily. This is perfect for businesses that need to make seasonal or daily changes to their menu.

The software also makes it easy to track prices and ingredients, so you can keep your costs under control.

Its downside is that there is no nutritional information feature unless you use Nightly Menu’s JSON export feature, which is a technical process that can be confusing for most users.

Toast POS Pricing and Fees

Toast has recently restructured its pricing plans.

The best part of Toast’s new pricing structure is that a free plan is now available that may be a good option for smaller restaurants.

Toast offers three pricing tiers:

1. Starter Kit

Toast’s free plan includes order and table management, reporting and analytics, menu management, real-time fraud tracking, 24/7 customer service, setup and configuration, and upgrades automated software.

2. Point of Sale

The cheapest paid plan starts at $59 per month and lets you customize the hardware you use.

This package provides access to a number of add-ons that are not compatible with the Starter Kit package, including group management tools and API access.

3. Essentials

For a base price of $165 per month, Toast’s Essentials plan includes everything from the Point of Sale plan.

Additionally, this option includes ordering toast online, a toast delivery service, and the Toast TakeOut app.

4. Restaurant Basics Package

Starting at $110 per month, Toast’s Restaurant Basics plan includes everything from a starter kit, to the addition of APIs and productivity tools. These include Sling Planning (Lite), Team Management and Payroll (Lite), Trade Assurance through AP Intego, Vestwell 401(k) and Toast Pay Card and PayOut.

Customer Service and Support

Toast has a knowledge base to help DIY with features like Menu, Labor, Staff, Guest Interaction, front-of-house setup, Kitchen Setup, integrations, payroll, hardware and payments.

Customers can also attend Toast Classroom, with in-person and on-demand training classes.

It updates the Toast system status regularly so that customers know if any problems occur.

Users can even sign up to receive email and phone notifications when Toast availability changes.

If you’re signed in to your Toast account, you can also get support via live chat.

INTEGRATIONS & ADD-ONS

Toast offers solid integrations and is quite competitive in this area.

The list of available integrations grows regularly, and while Toast offers an impressive number of in-house add-ons, it’s nice to have third-party options.

Integrations include, but are not limited to:

• 7shifts
• Appfront
• Avero
• Bevager
• Bevspot
• BrewLogix
• Chowly
• Compeat
• Craftable
• CrunchTime
• Grubhub
• Harri
• Homebase
• ItsaCheckmate
• KitchenSync
• LevelUp
• Marketman
• OpenTable
• PayTronix
• PeachWorks
• Punchh
• Restaurant365
• Shogo
• TapMango

Conclusion

Toast software is almost an ideal solution for restaurants in terms of its feature set. Its add-ons can make the product a bit pricey.

However, these features are often well worth it because they are both powerful and extremely easy to use.

Read to: Toast Pos System Review: Features, Pro & Cons

Toast’s recent addition of a free plan was a pleasant surprise, although most restaurants will need to upgrade and/or purchase add-ons to get the most out of the functionality.

Restaurants and businesses may want to research other top free POS software before deciding.

However, other additions, such as switching to quote-based custom plans and quote-based processing fees, have raised some alarm bells.

While most reviewers seem to find Toast’s fees competitive with other companies, reports suggest that Toast has increased these fees without notice and locked customers into long contracts.

While the product is still great overall, you need to make sure you read the contract carefully and know exactly what you’re about to enter.