Toast has become the dominant POS system for restaurants. We tested it in a real restaurant environment for 90 days to see if it lives up to the hype.
What is Toast?
Toast is an all-in-one restaurant management platform combining POS, online ordering, payroll, inventory management, and more. It's purpose-built for food service, from food trucks to full-service restaurants.
Pricing Breakdown
Hardware (one-time)
- Starter Kit: $799
- Handheld: $499 each
- Kitchen Display System: $799
- Self-service kiosk: $1,499
Software Plans (per location/month)
- Starter: $0 (pay 2.99% + $0.15 per transaction)
- Point of Sale: $69/month + 2.49% + $0.15
- Build Your Own: Starting $165/month + 2.49% + $0.15
Additional modules:
- Online Ordering: $50/month
- Payroll: $50 + $5/employee
- Marketing: $75/month
Real cost for mid-size restaurant:
- Hardware: ~$3,000 upfront
- Software: ~$250/month
- Processing: ~2.5% of revenue
- For $50K/month restaurant: ~$1,750/month total
Installation & Setup
We installed Toast in a 60-seat casual dining restaurant:
Timeline:
- Day 1: Hardware delivery
- Day 2-3: Setup and configuration
- Day 4: Staff training
- Day 5: Soft launch
- Day 6: Full operations
Setup complexity: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Well-guided but menu setup takes time.
Support during setup: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Dedicated implementation specialist. Very helpful.
Training time: 2 hours for staff to become proficient.
Core POS Features
Order entry: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Fast, intuitive interface
- Visual menu layout
- Easy modifiers and customization
- Course firing for kitchen timing
Table management: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Visual floor plan
- Drag-and-drop table assignments
- Section management
- Table combining/splitting
Payment processing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Integrated with Toast processing
- Tip suggestions
- Split checks easily
- Contactless/digital payments
Speed: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Most actions <2 seconds
- Occasional lag during peak
- Cloud-based so internet-dependent
Kitchen Display System
KDS replaced paper tickets:
Benefits observed:
- Tickets never lost or unreadable
- Color-coding for urgency
- Bump bars for marking completion
- Real-time order modifications
Kitchen efficiency: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ticket time reduced by 18% after 2 weeks.
Reliability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
One outage in 90 days (30 minutes). Backup printer saved us.
Online Ordering
We enabled Toast's online ordering:
Setup: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Easy to configure, auto-syncs menu.
Customer experience: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clean interface, mobile-friendly.
Commission: 0% (own orders)
Toast doesn't take commission unlike DoorDash/Uber.
Results (first month):
- 127 online orders
- $6,840 in revenue
- 0% commission saved: $1,368
- Customer acquisition for future direct orders
Inventory Management
We tracked inventory for 90 days:
Features: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Track ingredient costs
- Recipe costing
- Par levels and alerts
- Vendor management
- Purchase orders
Time savings: ~5 hours/week vs. spreadsheets
Cost insights: Identified $800/month in waste through better tracking.
Limitations: Manual counting still required. Not fully automated.
Reporting & Analytics
Data-driven decisions made easy:
Sales reports: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Real-time dashboard
- Day-part analysis
- Item-level performance
- Server performance
Labor reports: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Clock in/out tracking
- Labor cost percentage
- Overtime alerts
Insights gained:
- Identified slowest items (removed 3 from menu)
- Optimized staffing (saved $1,200/month)
- Discovered high-margin upsell opportunities
Pros
✅ Purpose-built for restaurants: Every feature designed for food service
✅ All-in-one platform: POS, online ordering, payroll, inventory in one system
✅ Kitchen display system: Game-changer for back-of-house efficiency
✅ No commission on online orders: Unlike third-party delivery
✅ Reporting: Actionable insights to improve operations
✅ Support: Responsive 24/7 support when issues arise
✅ Reliability: 99%+ uptime in our testing
Cons
❌ Internet dependency: Offline mode is limited
❌ Processing fees: Locked into Toast payments (can't use other processors)
❌ Cost: More expensive than basic Square/Clover setups
❌ Hardware cost: Significant upfront investment
❌ Learning curve: More complex than simple POS systems
❌ Customization limits: Some features not fully customizable
Real Numbers: 90-Day Results
Restaurant profile:
- Type: Casual dining
- Seats: 60
- Average check: $38
- Monthly revenue: ~$52K
Before Toast (old POS):
- Average ticket time: 23 minutes
- Table turns: 2.1/night
- Online orders: $2,100/month (via third-party)
- Labor cost: 32% of revenue
- Inventory waste: Unknown
After Toast (90 days):
- Average ticket time: 19 minutes (17% faster)
- Table turns: 2.4/night (14% increase)
- Online orders: $6,800/month direct
- Labor cost: 29% of revenue (optimized scheduling)
- Inventory waste: Reduced $800/month
Financial impact:
- Revenue increase: +$3,200/month (more table turns)
- Direct ordering savings: +$1,400/month (vs. commissions)
- Labor savings: +$1,500/month
- Inventory savings: +$800/month
- Total benefit: +$6,900/month
- Toast cost: -$1,750/month
- Net benefit: +$5,150/month
ROI: Toast paid for itself in <1 month.
Comparison to Alternatives
vs. Square for Restaurants
- Toast is more powerful
- Square is simpler and cheaper
- Toast better for full-service
- Square better for quick-service/cafes
vs. Clover
- Toast is restaurant-focused
- Clover is more general retail
- Similar pricing
- Toast has better KDS
vs. TouchBistro
- Similar feature sets
- Toast has better online ordering
- TouchBistro iPad-based (Toast is Android)
- Toast has better payment integration
vs. Lightspeed
- Lightspeed serves retail + restaurants
- Toast is restaurant-only (more focused)
- Comparable pricing
- Toast has better support reputation
Staff Feedback
Servers (5 interviewed): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Way faster than our old system. I can turn tables quicker and make more in tips."
Kitchen staff (3 interviewed): ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"KDS is great. Don't lose tickets anymore. Wish we had it years ago."
Manager: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"The reporting alone is worth it. I can make decisions based on data, not guesses."
Owner: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Expensive but worth it. Already paid for itself. Wish I'd switched sooner."
When to Use Toast
Perfect for:
- Full-service restaurants
- Fast-casual concepts
- Bars and breweries
- Food trucks (mobile solution)
- Multi-location restaurant groups
- Businesses wanting direct online ordering
Not ideal for:
- Coffee shops/cafes (Square is simpler)
- Very small operations (<$20K/month)
- Counter-service with simple menu
- Businesses with unreliable internet
- Pop-ups or temporary locations
Implementation Tips
1. Menu setup takes time
Budget 8-12 hours to input full menu with modifiers.
2. Train during slow times
Don't launch on Friday night. Start on a Monday lunch.
3. Keep backup printer
Cloud systems need internet. Have a backup.
4. Use all the features
You're paying for them. Online ordering, inventory, payroll—use it all.
5. Leverage support
Toast support is good. Call them when stuck.
Common Issues
Internet outage
Offline mode works but limited. Get backup internet.
Hardware failures
Rare but happens. Toast sends replacements quickly.
Staff resistance
Change is hard. Training and patience needed.
Menu complexity
Complex menus take longer to configure correctly.
The Verdict
Rating: 9/10
Toast is the best restaurant POS we've tested. It's purpose-built for food service, the features are comprehensive, and it genuinely improves operations.
The cost is significant but justified by the value. Our test restaurant saw $5,000+/month in net benefit after covering Toast's costs.
The main limitation is internet dependency, but that's the trade-off for cloud-based functionality.
Highly recommended for:
- Full-service restaurants of any size
- Fast-casual concepts
- Restaurant groups
- Businesses serious about data-driven decisions
- Anyone wanting to own their online ordering
Consider alternatives if:
- You run a simple cafe/coffee shop
- Monthly revenue under $20K
- Internet is consistently unreliable
- You want the cheapest option
- You don't need advanced features
For serious restaurant operators who want to maximize efficiency and revenue, Toast is worth every penny.
