Toast POS

Compared to POS systems I've used in the past, Toast is a lifesaver! It has tremendously improved efficiency and flow of our Taproom. We now have the ability to swipe a card and store credit card information; which is a huge benefit for those of us in co-op spaces. Although they look bulky, their handhelds fit into your back pocket and allow us to close tabs out table side. They are shock and water resistant, plus you can log into more than one device at the same time so if you're working alone, you can close out multiple parties at once. As a GM, I'm grateful that Toast is not only cloud-based, but allows me to access the back end from my laptop or smart phone so I don't have to be onsite to make system changes. Updates are incredibly quick so there's not a ton of down time. There is also Toast Central, where you can troubleshoot issues yourself rather rather than immediately calling Support. They are helpful instructions with screenshots and videos.

Customer Support is hit or miss. I always get an answer, it's just a matter of when I get it. After hours and on weekends, I feel like their staffing is very limited which leads to delays in getting immediate help. Thankfully it's only happened once where I needed a quick answer and wasn't able to get it.

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.

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.

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

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

I love that Toast supports their product. You can call and get someone on the line that will help you answer your questions. They also provide the hardware necessary to run their software. They are constantly updating their software to meet the needs of their users and are staying current with the technology. One option that is particularly useful to us is printing individual labels for each shake. In other words, we could have a bus of individuals come to our restaurant, and we need to print individual labels on each shake to identify what is in the shake so that it gets to the right person. In the past, we had to individually write on each cup.

The most difficult part to swallow is the fact that you have a monthly payment for the software--even if you are a seasonal business and only open for less than half the year. Toast will make some concessions for that, but it still seems costly since our other solution we used was free and pretty much did everything we needed short of printing individual labels for the shakes.