Toast POS Reviews

Pros

One stop shop plug and play solution! I was not interested in having to switch between systems and wanted easy reporting across the business.

Cons

Takes a while to learn all the functionality but worth it once learned. Although it’s not a problem with the software itself, either a better hard copy training manual or disk would be helpful.

Alternatives Considered

Aloha Cloud and Time Tracker

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

More robust and offered more scale as we grow to keep everything on one platform.

Pros

I have been using restaurant POS for over 20 years and Toast has shown itself to be one of the best on the market. It is so user-friendly and easy to work in, including the handhelds, that it's amazing. In training new teams they offer a great program and support team. The layout is ideal for high-volume. Reporting is excellent. I refer Toast to most of our clients.

Cons

As with any new system you install, there will be issues and "clunks." Toast is no exception. The worst was the display screen and the use of it on the line. If you do not set aside enough time to train, prior to opening or first use, it will be challenging to understand, especially if you are not used to systems other than tickets and calling out. It just takes time getting used to and working out the kinks upon install.

Alternatives Considered

CAKE POS, Aloha Cloud and Clover

Reasons for Choosing Toast POS

We needed to have a better system than the old one we were using, as in most places. Toast offered the package at a wonderful price and the system supports the costs.

Switched From

Aloha Cloud

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

Price, support, system use

Pros

Nothing to add - survey questions covered it all.,,

Cons

Would like payroll assistance available on weekends

Pros

if I can give O star I will the suck your money out .

Cons

I order product the messed up my order and charge me and have another the send me and charge me for the sand me label after three day sen the product back after milion call and email and no supervisor to talk and if you do he can Resolve anything and not get my credit back till after 28 days this is the most Ridiculous thing I ever hear you lost me as a customer and you'r not supporting Restarant business your there for take advantage of small business!!!!

Pros

Robust and Versatile POS for full service restaurant. Perfect for full service restaurant. it does have some minor hiccups. Probably the best POS on the market. Integrates well w/ Open Table. Good support w/ little wait time most time.

Cons

Toast offers many useful integration except One major NO NO Add-on is Toast Payroll - it's a disaster. totally user unfriendly. clumsy, many non-sense system questions that cause confusion, lack of even the simplest and most basic yet required reporting. Even it's nice to have the time cards get carried over automatically, you would be better off using 3rd party time management and payroll app.

Alternatives Considered

TouchBistro and Menusifu POS System

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

Features and integrations were not as comprehensive

Pros

Toast POS works exactly how it's supposed to, and meets every functional need we've had.

Cons

The support has been great, and the learning tools are awesome, but I would rather have a product that is easier to understand. There have been times when I've had to contact support for things that should have been very simple and straightforward. I have enough to do with running a restaurant that devoting the necessary time to watch all the training videos is impossible. Trying to navigate the Payroll has been particularly difficult. If you could get a great design team to make the products easier to navigate, Toast would be unstoppable. Also an app to access the back-end or payroll and work as a mobile POS would be great.

Pros

L working with many payroll systems over the years, this system is by far the best! The amount of features and levels are extensive. As I go through Toast, I learn more everyday the capabilities available.

Cons

I would like to see a more set procedure for private events and private dinning for the restaurant.

Alternatives Considered

Aloha EPOS

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

Toast is completely integrated and provides more features.

Pros

There are a lot of features and functionality with Toast, how to use them is another thing

Cons

Not very intuitive to use. Also i have not been able to get ahold of customer service

Pros

hand held ordering. tableside payments. and a few other things.

Cons

the worst support of any company i ever dealt with. I'm currently paying $75 dollars per month for integration. almost a month in still doesn't work. online ordering 3 weeks in still not functional, gift cards still not functional. I could go on and on.

Pros

Contactless payments are a huge perk, it's easy to use, was simple to figure out the portable handhelds for events, and it's overall just an efficient option.

Cons

I didn't love the fees, and the service could be inconsistent at times. I do like that the fees are flexible so that you only use what you pay for, but you are paying marked up feeds. We compared Toast with Zettle and some other POS options and these issues weren't unique to Toast though.

Pros

It is very user friendly. It is built that I can search for most of the things I may be questioning. The toast training videos were very helpful in the beginning. I like that I am able to find all of the reporting numbers I need as well as the guest engagement. Being able to send email campaigns directly from the system is a game changer. The pre loaded templates are super helpful as well.

Cons

That I did not have someone to actually help me with the initial stuff. We did not get help with end of day paperwork. The reports were off for an entire week until I noticed a discrepancy in the numbers. We Do counter service with a tip pool so we need overall numbers not numbers that I find after deductions. I also Cannot find a way to remove the Tip pool servers tips in my tip pool numbers. I need them to not be part of my final numbers for payroll purposes.

Pros

Toast is at the cutting edge of development and understanding of their customers. Their products are always customer-centric and are light years ahead of competition!

Cons

As with any organization, fast growth means lots to update, but they are handling this well. Support could be better too.

Alternatives Considered

Revel Systems

Reasons for Choosing Toast POS

Nobody wants to use Windows 95 UX in a year that starts with a 2.

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

Ethernet hardwire >>>> Wifi only

Pros

We started with Toast in 2020 during the pandemic. Toast was the only thing that was good about that year! The integration of the online ordering into our daily or weekly menu updates are seamless. Customers had questions answered and orders filled without our help or guidance. I love the ease of use for service. We have had several new staff members and they pick up the system without too much training. It's easy to transfer tickets and items, cancel sales and give discounts, as well as run all the reports we need for success.

Cons

I wish there was an app where I could change things, look at reports, and update menus from my phone instead of going through a browser.

Alternatives Considered

Square Point of Sale

Reasons for Choosing Toast POS

The integration of online ordering in 2020. We never did takeout too much before the pandemic made it necessary.

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

Other restaurants who were using it had attractive and easy to use systems.

Pros

Very feature rich with a robust online delivery platform that seamlessly integrates with the POS solution. Synchronization is almost immediate and we have seen a huge increase in online ordering already. The self service kiosk was easy to setup and has a great look and feel

Cons

Overwhelming and we have barely begun to turn on all the other features - customer loyalty, customer feedback, delivery and so on.

Alternatives Considered

Aloha Cloud, Revel Systems and Lightspeed Retail

Reasons for Choosing Toast POS

Looking for increased capabilities such as kds and better customer support

Switched From

Clover

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

Lower TCO and features we were looking for. Also has a bigger footprint in our city

Pros

I love how robust it is! The search bar feature at the top makes it easy to find what you are looking for in a platform that is really encompassing of any of our retail and restaurant POS needs. I also love Quick Edit and that people on the floor can make quick changes without relying on management to go into the back office.

Cons

I wish there were a mobile app that would allow me to quickly check sales instead of having to login through a browser.

Alternatives Considered

Square Point of Sale

Reasons for Choosing Toast POS

Terrible customer service, nonfunctioning online ordering, terrible loyalty program.

Switched From

Lightspeed Restaurant

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

I like that they are based in Boston, close to where we are, and that there is a local rep who covers our area. The personal touch is huge.

Pros

The front end functionality is pretty good, though not as good as it was sold. Aloha was better. There are features such as drag and drop table transfers that are pretty neat. Splitting checks is very easy.

Cons

I researched Toast very thoroughly and went through many hours of Q&A with the sales team. I feel duped.

I should have dug deeper and gotten more personal feedback from current users.

The platform has certain features that are very good, but not enough to outweigh all of the bad.

Hands down the worst part of it are their service and support after the sale. If I ever get through to support, they typically have to call me back with a solution...which never happens. My account "manager" responds to every communication with regurgitated boilerplate BS and has yet to solve any of my issues.

We have frequent issues with our card readers, and our warranty period is up in November. They won't replace the crap readers with the newer upgrades.

You don't get nearly the functionality and ease of use on the back end that you pay for. The reporting features are weak at best.

The inventory module is terrible. They claim you can use the tablets to do inventory...which is true, but it takes 4x longer to do it that way because you can't select the fields to enter the numbers and then when you do, often times the quantities change. My account "manager" replied to my complaints about this with "Our inventory module may not be as robust as you need, maybe you could add on one of our partner software companies."

Short story: Run from Toast and never look back. I regret the move every single day.

Pros

It initially fulfilled our need to have orders print out directly in kitchen and for system to integrate with delivery services and online ordering...

Cons

1) Overly complicated for our front of house management 2) Customer service is abysmal - there is allegedly a 24/7 help line, which is NOT always available. There have been times when we had major system issues during busy hours and had to leave message to wait for a callback. Unlike every other b-to-b service we use, they don't have dedicated customer reps - all the manpower is in sales, and once they've got you installed -- even before successful setup -- they drop you. Bait and switch. 3) Proprietary equipment is expensive and prone to errors/breakdown

Pros

*user friendly
*online reporting accessible from anywhere
*online food ordering
*easy to add menu items

Cons

*excessive hold times to reach support, ie: more than one hour and no way to email support anymore (as was the previous system.)
*no way to reach support via email, even when Toast emails a restaurant, the restaurant can't reply because the email gets bounced back...instead you have to get off email, find a computer, log in and navigate to support, find the case and respond there. This is a big problem when managers are not on site at the restaurant but still managing a support issue.
*support cases opened on their online platform are not addressed and no one calls restaurant to resolve
*No way to email a receipt to a guest until AFTER they have paid and the transaction is over...a big problem for CATERING needing preapproval.
*Upsell feature with online ordering has Toast making strange pairings. For example, the restaurant guest orders a breakfast sandwich and Toast suggest an upsell of a bottle of salad dressing (instead of a breakfast side)! Only Toast can control the upsell so the restaurant can't promote the items it wants to promote.
*Handheld device does NOT support ApplePay.
*ApplePay on POS terminal is additional. Actually, a lot of things with Toast cost more money than what sales tells you up front.
*No way to comp a gift card online and email it to a guest from Toast Central online.
*No way to offer a promo code on your online gift card sales....like during the holidays when you want to offer gift cards for a certain percentage off the regular price.

Pros

Reports and analysis is so good and it's so user-friendly and so easy to learn and train for employees.

Cons

They are so busy when it comes to customer service but if you wait for them they definitely fix your issue but the problem is they're super busy for calls. But honestly for the past w years I had to call them like 2 times and the system worked so good all the time.

Alternatives Considered

Square Point of Sale

Reasons for Choosing Toast POS

Better options on toast

Switched From

Clovers

Reasons for Switching to Toast POS

Options and accuracy also the reports

Pros

User friendly! Customer service and software is up to current.

Cons

That it's still in the building blocks stages and it's not 100% full proof when integrated with third party deliveries. It will unarchive old data daily. One has to be very dedicated to this position to make it work!

Alternatives Considered

iCloud

Pros

Customer Support! - I rate them 100 on this!! Any questions I have big or small, they are just a phone call away! If my call isn't answered right away or I get busy, they have the feature to leave your number and they will call you back ASAP.
Customer Service - Being a tech and answering some of the crazy questions (I'm one who probably has the most) they are always patient, friendly and very professional when answering questions.

Cons

Credit Card Processing Fees - With other Processing companies out there some are cheaper but overall with Toast, they win. It's the hidden fees you have to watch. Toast fees appear to be higher but what you see is what you get where with the other guys you have to read the fine print.

Pros

The software is fine, works like most others

Cons

The software is fine, works like most others

Pros

I love the back end use of toast, once you understand how to set up the menus, it is really easy to go in and make changes. I love the ability to compare sales from any date, and I love the daily/ weekly break down all in one area. It's also very user friendly when ringing up customers, once it is all organized, it's quick and efficient.

Cons

Some of the lesser used components are overly complex like the sales categories and how to make changes and groupings. Assigning comp buttons doesn't always work. I just wish that there had been more help upon set up.

Pros

Toast is a simple to use and even easier to train POS platform for all restaurants. Setting up menus and editing are both quick and easy and can be done for multiple restaurants at the same time.

Cons

Some of the reports have a time constant that you can run them for, like 6 months, would prefer to be able to run full year sales reports or more if needed.

Pros

nothing.....everytime there is any change or system maintenacne, everything falls apart.

Cons

UNRELIABLE!!!!no one in TOAST can troubleshoot because system has gotten too complex and no documentation exists. they keep patching and adding and it's a total disaster. our printers are always messed up!!!! we never know if the system is going to work or not. the reporting is terrible!!! phone support is poorly trained if at all.