Toast is designed for restaurants, keeping all of its technology components in one place, providing a great and effective sales proposition that simplifies restaurant management. With the recent release of Toast Payroll & Team Management, Toast offers a complete business solution.
Pros
- Pay at the table for fast table turnover
- Designed for restaurants
- Easy to use and customizable Android tablets
Cons
- High setup/monthly costs
- Requires own hardware
Restaurateurs Are Raving
“Our tips have doubled since implementing the Toast customer display system, just as I expected… This is one of those times when technology has truly enabled a financial opportunity for a business.”
Jeff Good, Managing Partner of Broad Street and President of Mangia Bene Inc.
“We saved 15% to 20% annually by not paying for multiple platforms… when I bought it, we would have saved a few thousand dollars in a year just by moving everything to Toast Payroll…”
John Rhodes, CEO of Alto Pizza Kitchen and Bar
“Without Toast, it would have been much harder to achieve the volume we see at lunch. We could do 100 to 200 entries in just a few hours. The kitchen demos helped us achieve that level of service.”
Brad Gillis, Co-Founder of Homegrown
How It Works
Toast is a completely web-based platform, with all information stored in the cloud. A local area network (LAN) is required for customer functionality. All point-of-sale data, primarily menus and local settings, is downloaded and stored on separate connected devices. This allows your POS system to continue to operate even if your broadband connection is interrupted.
Wi-Fi is not required, as the devices are connected at the point of sale. However, some mobile tablets require Wi-Fi. Printing is done over a local network. In the event of a service interruption, all credit card transactions are queued locally and processed in batches when the connection is restored.
The basic hardware package offered is the terminal package, which includes a receipt printer, tablet, stand, and credit card reader. Additional routers and kitchen printers are sold separately. You can also purchase a mobile device or tablet package that allows you to order and pay directly at the table.
Toast does not use iOS integration; instead, it runs on Android. For their hardware packages, they offer Elo tablets that their operations team pre-installs and configures. This ensures that all customers have official Toast hardware, guaranteeing high-quality technical support in case of any issues.
Reporting
A wide range of reports are available, from standard sales reports to performance reports, product assortment, tips, and more.
Summary reports are the most comprehensive, including net sales, tips, table turnover, a complete breakdown of all service types, and customer counts. This scannable dashboard provides a quick overview for managers or owners when they are too busy to quickly review individual reports. If you want to see a detailed view of any metric, you can do so with a simple tap.
Ease of Use
Even without a Toast representative to help with setup and training, this system is incredibly easy to learn. Despite the impressive range of features built into Toast, you can master enough to get your business up and running in just a few hours. It’s not difficult to learn, and the initial 30-60 minute training will be invaluable in getting you familiar with the system, even without prior technical experience.
Cost and Contracts
Toast’s starter package is free and ideal for small restaurants that only need one or two terminals. The basic package, which includes online services like digital ordering and the Toast Takeout app, starts at $165 per month. Other pricing plans are available, but you’ll need to contact a Toast representative for details.
This is where you need to consider the return on investment of the product and decide if operating more efficiently with such a powerful platform will help you manage a cleaner space, turn tables faster, and ultimately recoup your investment. If you can get it to work right, the price isn’t that bad.
For restaurants that anticipate needing more than 6 terminals, we recommend speaking with a representative about custom pricing based on volume.
- $25/month to access the loyalty program
- $50/month to create and redeem physical and digital gift cards
- $50/month for integrated online ordering
Luckily, there are no contracts. Financing is available with flexible payment options, so you don’t have to pay the full cost of the equipment upfront, which would likely require a contract. Please ask your representative about financing requirements and terms.
Features and Add-ons
- It’s amazing how many features Toast includes, considering its simple interface and intuitive design. For example:
- Simplify ordering with table terminals or take orders at the table with mobile tablets.
- Send digital coupons to customers via email (a great way to collect email addresses).
- Fully customizable menu groups are categorized into smaller menus such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and further divided into sub-menus such as appetizers, salads, main courses, kids’ menus, etc. The menu editing system is incredibly detailed, giving you extensive control over your menu.
- Native CRM functionality for customer management and remarketing.
- Employee management for work and scheduling.
Outdated. - Loyalty programs.
Toast Payroll & Team Management
Toast can help you streamline your operations with its payroll and team management platform, designed specifically for restaurants.
What does Toast Payroll & Team Management offer?
- Payroll syncs with your POS system
- Automatic reminders
- Time tracking syncs with your payroll
- Accurate payments
- Tools to help you comply with changing regulations
Bottom Line
Toast is a comprehensive POS system for restaurants that lets you manage your entire restaurant from a single interface. Its feature-rich platform impresses with everything it does and runs on Android instead of iOS. This makes it more affordable and versatile, and a great option for restaurants that prefer not to invest in Apple products.
