Best POS Software for Restaurants

Best POS Software for Restaurants 

What’s one of the first things you might need when you start your restaurant business? It’s probably a point-of-sale system to accept credit and debit payments, track your inventory, text and email receipts, analyze customer and sales data, do invoicing and it can also help manage employees.

How to Choose your POS Software

However…how do you know which POS Software is the best for your restaurant business? Your POS is the lifeline of your operations but choosing it can quickly become overwhelming. These are the seven steps you should consider when choosing the right POS system:  

1. Define the needs of your business
2. Take note of the required hardware
3. Set a budget
4. Audit and compare POS systems
5. See the POS in action
6. Get the set-up right
7. Make the most of your POS systems

These are the Best POS Software for Restaurants

Touch bistro: Touch Bistro offers an easy to use an iPad-based Point-of-Sale system that enables staff to bring the register to each table. Used in over 25 countries, the system is a good fit for both small restaurant business and large chains. (https://www.touchbistro.com) Breadcrumb: With this cloud-based program, servers are able to view available tables, modify menu items, and split checks while managers access payroll information, time clocks, and real-time reports using iPads and accompanying hardware provided by Breadcrumb. (https://upserve.com/platform/restaurant-pos/) Toast: Toast POS is a robust solution for all types of food service businesses, including bars, quick service, and full-service restaurants. For restaurants with table service, servers can easily process payments and take orders tableside using Toast’s handheld tablets. (https://pos.toasttab.com) Revel: Access a full suite of features made to grow your restaurant quicker. From pre-authorization, caller I.D., table timers, split bills, delivery management and table layouts, Revel iPad Point of Sale gives you POS software and tools to run your business more efficiently than ever. (http://revelsystems.com)  

How much does it cost?

When you are analyzing POS system cost, it’s important to focus on both hardware and software.

POS Hardware

Hardware is on of the primary upfront costs involved in purchasing a new restaurant POS system. In general, tablet-based systems should cost somewhere around $1500 for a terminal bundle and $500 for a handled tablet bundle.

POS Software

The majority of tablet-based POS vendors charge between $80 and $150 per month per terminal and tablet device. However, it’s interesting that you have the right answer to the following questions when ordering one or another: What are you gaining by spending more? What would you be giving up by purchasing the system with less expensive software?

Additional POS Features

Some POS systems offer additional features such as online ordering, gift cards and loyalty programs. Each of these services are typically available for an additional $25-$75 per month and it’s advisable to integrate them in your vendor POS instead of purchasing them from a third party as stand-alone modules.

Are you still unsure about what your best POS option is?

Piedmont Avenue Consulting, Inc. works with many restaurants in the Bay Area and beyond. Call at 510-761-5895 to schedule a free consultation with the CEO and Founder, David Mitroff, and we’ll help you go through this process to finally choose the most suitable POS option for your restaurant business.