Toast POS Review

Our Verdict

Toast POS is a complete solution for payment processing, back of house, and front of house operations. If that was all then it’d be a strong choice but it does a lot more. In addition to the core features, you can extend the functionality with add-ons and integrations. You’re able to create loyalty programs, issue physical or electronic gift cards, manage inventory, and even create a deeply integrated online store. There are some things to keep in mind. Toast quotes every merchant a custom price for payment processing fees which is determined by volume. Also, equipment can be a major outlay in the beginning (they do offer financing).

They took their time to create one of the most important features – reporting. The end result is a deep understanding of how every part of your business functions and where you can save money or increase revenue. If you’re looking for a total solution to manage your restaurant then Toast POS, which serves tens of thousands of customers, is a great choice.

Pros

Integrate front of house and back of house operations
Ability to use gift cards
Deeply integrated loyalty program
Insightful reporting to help you understand profit and loss centers
Carefully selected integration partners

Cons

Add-ons can get pricey
Credit card processing fees not readily available
Inventory search function is lacking

Plans & Pricing

For a limited time only! Toast is having their biggest hardware sale yet, get up to 60% off!

New Toast, Inc. (“Toast”) merchant customers who sign an Initial Order Form with Toast between October 14, 2024 and December 31, 2024 (“New Customer”), will be eligible to receive a one-time discount on Toast hardware (“Hardware”) in the amount of (i) 20% if New Customer purchases a minimum of two thousand US dollars $2,000 of Hardware in its Initial Order Form with Toast; (ii) 40% if New Customer purchases a minimum of $4,000 of Hardware; or (iii) 60% if New Customer purchases a minimum of $6,000 of Hardware. This promotion excludes existing Toast customers who are actively using Toast’s point-of-sale services under an existing Initial Order Form with Toast, and will not apply to any Toast products other than Hardware.

This promotion will expire on December 31, 2024. The discount may only be applied once per New Customer. The discount cannot be redeemed for cash or applied to any other fees. This is a limited time offer subject to change. Toast reserves the right to suspend, modify, or cancel this promotion at any time.

There are four different plans users of this software can choose from: Starter, Essentials, Custom, and the New Restaurant Basics plans.

Starter

This basic plan is ideal for small startups, and requires a monthly fee of $0. It is a cloud-based platform that allows users to run POS transactions for as low as 2.49% + $0.15 when they pay an upfront $799, and $69/month for Toast terminals, or 2.99% + $0.15 at no zero cost.

On this plan, users enjoy the following benefits:

Order, menu, and table management.
Anti-fraud transaction tracking.
Technical support with installation and updates.
24/7 customer support.
Reporting.

At additional fees, the Starter plan also gives users access to:

Online ordering.
Loyalty programs and gift cards.
Email marketing.

Essentials

This plan requires a monthly subscription fee of $165, and includes the following, in addition to the Starter features:

3 months’ free online ordering (originally $75/month).
Delivery service.
The Toast Takeout App.

Custom

This plan works on an exclusive pricing structure that is peculiar to businesses. And in addition to the features of the Essentials plan, it offers users the following:

Digital ordering and tips
Payroll.
Staff scheduling.
Business insurance and 401(k).
Business PayCard
API

Restaurant Basic

The Restaurant Basics plan incorporates premium payroll features into POS for restaurants and other food businesses. It costs $110/month, plus $4/month for every employee on the payroll. And in addition to the features of the Starter plan, this plan boasts:

Payroll and 401(k)
Tips
Team management and staff scheduling
The Toast PayCard
Business insurance.

Starter

$0 /month

Essentials

$165 /month

Restaurant Basic

$110 /month

Custom

Contact for Quote

In-depth review

Features and Functionality

Toast POS has a number of features which make it one of the fastest growing restaurant POS solutions in the United States. You’re able to manage multiple stores, access best in class reports from anywhere using your customer login, integrate your kitchen display system, and set up online ordering.

In addition to the core features, they have a number of add-ons available for a fixed monthly fee. These add-ons allow you to extend the functionality of Toast to make running your business even easier.

Payroll & team management

Integrate payroll with your POS to save time and streamline your operations procedures. This helpful add-on allows you to make the hiring process smoother, speeds up timesheet approval, and syncs between hours and payroll. This add-on acts as a fantastic HR tool that also gives you meaningful workforce insight. Additionally, it will also help simplify taxes, time-tracking, benefits administration, and more. When selecting to add this product alongside Toast POS, you get a strong program that covers more aspects of your business from one clear and accessible point.

Ecommerce functionality

With Toast, you can build customized and responsive websites to facilitate online ordering. Your customer can navigate to your website, place an order, and pay for it online. The menu online is automatically synced with the menu in your restaurant so you won’t get orders for items no longer in stock.

You can set the open time for your online portal and add modifiers, special requests, and automatic prompts to increase your average order value. Finally, completed orders are sent directly to your kitchen which cuts down on lost orders and speeds up order completion times.

Gift cards

The ability to create digital or physical gift cards which can be used in your restaurant is available as an add-on. Gift cards can be bought online or in your store and easily redeemed by scanning the card or keying in the code. The only drawback is that they can’t be used through your online portal.

Loyalty program

Toast offers a point-based loyalty program for your diners. They can opt-in during the checkout process and every time they come back their entire purchase history is available. The loyalty program reporting lets you know how it’s affecting your revenue.

Hardware Requirements

Toast has multiple hardware options to choose from but not all of them are necessary to get up and running with the system. The most important are the monitor and magnetic card reader which are available in the starter package.

You’re able to include additional hardware such as a terminal, cash drawer, receipt printer, kitchen monitor, and more. These items can be bought separately or in bundles depending on your needs.

The Toast system is built on Android because, as they say, the devices are more durable and easier to upgrade.

Integrations & Add-ons

The Toast POS system has a wide range of add-ons and integrations with over 60 partners to extend its functionality. We’ve discussed some of the add-ons such as gift cards, online ordering, and the loyalty program.

Toast Order with Google integration- Toast’s Order with Google Integration allows restaurants to take control of their takeout and delivery services by offering new ordering channels. With this integration, restaurants can now sell to guests through Toast Online Ordering, Toast Takeout App, and Order with Google. Restaurants can manage all these channels easily with seamless integrations as Order with Google uses the same menus, hours, and quote times as Toast Online Ordering. This means restaurants can customize their settings in one place, and updates automatically flow through to Order with Google in real time.

Toast Go® 2 – This is the update to the Toast Go® and has been built to stand up to the demanding environment found in restaurants. It supports card payments, contactless payments, and is integrated with the entire Toast ecosystem. It’s a separate purchase and subscription but it’ll be worth it for you if you want to add an extra layer of convenience for customers and enhanced efficiency for your staff.

Financing – Get approved for a line of credit within 24 hours. The repayments increase or decrease based on business cash flow.

7Shifts – Toast integrates directly with 7Shifts to handle your employee scheduling, labor management, and payroll.

Grubhub – Push your menus directly to the Grubhub marketplace and allow people to order online. The orders come directly to your restaurant and remove the need for extra hardware.

Ease of Use

The software itself is easy to understand and use. It’s similar to other POS software systems so if you’re migrating from another solution you can learn the basics quickly. If it’s your first time using a system like this then it may take a little time to get used to it.

The hardware is a different story. Customer reviews have mentioned the need for specialized technical help to get everything working properly. There are two options available.

You can choose a remote setup option where you communicate with technicians over the phone. There’s also an option for onsite installation where a Toast team member or contractor will work with you to properly set up the system.

Customer Service

Toast offers multiple support options for their customers and many of them are available at all times of the day. When compared to other POS solutions, they have more support availability. Most of the customer reviews online are positive but some have complained of unresponsive or poorly trained support staff.