Toast is designed with restaurants in mind, keeping all your tech components in one place for a stellar, efficient selling point that makes running your restaurant easy. With the recently released Toast Payroll & Team Management product, Toast offers a complete business solution.
Pros
- Pay on the table to turn tables quickly
- Built with restaurants in mind
- Easy-to-use and personalized Android tablets
Cons
- High setup/monthly costs
- Own equipment required
Restaurateurs Are Raving
“Our tipping has doubled since we implemented the ‘Toast’ guest displays, just like I knew it would. . . . This is one of those times where technology has really provided a financial opportunity for the business.”
Jeff Good, managing partner of Broad Street and president of Mangia Bene Inc.
“We’ve saved 15% to 20% annually by not having to pay for multiple platforms…when I bought it over the course of a year, we would have saved several thousand dollars just by moving everything to Toast Payroll. . ”
John Rhodes, CEO of Alto Pizza Kitchen and Bar
“Without toast, it would be much more difficult to achieve the volume we see at lunch. We could do 100 to 200 posts in a few hours. Kitchen displays have helped us reach that level of service.”
Brad Gillis, co-founder of Homegrown
How It Works
Toast is a completely web-based platform where all information is stored in the cloud. LAN is required for client functionality. All POS data, mainly your menu and local settings, is downloaded and stored separately on connected devices. This allows your POS system to function even if your broadband connection is interrupted.
No need for WiFi as the devices are connected at the point of sale. however, portable mobile tablets that require WiFi are available. Printing is done via local network. In the event of an outage, all credit card transactions are queued locally and then 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, with additional routers and kitchen printers sold separately. You can also purchase a mobile device or portable tablet package that allows you to order and pay right at the table.
Toast doesn’t use iOS integration and is powered by Android instead. For their hardware packages, they offer Elo tablets that their operations team installs and configures in advance. So all customers have official Toast hardware, ensuring higher quality technical support should a problem arise.
Reporting
From standard sales reports to labor, product mix, tips and more, there are many reports available.
Summary reporting is the most powerful, including net sales, gratuities, gratuities, table turns, a complete breakdown of all your service types, and guest counts. It’s a scannable dashboard that provides an overview of a manager or owner’s needs when they’re too busy walking around the plant to quickly review individual reports. If you want to drill down on any of the gauges, you can do so with a simple tap.
Ease of Use
Even if you didn’t have a Toast representative by your side to help you through setup and training, it would be ridiculously easy to learn this system. Despite the incredible array of features built into Toast, you can still master enough to get your business up and running in a matter of hours. It’s not hard to learn, and the initial 30-60 minutes of training you get will go a long way in helping you get the hang of it, even without technical knowledge.
Cost and Contracts
The Toast starter pack is free and ideal for small restaurants that only need one or two terminals. The Essential package, which includes online services like digital ordering and the Toast Takeout app, starts at $165 a month. Pricing plans are also available, but you’ll need to call a Toast representative.
This is where you need to think about the product’s return on investment and decide whether a more efficient operation with such a robust platform will help you run a cleaner store, turn tables faster, and therefore pay for itself. If you can get it to work as intended, the price isn’t too bad.
For restaurants who anticipate needing more than 6 terminals, we recommend speaking with a representative about custom pricing based on volume.
- $25/month to add loyalty program access
- $50/month to create and use physical and digital gift cards
- $50/month for integrated online orders
Fortunately, contracts are not binding. 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 you to sign a contract for the equipment. Consult your representative regarding financing requirements and terms.
Features and Add-ons
It’s surprising how much Toast includes, given the simplicity of the interface and intuitive design. For example:
- Simplify ordering with tabletop terminals or order tableside with mobile tablets
- Digital receipts emailed to customers (a great way to capture email addresses)
- Fully customizable menu groups are categorized into smaller menus, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and further categorized into sub-menu groups, such as appetizers, salads, main courses, kids, and more. The menu modification system is amazingly detailed, giving you a lot of control over your menu
- Native CRM features for customer management and remarketing
- Employee management for work and scheduling.
- Behind the times
- Loyalty programs
Toast Payroll & Team Management
Toast can help you streamline operations with its team management and payroll platform built specifically for restaurants.
What do you get with Toast Payroll and Team Management?
- Payroll that syncs with POS
- Automatic distribution of reminders
- Hours synchronized with wages
- Accurate payments
- Tools to help you comply with changing regulations
Bottom Line
Toast is a true full-service POS system for restaurants that allows you to manage your entire restaurant from a single interface. The feature-rich platform impresses on every level and runs on Android instead of iOS. This makes it cheaper and more versatile, and a great option for restaurants that prefer not to invest in Apple products.