Toast is a point-of-sale (POS) and management system used by restaurants to streamline their operations, manage inventory, and oversee staff. It comes with restaurant-friendly features that simplify ordering (dine-in, take-out, and online delivery) and payment processing, improving guests’ experience.
Over 100,000 restaurants in the US use the Toast POS system, making it one of the fastest-growing POS systems in the market. It’s also one of the most durable POS hardware for restaurants thanks to its spill-resistance design and ability to withstand high temperatures.
With all these, is the Toast POS system the right choice for your food service business? Below, we compile a comprehensive Toast POS review to help you decide.
What is a Toast POS System?
Toast POS is a cloud-based point-of-sale system that helps restaurants seamlessly manage day-to-day operations. Its built-in features allow users to track inventory, process payments, manage menu orders, and manage staff.
Toast POS system also comes with advanced reporting and analytics tools that offer restaurant owners better insights into their business operations, enabling them to make informed decisions. In addition, it’s cloud-based, meaning you can access your restaurant’s data from anywhere in the world on any device.
The toast POS system is worth considering if you run a restaurant, café, bar, or food truck. However, before you make the call, you may want to read our review to see if it’s the right fit for your business.
Toast POS cost: Is it worth it?
Toast offers three pricing plans: Starter Kit, Point of Sale, and Build Your Own.
Starter kit: The Toast starter kit costs $0 per month and is designed for small restaurants or food vendors with a single location requiring 1-2 terminals. It comes with a hardware kit with zero initial charges, a cloud-based POS, a terminal, a tap payment device and router, free set-up support, and customer care.
Point of sale: The starter kit costs $69 per month and is designed for established restaurants that require a system with flat-rate processing and core functionalities. It comes with a monthly software subscription, cloud-based POS, custom hardware configuration, and extra add-ons. You are also allowed to choose your hardware.
Build your own: The build-your-own kit has a custom price and is suitable for restaurants with large visitors and multiple locations, especially those looking to increase revenue. It may come with features like online ordering, payroll, delivery, tips management, inventory, marketing, scheduling, etc.
Toast Point of Sale Processing fees
Toast charges processing fees according to your plan and the amount of transaction initiated. Here is a breakdown of the transaction fees.
- 2.99% + 15 cents for the pay-as-you-go option
- 2.49% + 15 cents if you pay for the hardware in advance
- 3.5% +15 cents for card-not-present transactions ( CNP)
Pros and cons of Toast POS (user reviews)
Below, we highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of the Toast Point of Sale system.
Pros of Toast POS
- Easy to use and set up
- Toast POS hardware is durable
- Rich with restaurant-friendly features
- Integrates with numerous third-party applications
- Toast offers 24/7 email, phone, or chat support to users
- Partners with DoorDash to offer delivery services, eliminating the need to set up yours.
- The reporting and analytics feature offers real-time data about key business metrics, helping users make informed decisions.
Cons of Toast POS
- Poor customer support
- Isn’t compatible with third-party payment processors
- Issues with occasional glitches (complaints about glitches)
- Expensive for small businesses on a shoestring budget
- Frequent software updates can be frustrating for users
- Toast delivery service features are unavailable to users with their delivery drivers
- Customer support takes forever to answer user queries and is unknowledgeable about specific problems
Toast POS Competitors
Toast POS has many competitors. They include:
- Square
- TouchBistro
- Clover
- SpotOn
- Lightspeed restaurant
- Aloha
For this Toast POS review, we’ll compare the software with one of its biggest competitors: Clover.
Toast POS VS Clover
Toast and Clover are good POS systems that serve different industries. While the Toast POS system is designed specifically for food businesses, Clover is more versatile and tailored to retail stores and restaurants.
That said, Toast is a great fit if you want a system rich with restaurant-friendly features, such as a kitchen display system, table management, menu customization, etc.
On the other hand, if you are an established retailer or restaurant looking for a versatile POS for your service-based business, try Clover. Clover isn’t just a POS system but also a credit card processor.
Toast POS horror stories
While some customers praise Toast POS, others report negative experiences. Here are some Toast POS horror stories culled from customer’s reviews.
Poor customer service
Poor customer service is the most common Toast POS horror story. On Trustpilot, a popular online review platform, 47 disgruntled users complained about Toast POS customer service.
Furthermore, on Capterra, the majority of the bad Toast POS system reviews were centered on the same problem—bad customer service. The complaints revolved around issues like delays in answering users’ queries and the inability to provide viable solutions to users’ questions.
A user on Trustpilot has this to say about their customer service:
“If you are a business owner looking for a point-of-sale system, run the other way. Don’t walk, run. Customer service is the worst, they won’t answer the phone, they won’t call you back.
They promise to be everything you need and, once you are a paying customer, they deliver nothing. They feed like blood-sucking leeches on the restaurant industry. Sadly, they only care about taking your money from you.”
Software glitches
Some customers reported occasional software glitches that affected their business operations. These glitches included system freezes, network connectivity issues, and kiosk payment processing errors.
We also noticed a few complaints about outages during busy service periods, which users said weren’t addressed quickly.
Here is what a user on Capterra said concerning Toast software glitches:
“Don’t do it! We’ve been using Toast for 3 years now and it’s awful. Outages during our busiest times, with no support or guidance on how to get through them.
Useless technology for pop ups and festivals (we lost $600 when we tried to use the handheld at a recent festival), and terrible customer service.
For example, we tried to re-implement QR codes and was told they won’t work because our menu is too large?!?!?!? When I asked how to resolve this, they couldn’t provide any guidance.”
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What is the best POS software for restaurants?
The best POS software for restaurants depends on the type and size of the restaurant, your budget, and the features you need.
Are you a small business owner with a shoestring budget? Square is the best pick! It has no monthly fees and offers a quick set-up, meaning you can use the device almost immediately.
What if you run a full-service restaurant with complex operations? In that case, Toast is the ideal choice. It has restaurant-specific features, durable POS hardware, and a robust reporting system, making it the go-to option for restauranteurs.
Toast POS System Reviews: What are Online Review Platforms Saying?
Toast point-of-sale system has an impressive customer review score across multiple online platforms. The review scores are as follows:
- Capterra: 4.2/5 from 526 reviews
- Trustpilot: 3.3/5 from 1,139 reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 from 303 reviews
Most positive reviews praised Toast’s user-friendliness, easy set-up process, ease of use, and restaurant-specific features. A few reviews also complemented their customer support.
However, the negative Toast POS reviews mainly focused on poor customer support. Many customers complained about the long wait time and the inability of customer service representatives to provide satisfactory solutions to their problems.
Is Toast POS right for your business? Final Thought
Our review on Toast POS shows that It is durable and has restaurant-specific features designed to support and improve the smooth running of your business. We highly recommend Toast point-of-sale system for well-established food businesses with complex operations.
While Toast remains a quality POS system, it has one main downside—its customer service. The majority of the negative online reviews were centered on poor customer service. If you are a small business looking for a quick and stress-free set-up process, you are best off with an alternative like Square POS.
Toast POS Review FAQs
Is Toast a good system?
Yes, Toast is a good POS system for restaurants. It is feature-rich, reliable, and has durable hardware built to thrive in the typical restaurant environment.
Who is Toast’s biggest competitor?
Square is Toast POS’s biggest competitor. It is perfect for small restaurant business owners, especially those just starting out.
What are the disadvantages of Toast?
One of Toast’s disadvantages is its cost. The Toast POS system is expensive, has high processing fees, and experiences hardware issues.
