Point-of-sale systems are crucial for ensuring that your business runs smoothly. A good POS system will allow you to process critical transactions and also give you access to inventory management, customer support, online ordering, and customer service.
There are many POS options on the market. Each one is designed to provide specific benefits for a particular person. Some of the software available today is designed for retail store owners, but others are made for cafes, pop-up shops and other businesses.
Toast POS is a tool that was created by coworkers Steve Fredette and Jonathan Grimm for restaurant owners.
To bring you this incredible guide to Toast, we’ve analyzed countless Toast POS reviews and done our own research.
What’s Toast POS?
ToastPOS was launched in 2012. The service provides exceptional support to restaurant and business owners, including credit card processing and loyalty program tools. It quickly gained attention. This user-friendly startup won the NEVY award in 2016 for being the hottest.
Toast has a lot of great features that will make your restaurant more profitable and efficient. Toast acts as your payment portal. It gives you access to a restaurant manager, card reader, and tableside ordering. The whole service works on the Android platform, making it even more flexible.
This all-in one restaurant POS allows you to improve and streamline your operations, increase revenue, and track your menu items.
These features include:
- Ordering:Staff is able to take orders with either handheld tablets placed at the table or countertop terminals that can swivel towards customers. Toast’s tablet can access the entire application immediately and send instructions directly to the kitchen display.
- Tips and gratuity The Toast POS system allows you to set your tip percentages. The tool prompts guests to tip when they check out. It offers a variety of flat rates, including 10% or 20%.
- Menu creation The Toast POS menu is the same as any other menus you have in your restaurant. You can also divide items into different categories, such as dinner, lunch and cocktails. You can also break down every menu in the system. Toast central’s backend has a modifier system that is extremely comprehensive for websites offering fine dining.
- Pricing menu items The toast system allows you to use any strategy that suits your needs when pricing menu items. You can set pricing rules that cover entire product groups at once. You can offer group pricing on items such as appetizers, desserts and beverages.
- Restaurant reporting:Sales Reports for restaurant owners are one of the most attractive features from Toast. You can access a wide range of reports from labor reports to tip and product reports. You can access scannable overviews and updates of sales metrics that are most important to you.
- Collection of customer data: The best point-of-sale system must include more than credit card processing and restaurant management tools. Services that enable you to manage customer relationships are also required. Toast can be used to track everything, from repeat customers to how often loyalty program points are used and gift cards purchased.
- Kiosk Mode: You can show customers information on an android tablet that is forward-facing. (not apple iPad). The Toast Go solution is designed for tablet-optimized tableside ordering and payment processing.
Toast Management Features
Many of the features in the Toast POS system were created to give you more control over your business’s operations. Take, for example:
- Labor management Restaurant management can make sure that employees are aware of what information is available to them by using user-based permissions. This function allows you micromanage your staff in the most effective way. You can even customize tools to monitor the efficiency of your server sales and kitchen. Employees can also track their time by using the time-tracking feature.
- Inventory Management:Toast offers a complete inventory management system, which includes everything from recipe cost tools to inventory reporting and variance reports.
- Digital receipts This feature is part of Toast Go and allows customers to rate their experience after they receive digital receipts. You can immediately rectify any negative experience your customer had.
- Display systems for kitchens: The Toast KDS system makes it easy and intuitive to use. You can make sure everyone in your kitchen follows the same schedule with color-coded functionality.
Who’s Toast for?
It’s important that you look beyond the credit card processing fees and checkout tools when choosing the best POS system . It is essential to find a restaurant POS system that has been custom-built for your business.
Toast is a web-based service that allows you to quickly access all your favorite restaurant tools from one location. You can make payments offline even if the internet is down.
Toast is a one-stop restaurant system that caters to all members of the food service industry. Toast can be used by any type of food service company. Toast can be used to manage your menus, create digital gift cards and much more.
Toast is perfect for small businesses that want to keep their food costs low and avoid checkout fees. It can be great for larger businesses as well. Toast offers a wide variety of features for full-service restaurants, such as the ability to accept a range payment options, map tables and create menus.
Toast POS Pricing
The Toast POS software has many useful features. This tool is still very affordable despite the features and ease of use. The core POS software subscriptions start at $79 per month.
All POS features are included in the price: full-view reporting and back office management. Quick service tools, customer data tracking, takeout, and many more. If you have any questions, the Toast support team is available.
You will need 6 or more terminals to run your restaurant. To upgrade to Enterprise pricing, contact Toast to receive custom pricing.
There are many add-ons to the standard pricing that can be added to your bill, including:
- $50 per Month for physical or digital gift cards: Your gift cards are directly connected to your POS system. This makes it much easier to track transactions and complete them. Toast can customize and print the cards for you if you choose to use physical gift card.
- $50 per Month Online ordering: You can customize your Toast online ordering and delivery system. The whole system integrates into your POS so that you can order online and offline from one place. You have many customization options for delivery. You can choose delivery areas, set fees for distance travel and select items that you don’t want to ship.
- $25 per Month Loyalty Program Tools: The loyalty programs offered by Toast are very comprehensive. To sign up, customers simply need to check a box on their tablet while closing a tab. You, as a restaurant owner have the ability to customize your loyalty program and reward your customers. To improve your loyalty program, you can also use the Toast POS CRM data.
Toast can provide a customized quote if you are interested in adding Toast features to your small-business. Toast financing is also available to help you avoid paying hidden fees. This means that you pay a monthly subscription fee for software and hardware such as receipt printers, and other devices.
Toast POS will cost you more if you add more features. Toast is still affordable for most companies.
Toast Hardware
While the Toast experience focuses primarily on software, it doesn’t mean you can’t create a great hardware experience.
Toast sells a variety of point-of-sale tablets for mobile phones, including card readers, printers, bar printers, screen protectors, and kitchen display screens. You can choose how much hardware you need. Toast has hardware bundles that can help you save money. Toast Terminal bundles include cash drawers, receipt printers and card readers.
The terminal bundle is priced at $1350
You might need something smaller. The handheld tablet bundle allows you to order tableside with tablets.
Toast also sells individual hardware products. Toast also offers individual hardware products. For example, you can purchase a Toast Terminal that will be used in your entire restaurant or a variety of Toast Go handheld POS systems. You can also find Toast Kiosks and Guest-facing displays as well as kitchen display systems.
ToastPOS is a great option if you are looking for accessories to run your restaurant. You can purchase:
- Barcode scanners and scales
- Receipt printers available in five languages
- Mounting hardware tools
- Wireless access points for enterprises
- Wireless coverage is possible with cloud-enabled routers
- Cash drawers
- Printers for thermal and impact printing
You’ll spend more if you buy more. The good news is that all hardware is already integrated with the toast POS, making it much easier to get your business started quickly.
Toast POS Card Processors
When you sign up for the POS system, your Toast package will include a secure credit-card processing environment. This allows you to avoid the need for external payment processing solutions.
Toast is not the right solution for POS. They must also be able to use Toast to process payments. It is nice to be able to combine a variety of best-in-class tools in your own way. Toast will provide an exceptional experience from beginning to end.
Toast POS reviews online show very few complaints about the payment and processing system. Toast provides speed and efficiency when you most need it. You can also accept cash, gift cards, checks and other forms of payment. Toast is compatible with all credit and debit cards available.
Toast’s payment processing solution has another major advantage: you can set your credit cards authorization strategy to process as if it were offline. The receipt will be sent along with the payment, even if authorization is not required.
Toast POS Ease-of-Use
No matter what your plans for building a restaurant business, it is important to ensure that you are getting an easy-to use software solution. All of our POS software solutions, from Aloha restaurant POS to Square restaurants, are designed to make it easy for you and your business to start selling fast.
How does Toasttab.com compare to other sites?
The good news about Toast is its ease of use and learning. The support team is very helpful in guiding you through the setup process. The representative from Boston will guide you through the process step by step. This allows you to take your time and get familiar with the system before you begin selling.
Although you may need to practice and check out the information before feeling confident with the software, it is very easy to learn. The touchscreen devices and credit card readers are easy to use. It’s a complex system with many features, so you may not be able master every aspect in a matter of minutes. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. You will be able to use your existing tools more often, which will reduce the need for you to purchase additional features as your business grows.
ToastPOS makes managing your business easy with a variety of tools, apps for smartphones, tablets, and other services. You can:
- Split checks Quickly and easily divide checks among multiple customers. Items can be divided according to seat numbers. With a single swipe, you can transfer checks to other tables.
- Void items and errors can be removed in a few clicks. You can track every void and each comp. You can also pull data from past transactions to resolve any dispute by guests calling to dispute a charge.
- Closeout days:An extremely useful feature, the Closeout day function provides a quick audit report that includes information about checks and employee activity.
- Create service zones: It’s easy to create custom service areas. There are many options for sizes and shapes to choose from, so you can drag and drop them to fit the look of your restaurant.
- Mobile ordering Tableside ordering allows for faster and more convenient experiences for you audience. Toast makes it easy to accept payments at tables. This allows you to get everything done quickly.
Customer Support & Service
You should also check how much customer service you will get before you make an investment in the best POS system. You need to be able to trust that your POS system will provide support for any issues with your mobile devices or restaurant micros.
The ToastPOS team decided to create a system for managing a restaurant. They also decided that customer service was important. Toast is different from many other industry competitors. They go above and beyond to make sure customers can find all the information they need online or through a member their team.
Toast will help you with macros and micros as you get started. Extra support is available at no additional cost, and a 24/7 technical assistant are all part of your monthly fee. These are just a few of the tools you have to enhance your Toast experience:
- Expert platform configuration – After you have purchased a subscription through Toast, an expert will start working with you to customize the platform. They will help you optimize your menu to keep your processes as efficient as possible.
- Installation: Toast offers excellent on-site POS installations for all customers. One or more experts will visit your restaurant to install your system, depending on its size. You also get 24/7 support in the event of an emergency.
- Staff Training: It is easy to use. Toast has many features you will need to learn. Toast experts will gladly conduct POS training for your staff.
- 24/7 Support: All monthly fees include 24/7 technical support. Usually, you can get help within minutes. You can also access support tickets if you prefer not to speak on the phone.
- Training materials – If you are looking for ways to train your staff beyond the automatic support offered by Toast, there are plenty of training materials. Videos for your staff, demonstrations of training, and other innovative tools are available.
- Knowledge base – If the training materials don’t suffice, the Toast knowledge base will be a great resource. This knowledge base is packed with FAQs, troubleshooting tips and other information on everything, from menu management to close-out training.
Addons and Integrations
Toast used to have a lot of problems with integrations. Toast has become more open to working with other companies over the years. There are many integrations, from GrubHub, Compeat, and CrunchTime.
Toast now has an Open API, so you can create the integrations that best suit your business.
Final Verdict
The ToastPOS is a great restaurant tool. Although it’s not the cheapest or most user-friendly option, it is the most comprehensive. Although this service is very easy to use, there are so many features that it will take some time to get used. You should allow yourself to experiment and learn.
Toast is a great tool that can help you achieve so many more things than you thought possible. Toast isn’t perfect, but you won’t find anything wrong with it. This software and hardware solution was created by the company behind Toast.
The Toast POS is a powerful and intuitive POS system. It also offers unparalleled customer service.
Pros:
- Rich in amazing features
- Android-based solution
- Outstanding customer service
- User-friendly
- It is extensible and scalable
Cons:
- It takes some time to get used to it.
- Add-ons may incur additional costs
- Toast is locked into the processing
