The 8 Best Restaurant POS Systems in 2023

Over the years, Square managed to make a name for itself as a simple, reliable, and cost-effective POS system. Square for Restaurants is one of its newest products specifically tailored for the food industry. Although it’s a versatile management system, most of the time, it’s used by smaller restaurants that want to avoid monthly obligations.

So, what exactly does Square have to offer?
It’s widely regarded as one of the best small restaurant POS systems because of its focus on quick-service restaurants and simple menu management. It enables you to easily add, remove, or reorder your items and apply that layout to all of your restaurants.

This is extremely useful when you’re making last-minute changes to the top sellers or removing the items that have just run out. Thanks to the bulk additions feature, you can add a whole group of items in one go, which is perfect for seasonal changes or special promotions.

The offer includes a free-of-charge option for creating an online store. That way you can arrange pickups, delivery systems, and expand your service. You can expect the best POS systems for a restaurant business to offer numerous integrations to help you out with this task. Square goes a step further and opens its doors to third-party integrations as well.

Detailed reports are also a part of the basic Square POS for restaurants pricing plan with useful stats, charts, and summaries that will help you optimize your sales. You can use various filters to examine individual categories and make the necessary adjustments. Of course, like pretty much everything else in this system, the reports are also fully customizable. You can add a bit of flavor to those reports with the PLUS plan that shows you live sales in real time.

The best bar and restaurant POS systems that require a monthly subscription includes one essential feature – shared settings. This option enables you to sync all your devices and give all your staff members the same access. You can also set up permissions for all team members to keep everything under control. One interesting feature concerns multiple job titles. If you have an employee who works two different jobs on different days, you can keep track of that individual separately.

One of the most important ways in which these systems help you ensure customer satisfaction is through innovative table management. The best POS systems for a small restaurant like Square give you a great overview of the tables with waiting times for each one. If a customer is waiting for too long, his or her table is displayed in yellow or red with a handy timer below.

Finally, let’s take a look at the Square for Restaurants pricing plans. The free plan is the most popular option because there’s no monthly subscription. However, there is a 2.6% + 10 cents per sale charge. It’s an excellent option for restaurants that can’t guarantee a monthly income and don’t require too much in the way of features. Larger venues that want the best turnkey restaurant POS systems can sign up for the PLUS plan that costs $60 per month (plus fees per sale) or discuss a custom plan with the company representatives.

In 2014, Lightspeed introduced another member to its POS family made specifically for the food industry. The product has since become one of the most popular POS systems for restaurants with a beginner-friendly interface, a plethora of excellent features, and stellar customer support.

Lightspeed Restaurant is a cloud-based POS solution that works well with all types of restaurants thanks to its numerous customization options. The software’s interface is elegant and easy to master, so you won’t have any trouble showing the ropes to your new employees. While other systems might offer rigid frameworks for organizing tables, Lightspeed gives you all the flexibility you need. The intuitive click-and-drag system allows you to rearrange the layout, redirect customers’ orders, or merge tables in real-time.

The best cloud-based restaurant POS systems usually require a solid internet connection to keep everything in order. But Lightspeed’s Lite Server device continually backs up all your data and allows you to work offline. Of course, the device will add to the overlap cost and it doesn’t come cheap.

Simple staff management is another one of the product’s highlights. So, does Lightspeed Restaurant POS track employee clock in? Yes, but that’s not all it does. The best restaurant POS software gives you reports on your employees, lets you set up individual accounts, and delegate permissions. Use the daily reports to keep an eye on both your revenue and the underachieving staff members.

The company’s EMV-compliant terminal is included in the price. It can handle all forms of payments, including swiping, dipping, and tapping while placing special emphasis on mobile payment options. As with most of the best restaurant POS systems, iPad is the recommended hardware for this software. All you need to do is download the iOS app and set it up. Unfortunately, the software doesn’t support Android devices at this time.

Pricing plans start at $59/month if you sign up for an annual subscription. It’ll cost you an additional $10 if you pay monthly. Of course, these are just the basics. Add-ons like customer facing display and advanced reporting start at an additional $12 per month. If you want to integrate deliveries and include a loyalty system into your restaurant’s point of sale, you’ll need to go with Premium add-ons starting at $39/month.

While many big companies created their restaurant POS systems as a side project, for TouchBistro this was a central product from the very beginning. This might be the reason the software feels more organic and focused than many of its competitors. TouchBistro has a good reputation – It doesn’t hurt that huge companies like Little Caesars rely on it as one of the best pizza restaurant POS systems.

One of the biggest advantages to having an iPad-based POS is tableside ordering. Waiters can take orders on the spot and get recommendations on the upselling opportunities through preset popups. This method is both faster and more profitable than more traditional options. It also lets you keep track of your employees’ success rates so you know what changes need to be made.

The table management feature is fairly flexible, but you’ll need to use third-party integrations to customize entire floor plans. Just like some of the other best restaurant POS systems, TouchBistro enables you to monitor waiting times and high-value tables to ensure premium service.

Making reservations is easy, with room to add all the necessary contact information and important details. For example, you can keep track of high-value customers or first-time visitors to keep the staff on their toes.

TouchBistro POS excels when it comes to staff management. The built-in punch clock tells you exactly how your employees are doing, how many hours they’ve worked, and what the activity levels are.

TouchBistro’s top restaurant POS software also includes an in-app messaging platform for easy and secure communication between employees. You can customize the security settings for each staff member, but that’s not all. Every piece of POS hardware can be customized in a number of ways. You can choose between left or right-handed options, light or dark mode, or create specific PINs for everyone.

The company understands the importance of customer service, which is why TouchBistro support works 24/7. You can ask for help every day of the year with just a couple of clicks. If you encounter a problem, all you need to do is send a screenshot directly from the app and wait for the prompt reply. Numerous POS for restaurant reviews on the web praise the company’s knowledgeable and friendly support agents.

TouchBistro pricing is not as straightforward as it should be. The POS license alone starts at $69 per month, but you’ll need to fill out a questionnaire and ask for a quote to get the precise number. Additional features will cost you more. For example, online ordering starts at $50/month, while reservations start at a much higher rate of $229/month.

If you’re looking for the best POS system for restaurants, Toast might just be the ticket. The company specializes in point of sale systems for the service industry, focusing on restaurants and bars, even offering restaurant funding through Toast Capital.

Overview

Toast offers two main types of services: An online-only set of digital ordering solutions and an all-in-one POS system that includes on-site hardware. For this review, we’ll focus on the latter.

Toast offers three AIO solutions, starting with the completely free Starter package, which includes the cloud-based POS software, Toast’s integrated payment processing, basic customer care, and real-time fraud monitoring features.

To get the best POS system for your restaurant, you will want to pick the $165/month Essentials or $272/month Growth plans, which add online ordering and delivery, advanced customer care tools, Toast’s TakeOut app for Android and iOS, and more. These features can also be added to the free Starter package as optional add-ons.

Toast’s integrated payment system accepts all major payment methods and offers fair rates. For example, a $25 bill will incur 79¢ in payment processing fees, 20¢ of which Toast will take, and 59¢ of which will cover interchange and network fees.

Toast has the best bar POS system around. Servers get access to table layouts, and cooks can use text and push notifications to let them know the food is ready. Guests can use self-serving kiosks, POS terminals, or even Toast Go handheld devices. Splitting checks and tipping is also made easy, and Toast’s cloud-based software works offline, too.

Inventory management is fantastic, too, allowing you to track sales data, get accurate per-plate costs, map out inventory count according to the kitchen layout, and optimize purchase orders. The same goes for customer management, which features an automated loyalty program that tracks customer spending in real-time and allows them to redeem points for loyalty rewards.

In its bid to be the best POS system for restaurant owners, Toast streamlines the ordering process, with online orders going directly to the kitchen staff. There is also a robust staff management system that tracks employee hours across multiple locations, calculates monthly paychecks, keeps track of state and federal labor laws, and more. Managers can quickly approve punch-in data, shift swaps, and PTO requests made by their team, and that data will immediately get synced with the payroll software.

Toast also has extensive reporting features. The software gives you a glimpse into the best-performing staff members and restaurants, best and worst selling menu items, and much more through detailed daily reports.

Even the best POS system cannot cover everything by itself, which is why third-party app integrations are essential. Toast offers over 40 apps to further improve employee scheduling, accounting, and inventory management tasks, making it an ideal point of sale system for small businesses in the restaurant and bar industry.

The company has a local presence in more than 230 cities throughout the US, and the staff can be reached out to 365 days a year. Fantastic on-site support and staff training are a big part of why we consider Toast the best restaurant POS system around. Add to that a great resource library on the company’s site, and you get a clear picture of a company that goes the extra mile to provide quality customer care for its clients.

Final Thoughts

Toast is an excellent POS system for small-business owners that scales well for larger restaurant chains, too. With a free basic plan aimed at up-and-coming establishments, robust customer and inventory management tools, class-leading POS hardware, and brilliant customer support, the only downside worth mentioning in this POS system review is the integrated payment system. While still affordable, some third-party options may be cheaper.

If your idea of the best POS for restaurants is a software with an impressive number of advanced features, Revel should be your first choice. The company currently has more than 25,000 terminals in use worldwide. It’s focused on helping small businesses find their foothold in the industry. Revel’s biggest downside is the price, which is slightly higher than the industry average.

We begin our review of the Revel POS system with its inventory management. The system allows you to keep track of all your products down to the very ingredients. Even some of the best traditional restaurant POS systems don’t offer this level of detail in their apps. You can check ingredients, costs, expected use, and set low stock alerts. With these reports, you can optimize your supply process and reduce food waste to a minimum. Not only does this save money in the long run, but it also helps your restaurant become more environmentally friendly.

Revel Systems POS offers advanced reporting services so you can stay on top of your sales and find ways to improve your service. The Hourly Sales tab identifies your bestsellers and tells you which items aren’t worth your while. Using these reports helps you identify problems through simple graphs and colorful pie charts. The Revel POS system for a small restaurant goes beyond what an average user usually needs.

Delivery management is an integral part of the Revel platform. The app allows you to track your orders in real-time through a comprehensive interface. It includes an overview of all the deliveries being made with essential information like the names of the driver and the customer, the address, and expected arrival times. The reports can also show you the history of every driver to help you recognize behavior patterns and reward hard workers.

The Always-On feature makes sure your system works even without an internet connection. While some of the best restaurant POS systems charge extra for this service, Revel offers it for free. This is a huge plus in our book. That said, keep in mind that the offline mode isn’t exactly perfect. Revel POS reviews show that you might experience some problems with card payments, so try sticking to cash just in case.

The basic Revel POS pricing plan starts at $99/month. But this is the price for a single terminal. As such, the size of your restaurant will likely determine whether this system is right for you. Since it’s not exactly a simple POS system for a restaurant, you might also need some help getting started. Onboarding with the Revel POS support team will be an added financial burden with prices starting at $649. Add processing fees to the mix, and you are looking at quite a price tag.

Cake was recently acquired by the reputable Mad Mobile platform, indicating that it plans to focus on mobile payments and improving existing processes. Even before the change in ownership, Cake delivered one of the best full service restaurant POS systems on the web.

The Cake POS system is cloud-based software, which offers great mobility and synchronization options. You can manage your menu items remotely and rest assured that your changes will appear on all devices. In addition to the software, Cake offers a good selection of high-quality POS hardware made specifically for use in restaurants.

The elegant and durable design of the terminals means it can withstand accidental splashes without crashing and corrupting your data. Bear in mind that the main terminal requires a hardwired connection for stability and security.

The order management system works like a charm. Like many of the best restaurants POS systems, Cake has an easy-to-use, intuitive interface that lets you make changes on the fly. For example, if you want to edit an existing product, you can use the quick menu and immediately update it on all devices. Meanwhile, the automated stock count makes sure you never run out of ingredients.

The software can work even if your internet goes down. All of the data is backed up on the servers and the company claims that you can even process payments. However, in practice, even the best rated restaurant POS systems can’t guarantee safe offline transactions.

If you want to expand your business to the web, get Cake POS online ordering, which works as a separate service but integrates seamlessly with the main POS. The system offers a quick checkout process, various delivery methods, and integrations with third-party apps.

You can keep track of all your sales in real-time thanks to the app’s intricate reports. They cover payments, payrolls, giftcards, and even your taxes. The most useful section is probably the Sales vs Labor cost report that shows you exactly how efficient your restaurant is.

When you’re dealing with food service POS systems, you usually have to rely on third-party integrations to enable online ordering. With Cake’s in-house service, you get the fixed 5% per payment fee. This is a pretty good deal as other apps tend to be three times more expensive. Speaking of costs, what kind of Cake POS pricing system can you expect?

The software’s starting price is an industry-standard of $69/month. This option comes with the obligatory two-year contract. As is often the case with the best POS systems, a restaurant that needs more than one terminal gets a discount. You will pay $49 per month for every additional terminal you need. There are various bundles that combine hardware, software, and some additional apps for a decent price, but it’s always better to discuss it with the company’s support team and get a custom quote.

In 2016, Upserve acquired a system formerly known as Breadcrumbs POS. It combined the system with its management platform and created what many consider to be the best POS system for a restaurant. One of the system’s top qualities is versatility. It can work with both Android and iOS devices or use the company’s own hardware. With the Upserve POS system you get the whole package, from order management and payment processing to sales reporting, online ordering, and loyalty programs.

Upserve utilizes a simple interface that allows for quick and easy menu management. As is often the case with these restaurant POS solutions, you can make the changes on the fly and these are automatically synchronized with all other devices. It’s easy to use, and you’ll get the hang of it in just a few minutes. Besides adding, removing, and editing items from the list, you can also set up specific item countdowns to send out warnings when certain products are no longer available. It saves you time and ensures your customers will not be disappointed.

When it comes to payment processing, Upserve has its own service so you don’t need to use third-party integrations. We give Upserve extra points for this in our restaurant POS system review, especially since the price is right. The flat-rate fee of 2.49% plus the fixed $0.15 per transaction is way less than what third-party processors charge.

Naturally, the entire system is EMV-compliant and supports all payment methods.
Upserve is also working to improve tableside orders. With the company’s terminal, your waiters can take orders from customers, edit them, split checks, and even accept signatures for check payments. Of course, the floorplan is completely customizable, so you can help your waiters find their way around.

One of the reasons why Upserve is considered the best POS system for a small restaurant is its compact nature. Instead of going through dozens of different sections, all of the information is combined in one platform dubbed Upserve HQ. It combines your POS features, payments, promotions, online ordering, loyalty programs, and various other elements into one comprehensive overview of your venue.

If you look at the Upserve POS pricing plans, you might notice a wealth of features. The subscription to the cheapest plan is $59 and an additional $60 per terminal. Restaurant

POS software reviews on the web applaud the fact that the offline mode comes free of charge even with the most basic plan. The Upserve POS Pro subscription costs $199 and unlocks more management options as well as the valuable loyalty program. There is also a third option called Pro Plus that will cost you $359, gives you a personal account manager, and reduces the price of individual terminals.

Lavu was founded about a decade ago, but it quickly established itself as one of the best POS systems for small restaurants. Some of the highlights of this system include an exceptional onboarding process, reliable mobile payment partnerships, and a number of POS features.

Despite the fact that Lavu offers an excellent, fully customizable interface, numerous complaints say it isn’t user-friendly. Perhaps this is the main reason why the company invests so much in its customer service and onboarding processes. The Lavu support team is easily among the best in the business. Agents can help you with installation, staff training, and customization options. You can also get help from a certified Lavu specialist that will arrive on-site and tell you what the best Wi-Fi restaurant POS systems are for your venue.

The Lavu POS system is cloud-based but can also operate offline if the internet connection suddenly goes down. You’ll often hear developers say that it’s possible to process credit card payments offline, but user reviews suggest it’s quite rare. You can improve the stability and security of your data by backing it all up onto a provided local server and protect yourself from power outages with a UPS. You can also switch to mobile payments thanks to the company’s partnership with PayPal and Square.

Restaurant POS systems reviews say that inventory management used to be one of Lavu’s biggest defects. However, with a recent update, the tool delivers a range of useful features. You can use the management system to make orders, search for meals by ingredients, and make transfers from one place to another. It is also possible to create alerts and get notifications when supplies are running low.

Lavu allows integrations with hundreds of useful apps from the online store. When it comes to accounting, Lavu is among the best restaurant POS systems that integrate with Quickbooks, Xero, and Shogo. You can also utilize Lavu’s in-house accounting app and use it to connect to third-party solutions.

POS Lavu pricing plans are pretty standard – a single terminal option costs $69 per month and includes hundreds of great features. For multiple-terminal and enterprise plans, you’ll need to get in touch with a company representative and get a custom quote.