Running a restaurant or bistro comes with endless complexities – from sourcing ingredients and managing unpredictable customer demand to tracking inventory and staff schedules. As a restaurant owner, you need technology that can help streamline these day-to-day operations so you can focus on delivering great food and service.
That‘s where a point-of-sale (POS) system comes in. The right POS provides a central hub to manage vital front and back-of-house tasks like taking orders, processing payments, tracking inventory, analyzing sales data, and more. And with the restaurant POS market expected to grow in value to $6.4 billion by 2025, there‘s no shortage of options to consider.
To help you find the best fit, I‘ve compiled this guide profiling nine leading POS systems for restaurants and bistros. For each option, you‘ll find:
- Overview of key features
- Top benefits and capabilities
- Pricing and hardware details
- Ideal types of restaurants suited for the system
I‘ll also discuss key factors to evaluate when choosing your POS and provide tips for smoothly implementing your new system. Let‘s dive in!
1. Square – Ideal for Smaller Restaurants
Square revolutionized point-of-sale solutions for small businesses with its simple, affordable model. And its Restaurant POS software brings that same elegant platform to eateries via iPads and iOS devices.
Key Features
Some highlights include:
- Mobile POS with industry-specific features like tableside ordering and payment
- Menu, item, and modifier management
- Floor planning for restaurants with dine-in service
- Customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities
- Robust reporting on sales, labor, inventory and more
Square charges no monthly fees outside of processing payments (2.6% + 10¢ for most cards). It‘s best suited for quick-service, counter-service, and causal dining restaurants.
2. Toast – Full-Service Restaurant Specialist
Toast offers an all-in-one, cloud-based POS and restaurant management system designed specifically for full-service restaurants. Its features allow you to simplify front and back-of-house operations.
Key Features
Highlights include:
- Centralized ordering/payment processing
- Inventory tracking and cost management
- Staff management and labor cost optimization
- Integrated online ordering and delivery
- Sales reporting and analytics
Toast charges a monthly subscription fee plus processing rates for payments. Pricing scales based on features needed and restaurant size.
3. GoFrugal – Intuitive POS for Single & Multi-Location Restaurants
GoFrugal is a restaurant POS system built to help single and multi-location restaurants maximize customer satisfaction. Its easy-to-use interface makes taking orders, processing payments and managing day-to-day restaurant operations intuitive.
Key Features
Notable capabilities include:
- Tableside ordering and payment processing
- Menu, inventory and recipe management
- Vendor and purchase order management
- Delivery and take-out order handling
- Custom reporting and analytics
GoFrugal offers customizable cloud-based pricing, normally starting around $69/month per terminal. It also has on-premises options.
4. SlickPOS – Modern Cloud POS Focused on Customization
SlickPOS brings the power of the cloud to restaurants for mobility, anywhere access, regular updates and more. A customized platform allows you adapt the software to your restaurant‘s specific needs.
Key Features
Top capabilities include:
- Centralized menu, inventory, purchase and vendor management
- Tableside ordering with floor plan mapping
- Staff management including timeclocks
- Integrations with major food delivery apps
- Custom reporting and analytics
SlickPOS pricing plans range from $59 to $299 per month based on features, number of terminals, and optional addons like online ordering integrations. It offers free trial periods so restaurants can test drive the system.
5. Shopify POS – Seamlessly Integrated with Ecommerce
As leaders in the ecommerce platform space, Shopify also provides specialized POS hardware and software for omnichannel retail environments – including restaurants. Its commerce ecosystem gives you built-in tools for your online and brick-and-mortar operations.
Key Features
Notable features consist of:
- iPad and iOS-based mobile POS
- Integrated payments, inventory and customer management
- Extended omnichannel capabilities like buy online, pickup in-store
- Robust reporting and analytics
- Range of POS hardware options
Shopify POS pricing includes monthly software fees plus transaction rates for payments. It also has hardware packages that bundle terminals, scanners, printers and more.
6. Restora – Automates Key Restaurant Management Workflows
Restora serves up an intuitive restaurant management platform with table booking, billing, inventory tracking, loyalty programs, and more. It brings complete automation to traditionally manual workflows – saving you significant time and overhead.
Key Features
Top tools include:
- Centralized menu, inventory, and recipe management
- Automated vendor purchase orders
- Table management with reservation capabilities
- Customer management and loyalty programs
- 100+ customizable reports
Restora POS plans range from $39 to $129 monthly based on number of licenses, features, and integrations needed. It offers customized quotes based on your requirements.
7. Lightspeed – Feature-Packed POS for Hospitality Businesses
Lightspeed provides an enterprise-grade POS and restaurant management system loaded with tools to optimize your operations. From menus to inventory to staffing, it aims to help restaurants enhance productivity and profitability.
Key Features
Some top capabilities consist of:
- Centralized menus, inventory, recipes, and purchase orders
- Custom floor plans with status indicators
- Staffing tools with shift scheduling and payroll integrations
- Integrated payments, accounting, analytics and more
- Robust API for custom add-ons and programs
Lightspeed pricing scales based on your needs – normally between $69 to $289 monthly per location. Starter plans have limited features while enterprise options provide enhanced functionality.
8. Clover POS – Flexible Point-of-Sale and Back-Office
Clover provides customizable POS solutions tailored to the needs of quick-service and full-service restaurants. Its software and hardware options bring simplicity to daily work without sacrificing sophisticated back-office tools.
Key Features
Some highlights include:
- Touchscreen POS terminals and tablets
- Menu creation and integrated inventory tracking
- Loyalty and marketing tools with customizable rewards
- Detailed sales reporting and analytics broken down by category, date range and more
- API for advanced customization and third-party integrations
Clover pricing includes monthly software fees and hardware costs if needed. Transaction rates for payments also apply. Scales based on features.
9. SpotOn – Modern Restaurant POS with Marketing Capabilities
SpotOn delivers contemporary POS solutions for restaurants centered around mobility, detailed analytics, and built-in guest engagement tools. Its software aims to go beyond simple transactions to help you better understand your diners.
Key Features
Some essential items consist of:
- Robust menu creation and tableside ordering
- Integrated payments with top processors
- 90+ interactive sales reports
- Built-in guest marketing via digital loyalty programs, email, SMS and more
- Customization via API and third-party app integration
SpotOn pricing includes monthly software fees plus payment transaction rates. Plans range from $69 to $299 monthly based on features needed and number of locations.
With so many options on the market, selecting your POS system deserves careful evaluation. Every restaurant has unique needs and priorities. So take stock of your capabilities gap, budget, IT requirements, and growth roadmap when weighing your top contenders.
Here are some key aspects to consider:
- Features – What capabilities are absolute must-haves vs. nice-to-haves? Build your list of core software functions like reporting, custom menus, inventory tracking, etc.
- Ease of Use – Evaluate intuitiveness of system for both front and back-of-house staff. Complexity causes frustration and inefficiency.
- Hardware – Determine if you want cloud-based software or on-premises servers. Assess hardware aesthetics and durability.
- Integrations – Factor in current accounting, payroll, inventory and other systems and need to sync data.
- Cost – Detail ongoing SaaS fees, payment processing rates, and hardware expenses over 3-5 year term to calculate TCO.
- Customization – If you have unique operational needs, verify ability to tailor system via APIs, apps, programs, etc.
- Scalability – Assess capacity to easily add locations, features, or apps as your restaurant brand grows.
By identifying your top restaurant POS priorities and narrowing options, you can zero in on the best choice. And the ROI – via enhanced productivity, guest experiences, and analytics – will quickly justify the investment.
Deploying Your New POS System
Once purchased, careful planning and testing during your POS implementation can alleviate headaches. Here are some best practices as you deploy your refreshed system:
- Clean your data – elimiate outdated menu items, products, modifiers etc. Start fresh so historical data is consistent
- Map out network setup – work with vendors on optimal on-premise hardware configuration, secure cloud syncing, backup system etc.
- Design floor plan if integrating tabletop devices – factoring in power outlets, WiFi coverage, customer traffic flows
- Train staff early with mock transactions, simulated orders, test reports and more. Encourage feedback to uncover gaps.
- Soft launch a week before full rollout – operate both old and new POS in parallel to validate functionality after adding real customers into mix
- Support on standby first few weeks after launch – have vendor reps assist remotely or in restaurant to rapidly respond to any issues
- Optimize over time – continuously take advantage of features, integrations, customizations available to further boost capabilities over first year of usage
Investing in a modern restaurant POS system marks a monumental move to transform your back-office productivity, guest experience, and analytical capabilities. As competition gets even more fierce, leveraging these operational and customer intelligence tools can really maximize your profitability.
I hope mapping out the POS landscape and priorities provides a framework as you evaluate options for your unique environment. Taking time to demo potential platforms using your own menu data is incredibly insightful. And discussing requirements with restaurant IT consultants and POS vendors will help detail how custom-tailored the solution truly can become.
The market evolves extremely fast – so I welcome hearing about your experiences or recommendations to share with fellow owners! Please reach out on social media or via email if I can provide any guidance during your search.
