Best POS Solutions for New Restaurant Owners

Exploring restaurant POS systems for your new venture? Choosing the right one can transform your restaurant's operations. In this guide, you'll be able to walk through the best POS solutions for new restaurant owners, helping you boost efficiency and profitability from day one.

A restaurant POS system is essential for managing various aspects of a restaurant business. It includes inventory management, menu control, guest tracking, table layout, and payment processing capabilities.

These systems cater to different restaurant types, from full-service to food trucks, offering features like automatic discounts, third-party integration, and tablet-based solutions. By streamlining operations and enhancing efficiency, restaurant POS systems play a vital role in boosting profits.

What are the benefits of a POS system for restaurants?

A restaurant POS system offers numerous benefits for owners, staff, and customers alike.

• Restaurant owners can remotely monitor sales, inventory, and staff behavior, while also utilizing marketing features like loyalty programs and targeted promotions.

• Restaurant staff benefit from streamlined order management, menu updates, and efficient check handling.

• Customers enjoy enhanced customer service, including reduced wait times, self-ordering options, accurate orders, and contactless payments.

Overall, a restaurant POS system enhances efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability, making it a valuable tool for successful restaurant management.

What are the different types of restaurant POS systems?

Restaurant POS systems come in various forms to suit different needs:

1. Full-service terminals, often used by larger establishments, are the most expensive The services that comes with these services can be between $100 to $300 per month.

2. Mobile POS systems, an average of $15 to $100 per month for one register, find favor with smaller restaurants and food trucks.

POS software is adaptable, working on multiple devices. Food trucks benefit from handheld options, while quick-service restaurants might prefer self-service kiosks. Many POS systems, including iPad-compatible ones, offer versatility.

Traditional POS systems (non cloud-based), though now less common, operate on-site and require manual updates. Cloud-based POS systems, increasingly popular, are user-friendly and offer real-time data storage, automated tasks, and 24/7 customer support.

From Visually.

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When selecting the ideal restaurant POS system, several factors warrant consideration. Begin by assessing your restaurant's unique requirements, taking into account factors like its size, cuisine type, and the number of locations:

1. Size: The size impacts the type of POS system you will need because the larger your restaurant the more registers you will need to have linked to the POS system to run effectively.

2. Cuisine Type: The more cuisine types you have on your menu, the more options the POS will have to cover. Therefore, this can have a significant impact on the best type of POS system you might need.

3. Number of Locations: If you own multiple restaurant locations, you will want each one to use the same POS system so they can be linked to make training employees easier from location to location.

Additionally, peruse customer reviews before making your POS system selection. This proactive step helps preempt common problems associated with specific restaurant POS systems.

Established in 2010, TouchBistro stands as our premier selection for the finest overall POS software for restaurants.

Pros and Cons

Features

TouchBistro is a comprehensive POS solution designed to enhance restaurant operations and profitability, boasting the following strong features:

• Tableside ordering for efficient service.
• Floor plan and table management for optimized seating.
• Menu customization to suit your restaurant's offerings.
• Staff clock-in and clock-out functionality for precise time tracking.
• Inventory management to monitor ingredient quantities and costs.
• Over 50 reports for valuable insights into customer behavior and performance.
• Table transfers, order splitting, and joining options for flexibility.
• Support for "card not present" transactions.
• Easy management of staff permissions and payroll details.
• Stock-level alerts to ensure timely ingredient reordering.

Price

Lavu's distinctive feature set encompasses a sandwich creator, seamless Bluetooth scale integration for selling items by weight (e.g., meats and cheeses), and convenient ID badge scanning.

Pros and Cons

Features

Lavu's restaurant POS system combines niche and general features, including self-serve kiosks, team management, and versatile third-party integrations like digital signage boards and inventory management.

• Self-serve kiosks for efficient customer ordering.
• Team management features streamline employee tasks and schedules.
• Versatile third-party integrations, such as digital signage boards and inventory management.
• Integrated Bluetooth scale, ideal for weight-based sales in delis and bulk food businesses.
• ID badge scanning through iPad cameras, perfect for school and workplace cafeterias.
• Assign distinct menus to various POS stations.
• Displays nutritional information and allergen warnings on both POS systems and online orders.

Price

Revel Systems excels in facilitating seamless information sharing among multiple locations, making it an ideal choice for restaurant chains. It offers specialized software for various industries, including coffee shops, retail, and pizzerias.

Pros and Cons

Features

• Effortless information sharing for restaurant chains
• Extensive features including inventory and staff management
• Particularly beneficial for restaurants with a strong budget
• Offers customer relationship management
• Efficient multilocation management

Price

Lightspeed is a prominent player in the POS industry. Its robust delivery capabilities and cost-effective terminal expansion make it valuable for large restaurants or franchise groups.

Pros and Cons

Features

• Ideal for fast-casual eateries with customizable menu items.
• Simplifies modifier and add-on creation.
• Customizable POS screen and order flow design.
• Predefined order items with optional costs.
• Easy access to nutritional and allergen information.
• Automatic ingredient tracking and restocking alerts.
• Excellent inventory reporting to reduce waste.
• Top-notch self-ordering kiosk with nutritional details and flexible ordering.
• Supports in-house delivery, order ahead, mobile ordering, and Quick Service Mode for pay-at-order efficiency.

Price

In 2011, Toast was born in Boston, the brainchild of three friends: Aman Narang, Jon Grimm, and Steve Fredette. Recognizing the need for a modern sales and analytics solution in the local restaurant scene, they developed a cloud-based POS system, allowing users to access sales data from anywhere.

Pros and Cons

Features

• Menu management, online ordering, pickup/delivery options, gift cards, and loyalty programs.
• Provides both cloud-based and on-premise POS solutions.
• Backed by 24/7 tech support.
• Includes tools like email marketing and payroll management.

Price

Block, formerly known as Square, provides free and paid POS solutions suitable for various merchants. This POS offers cost-effective hardware, in-house credit card processing, and no cancellation fees.

Pros and Cons

Features

• Equip unlimited devices with their POS software
• Includes order management with conversational modifiers
• Create combos, sell gift cards, and accept payments on various devices
• Provides a free online ordering website builder
• Customize menus and manage online orders for pickup and delivery
• Utilize DoorDash Drive for deliveries
• Integrates with various third-party delivery services
• Connectivity with Google Business and social media profiles
• Includes payroll and loyalty features

Price

Clover has gained recognition in the payment industry for its renowned hardware solutions. Numerous credit card processing companies seamlessly integrate with Clover's hardware offerings.

Pros and Cons

Features

• Quick-service and full-service software plans.
• Floor planning, table mapping, card pre-authorizations, bill splitting, and tipping available.
• An inclusive loyalty program.
• Online ordering connected to Google Business and third-party platforms like DoorDash and Grubhub.
• Custom menus for various ordering touchpoints.
• Access to numerous apps for specific needs, including liquor inventory management, cyber security, and digital menu board creation
• Employee and payroll management, sales and tax reports, remote monitoring, and credit card processing.

Price

Additional hardware costs may apply, and payment processing fees are competitive at 2.3% + $0.10.

Aloha's core offerings encompass fixed and handheld POS systems, online ordering, loyalty programs, email marketing, robust reporting, and payment processing.

Pros and Cons

Features

• On-site training available.
• Advanced stock reporting.
• Menu updates.
• QR and text payments.
• Curbside delivery and takeaway options.
• Allergen control.
• Customer loyalty programs.
• Cloud storage.
• Real-time alerts.
• Online ordering options.
• Perfect 5/5 for business management and till features.
• Robust inventory tools with real-time data, automatic purchase settings, scrap, and missing item monitoring, and daily gross profit tracking.
• Dedicated fraud prevention software: Aloha Restaurant Guard.
• Contactless payment options for enhanced customer convenience and service efficiency.

Price

Users with high transaction volumes might find the monthly fee worthwhile, as it balances out with discounted processing rates over time.

SpotOn is a cloud-based POS solution that’s quickly gaining popularity with restaurant operators due to its flexibility and personalized customer support.

Pros and Cons

Features

SpotOn Restaurant POS includes the essential tools to run restaurants efficiently, with optional software to grow revenue, making it a flexible system that can easily adapt to nearly any service model.

• Ordering and payments
• Reporting and analytics
• Menu and table layout management
• No-cost access to third-party integrations
• Commission-free online ordering and collaborative QR order & pay
• Employee scheduling, tip management, employee app, and payroll prepand waitlist management with host app
• Digital loyalty, marketing, and review monitoring
• Restaurant-grade hardware, including 15” and 10” touchscreen monitors, guest-facing displays, handhelds with large 6.5” displays, and KDS monitors

Price

Can I use a restaurant POS system with accounting software?

Many restaurant POS software systems offer integration with accounting software. This feature streamlines the transfer of financial data from the POS system to accounting software, minimizing manual data entry and enhancing accuracy. It facilitates real-time tracking of sales, expenses, and financial metrics, empowering informed business decisions. Good POS systems typically include their accounting software or support seamless integration with third-party accounting programs like QuickBooks or Xero for efficient synchronization.

What are the top POS features for a restaurant?

Choosing the right restaurant POS system requires consideration of various factors. Start by categorizing your business, determining whether it's primarily a restaurant or a combination of restaurant and retail. Next, select the appropriate hardware and software, including tablets for orders, payment tools, printers, and software for table management, refunds, and menu display.

Consider additional features like training options, cyber security features, customer support, and scalability. POS systems should be user-friendly and offer responsive support. Scalability is essential to accommodate your restaurant's growth.

Key features to look for include tipping, split bills, mobile payments, sales and inventory reports, integrations, curbside and delivery management, employee management, loyalty programs, marketing tools, QR menus, table management, menu design, reputation management, kitchen display systems, reservations, and online reviews.

Evaluate POS pricing and features using a comparison chart and understand the system's current and future suitability for your restaurant.

1. Understand what a restaurant POS system is.
2. Consider TouchBistro as the best overall POS for your restaurant.
3. Explore Lavu for the best POS suited for small restaurants.
4. If you have a large restaurant, Revel is an excellent choice.
5. Lightspeed is recommended for carry-out and delivery services.
6. Boost customer loyalty with Toast's POS system.
7. For budget-friendly options, consider Block (formerly Square).
8. Clover excels in handling third-party payments.
9. NCR Aloha POS offers an easy-to-use interface.
10. Learn about integrating a restaurant POS system with accounting software.