CAKE POS Reviews

Pros

Like the ease of use and functionality. Customer service was great, thanks to [sensitive content hidden]
, as he is very knowledgeable about your products and software.

Cons

Overall functionality is great. Customer service could use some work in areas.

Pros

We don't spend any time on training new team members to use our POS System (CAKE). Seriously, it's so easy we show them a few features and they are running it like a pro on day one. That in it's self has saved us a ton of payroll we use to spend on training.
From a ownership perspective, we have four locations and I'm able to track them from my central office, Wonderful!

Cons

Negatives only fall on one piece of the equipment. The cash drawer and the insert in it are not built for the type of abuse they can take in some operations. I wish there was an option to purchase extra drawer inserts.
There are no other negatives about CAKE.

Alternatives Considered

Square Point of Sale, Clover and Toast POS

Reasons for Choosing CAKE POS

To provide my customers a better more efficient experience and to allow our team members an easy to use system that we as owners could easily track.

Reasons for Switching to CAKE POS

Cake seemed to have a more durable product. The biggest reason was....When I spoke with all the sales staff from the different companies the CAKE representatives were the only ones that never talked negatively about their competitors. That let me know they didn't need to degrade the other guys, they had faith in the system they were selling. I now have the same faith in CAKE.

Pros

Its useful that this POS offers 3 party features to install, to bad you gotta pay of them.
Reports are easy to understand, what comes in and what your taxes are.
Easy point of sale to use for your staff.

Cons

Alright after 2+ years of using Cake here it is for you guys.

1. On the phone with customer service probably 4 - 6 times a month. This is from reporting / dashboard issues, POS issues.

Reporting issues: about 2 times a month we have to call about some kind of labor reporting issue and takes the engineers around 1 to 4 days to fix. Note - same issue occurs, another day or so for engineers to fix.

Dozens of times we will be on the phone with a customer service rep, and both them and I will be having issues loading the reports to examine them. One time we were literally both waiting over 25 minutes for it to load.

As a restaurant one of the best reports you could have is when the system literally tells you the cost of EVERYTHING.
Ya, you won't be getting this with cake. Sure, you can add the cost of a single item to you (why even have this feature if it doesn't deduct it for you) but it wont deduct it for you at the end of the day. You'll have to do this on your own to figure out what it actually cost you.

Cake takes into account on recommendation that their customers give them, I think and thats at least what they say except their features are almost non-existent. No marketing, No rewards, very basic reporting.

Their hardware is super expensive, our kitchen printer stopped working and they quoted us like $450, I found it on amazon for $115.

Just remember the 2.50% + $.10 a swipe, will actually really be costing you 3.50%. I could go on but I'm limited on characte

Pros

We switched to CAKE from another POS system in 2016, after being in operation for 1.5 years. We have been impressed with the way CAKE constantly tries to provide new features. As a farm-to-table quick-service restaurant, our menu changes weekly and we find it simple and straightforward to make updates each week. Due to COVID-19, we recently activated the online ordering and we believe it has saved our business. We were able to activate and integrate it quickly and we love the reporting capabilities the system gives us. Our customer service has been top notch--from our sysco rep to our CAKE customer support manager, we have received a quick response to any question we've had. We feel very comfortable requesting new features and integrations based on our needs and we feel like they really listen to us and try to incorporate our ideas quickly and simply. We did not have this level of customer support with our previous POS system and we really value being able to get a live person on the phone quickly and easily when we have an issue. We love the intuitive, easy-to-read sales analysis reports and use them each week with our management team to evaluate our menu items and determine our next round of specials. We really like that we can make menu edits both on the POS and with the online platform---hoping for a mobile app next for very quick and simple edits!

Cons

We first purchased in Spring 2016. The software felt a little sluggish and honestly, we were not sure if it would easily keep up with our pace. But we have been very impressed with CAKE's constant evaluation and roll-out of new features and integrations--they haven't missed a beat! We don't use all the features yet, but because of the recent success with our online activation, we are now considering two more apps. I would prefer a tiered/capped monthly pricing system depending on how many apps/additional software platforms we integrate (like accounting, customer management, 3rd party delivery apps, etc)--rather than installing each a-la carte, but hopefully that will be an option in the future. The additional monthly fee per app has made us hesitant to try new ones. We would also like to have more control over the look and feel of the online ordering page--functionally it meets our needs, but would love to integrate it into our own website and select the background color, text color, etc, to make it feel like a seamless integration rather than making our customers feel like they are "leaving" our site to go to another. There are some features/edits that are only available from the POS system (not menu items, but system preferences/settings categories) In the future, I hope they make those features editable from the online access platform as well, because sometimes I want the flexibility of making certain adjustments from home on my computer during off-hours.

Alternatives Considered

Aloha EPOS and Toast POS

Reasons for Choosing CAKE POS

Our Sysco rep at the time was very knowledgeable about different POS systems based on her career in several restaurants prior to Sysco---she was straightforward with us about her experience with multiple systems, their price points, and value. She suggested we consider CAKE and we followed her recommendation. We are so glad we did. We prefer it over our previous system, but as a small rural restaurant, we were not able to afford the much more expensive systems.

Reasons for Switching to CAKE POS

CAKE had the right combination of value, ease of use, and features. We have recommended CAKE to several of our restaurant owner friends in the region. It has a simple interface, the customer service is stellar, and the constant addition of new apps and integration makes us feel like we are getting the best value in a price range we can afford.

Pros

The POS is very intuitive - very little training is needed before staff have it figured out. It's also very customizable so we've been able to get tickets and receipts to print exactly how we want them to.

Cons

Editing the menu is pretty arduous. There are a lot of steps involved in changing just one item and there still seem to be a few bugs to sort out. The reports are also more limited than we would like and present the data as lists of numbers rather than charts, which would be easier to digest.

Pros

The system is extremely easy to operate and customize

Cons

Everything seems to be exactly how it should be

Alternatives Considered

Clover and Toast POS

Reasons for Choosing CAKE POS

Processing fees, per swipe fees, monthly fees, cost of product free.... not free.... etc! Cake has saved me $875+ Month after month

Switched From

Harbortouch POS

Reasons for Switching to CAKE POS

The cost plus simplicity of the product along with the diversity made the decision extremely easy!!! Oh now I get to work with [SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN]!!!! If you and your team can’t figure something out she will!!!

Pros

The accessibility, functionality, storage and speed of the system in general. THE SEARCH BAR OMG!!!!

Cons

The chip readers inconsistency. The inability to be able split items more than 1 in a time.

Alternatives Considered

Aloha EPOS, Clover and TouchBistro

Reasons for Choosing CAKE POS

Honestly... The tipping point was the card fee. But since then it has been awesome. Why we are staying put!!!

Switched From

Aloha EPOS and TouchBistro

Reasons for Switching to CAKE POS

Everything said in the comments before

Pros

Compared to the other POS systems I have used over the years, this is by far, the most user friendly POS system I have used! I love the mobile access, which allows me to view & edit timesheets & menu from home

Cons

The cord for the card reader isn't as tight & secure as it should be, so the card reader disconnects

Pros

This system is user friendly and has all of the BASIC features you need to get going. The customer facing hardware is attractive and functional. Back end programming is fairly easy to use once you are familiar with it. Online ordering has been fairly easy to implement and has all of the BASIC functions you need.

Cons

After working with this system in multiple locations for a few years, we have come to learn of some shortcomings - reporting with the system in difficult to navigate and hard to generate more detailed sales reports. It is not an intuitive reporting system. The basic snapshot functions are great, but digging deeper to get more detailed reports is cumbersome. Also some basic functionality on the restaurant side is still missing. Tickets in the kitchen print up items in random order and there is no way to address this in the system. Most other systems have the basis functions to group and prioritize items on tickets for the kitchen and bar printers. You don't realize how important this is until you don't have it on a POS system. There is still no way to offer discounts or accept gift cards online either.

Pros

I’m Able to see and print all reports .

Cons

I like everything about cake. Would recommend to others!

Pros

Easy to use, 24 hour support, customer services is exceptional, constantly working on improving the system and uses the customers feedback in assisting to redesign and implement changes

Cons

With the support team so far away it is sometimes difficult to pin point the base of the system problem. Especially through phone conversations. Recently we had a Pos terminal go and it would enter things units own. It was extremely difficult to capture the incidents while it happened. Sometimes you can't capture the problem through a video or it just would stop when on the phone with support team. The problem went on for a month. Cake was outstanding and replaced the terminal free of charge for a one time customer courtesy.

Pros

Our customers love their screen. They like that they can see their order. It's easy to read and understand. We love that we can use the system from home on the laptop and not just in the shop. I make changes to the menu mostly from home. I love having the itemized close cash receipt every day. I love all the reports that I get for tracking my business.

Cons

I don't like that all the buttons are the same color. It makes it very difficult to find buttons in a hurry when you have 40 different syrup flavors and 34 different teas. We need colored buttons that we can use as groups, for example, I could make all our sugar free syrups green and all the syrups that start with an A, blue, etc... It helps your eyes to find things quicker. It is really stressful for new employees to find buttons when training and the customer is standing there staring at you. It's better as a trained employee, but it would save us time at the machine when we could be making their order. Colored buttons are highly needed. Also, ever since the last software update that affected us directly, it is harder for me to add new products to the menu and put them in the right place. I can't put my finger on what changed, but i have trouble adding new products under existing categories. They come out as new buttons on the main screen. Not sure how to fix that.

Pros

The CAKE POS was very easy to use and I loved the detail it provided for us. As a restaurant and bar, we needed a lot of detail in orders and the ability to print to different stations was amazing vs. having to walk each order back. The reports were easy to use as was the changing of the menu and adding/removing items. It was also great for training staff because it was very straight-forward and step-by-step.

Cons

Table numbers being required would be great. The signature pad being a little more sensitive to picking up finger signatures. Split checks were sometimes burdensome and could use a little improvement to speed things up when it's busy. I would love it if the creating of subcategories would be easier (say you have several of one brand of wine so you have less tabs to have to look for items).

Pros

This system has Easy to add & Change Menu Items, which works awesome for our daily specials. It is VERY user friendly & Easy to train any age group. This system works great for reports, menu items such as what you are or are not selling, payroll, ect. I am so glad we chose this System!!

Cons

Cannot adjust the pricing after the order has been sent back to the Kitchen. I also wish there were some things you could have print in a different color that goes back to the kitchen. Our ribbons are red and black, but the printer only prints black. I also wish, there was a different way to have the orders print to the kitchen, but we are working through some of those issues. The cooks have to remember that they have to learn a different way to read the tickets as well. There are a couple of other things, but actually they are being implemented in the near future.

Pros

We switched to CAKE because we were launching a bigger location and with an expanded menu, this was the better option for us. We were previously using Square which didn't have a lot of the functions we needed as a bigger business. It's much easier for employees to work now because CAKE allows them to do clocking in and out in one convenient location, all the menu options can be put in the system which saves their time entering and hunting, and overall it's much more organized. We can also easily change the menu from our laptops on a regular basis because we've been adding a bunch of stuff, and it's much easier from our computers. The reports help us keep records of what sells the best during each season and we can decide then to bring it back or not. A lot of our customers are really impressed as well, it's very easy for them to use and they tell us on a regular basis. It's really user friendly and it all comes down to the ease of use. We just have no complaints, and whenever I need support it's easy to get to.

Cons

The screen will freeze from time to time but it is easily fixed by restarting the machine. I also wish we could find receipts by card holders last name, it would be easier to go back if we need to find a receipt for different purposes.

Pros

We had a system before CAKE for several years that we couldnt upgrade, which was our biggest issue. It was becoming slower and slower and features werent very robust, even though it was very expensive. CAKE is very responsive from a customer service perspective, and theyre always very helpful. We feel very comfortable calling when we have issues, which dont often come up, whereas before we incurred service fees every time we needed customer support. The reporting is helpful from a record-keeping and costing perspective and does what we need. CAKE is always adding new features and improving the software aspect of it which is great because theres always something new we can take advantage of to improve our business. We were able to process more customers per hour because of increased efficiency, ease of use, and speed of the system. Its an attractive piece of hardware that fits in seamlessly with the rest of our aesthetic, and because of the customers ability to interact on the other side of the screen, its been a great benefit for our employees as tips went up substantially.

Cons

You have the ability to choose your owner credit card processor, but you have to purchase separate processing hardware. Running cards this way ads a layer of inefficiency to the transaction process, increasing service time.

Pros

Extremely user friendly. Easy to change user permissions, access reports, and update menu from system, back office, and from any computer or mobile device even offsite. Reporting is clear and easy to use as well.

Cons

No major issues. Easy to access reports- could have added features to make it easier, such as the payroll hourly reporting feature- it would be better if it had an option to click the employee name to see all of the daily hours listed for each instead of having only the timesheets function to see the list. Also, on the item sales- listing the add-ons or upcharges for side options would be extremely helpful- could be a drop down similar to the categories. Otherwise, reporting is great and as easy to use as the rest of the system functions.

Pros

Company was very supportive helping onboarding and setting up. Pricing was reasonable for equipment (and discounts to start up). Setting up the system is a little complex but fairly intuitive.

Cons

There is no easy way to re-use different items where you can change a "master" which updates all of that item. Also, reporting is complex (or even non-existent) without very knowledgeable person to download to excel and spend hours manipulating. Cake does not allow third party payment integration (although was one of their selling points). Many features like inventory management, gift cards, etc all come with extra fees and some substantial. Porting to Quickbooks is too complex as well.

Pros

We were iPad based with our old system which made us slaves to wifi and it went out all the time. There were daily complaints and we had too much revenue for that kind of system so it just didn't work out for us. A POS should just work and CAKE works. It's been about two years since we'e switched and there are never any complaints from the staff anymore. As an owner, I'm a report guy. The backend reports are self-explanatory and extremely comprehensive. It makes it easy to check out what's being given out in discounts and comps, online orders, sales by category, sales by employee, sales by quarter hour, sales vs labor costs, pretty much anything you'd want to know. It makes tax and bookkeeping easier, which is very important to me. The whole system is easy to use, the interface is simple, and as soon as I can I'm going to switch my other bar to CAKE too.

Cons

I don't like the fact that it only reports cash closed on the back end instead of what is actually opened. So I don't get the true sales we are making until the very end of the night.

Pros

We have seen an increase in profits, customer service and the reporting ability has helped to make our business better. Both in the front and back of the house. We had been operating on old-fashioned handwritten tickets, implementing this system has benefited us in so many ways. I love the ability to be able to log on from home and see the sales at any given time. In addition, I have been so pleased with the quality of personal customer service I have received from the lead sales manager. He has helped with the initial start up, set up and functionality of the system has provided attention to detail and any hiccups that have ever arisen he has all problems solved quickly and efficiently. I, as well as the staff, find the system pretty intuitive. We have decided to implement online ordering now, and I hope to see an increase in sales. Overall, I am pleased with Cake.

Cons

I am not thrilled with the credit card processing company that we must use, I would prefer to someone else.

Pros

The CAKE system is a lot more convenient than using a little old-fashioned register. It's a very helpful system. Keeping up with orders is way more convenient and we love being able to have a count of what you're selling at the end of the day. We can see what's being sold and what's being given away and at the end of the day, you can really see a breakdown of the profit. Any other system can't really do that. It's definitely helped us see what things are popular and what's not great sellers so we can give our customers more of what they want, and it makes it easier to see what staff is not selling and giving away for free. It's just a very convenient, helpful register and I've seen other businesses using it and there are so many different settings in the program for bigger facilities. If someone doesn't have this program, they don't know what they're missing. It just makes everything so much easier, and I've dealt with plenty of registers before. This is as simple as it gets. I'd recommend it to anyone

Pros

The features for me adding categories and adding items to them is great. I own a bakery and ice cream parlor which has several items under the ice cream category. Cake POS makes it easy for my employees to find items during a rush and we need to move along quickly. I love the reports I get when we close so that I can see immediately how we did without going directly into the system. It was worth the money spent. I loved it so much I bought a second one for the other location.

Cons

I wish there was a way to enter my inventory so that I would not have to manually keep up with it.

Pros

The ease of changing and adding items/prices is extremely fast and easy. New employees learn CAKE extremely fast which helps speed up training.

Cons

As an owner I would like to see a dashboard of Sales/Labor at the touch of a button. I do not like typing in my email password for this. I just would like to get a quick glimpse of Sales/Labor.

Alternatives Considered

Toast POS

Reasons for Choosing CAKE POS

Cloud Based. Easy to change/delete/add menu items.

Pros

It's pretty easy to use, definitely easy to maneuver with help from customer service

Cons

The payout print out is TOOOO SMALL! I've requested that a few things be tweeked with no resolution to requests

Alternatives Considered

Toast POS

Reasons for Choosing CAKE POS

More up to date service

Cons

When doing monthly bookkeeping you cannot export a sales report broken down for each day, only one day or a selection of days lumped together into one sales totals, so I have to copy each days sales individually into my bookkeeping software, seems like it would be an easy fix for them but no one has listened to my suggestion to make the change.