Restaurant POS Systems Best-Of Guide 2022: Find The Right Fit

Restaurant POS Systems Best-Of Guide 2022: Find The Right Fit

These restaurant POS systems are built with the tools you need to adapt and thrive during these challenging times.

Advertiser Disclosure: Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships , and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity.

Best POS system for restaurants

Restaurant POS systems make accepting customer payments and managing the front- and back-ends of restaurants easier than ever. Modern POS systems boast features such as menu management, inventory, loyalty programs, online ordering, and delivery management to help small business owners save time and money.

Whether you want to integrate your POS with third-party delivery services, accept contactless payments at your food truck, or create a fine-dining experience with meal coursing, restaurant POS systems have you covered.

Keep reading to learn about the best POS systems for restaurants.

Learn More About Our Top Picks

Read more below to learn why we chose these options.

Best POS For Restaurant Features

A restaurant POS system, or point of sale system, is hardware and software that works together to allow restaurant owners to complete customer transactions for products or services. Going far beyond just accepting payments, the best POS systems for a restaurant include:

  • Tipping: Most POS systems include a tipping feature, so customers can add a gratuity for the staff. Some systems may offer automatic tip calculations for customers and split tip features for restaurants that pool tips.
  • Split Bills: A split bill function makes it easy to split bills between several customers at the same table.
  • Mobile Payments: More customers are using digital payments such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet to pay for their purchases. With the right restaurant POS, you can easily accept these and other forms of payment.
  • Sales Reports: POS systems use sales data such as revenue, costs, sales volumes, and new customers to create sales reports. These reports can then be used to track revenue, identify marketing opportunities, and optimize staffing.
  • Other Reports: You may be able to access other important business reports through your POS, including inventory reports, customer reports, and employee reports.
  • Inventory Management: An inventory management feature allows you to track inventory and ingredients, receive low-stock alerts, generate purchase orders, and run inventory reports.
  • Integrations: Good restaurant POS software will integrate with other business apps, including accounting software, loyalty programs, time tracking, and reporting and analytics.
  • Curbside & Delivery: As more customers look for convenient ways to get their orders, curbside and delivery management makes it easy to manage, track, and dispatch these orders.
  • Employee Management: A good POS includes features to effectively manage your team, from time tracking and scheduling to training and time-off requests.
  • Loyalty: Some POS systems allow you to set up programs to provide freebies, discounts, and other perks to your most loyal customers.
  • Marketing: Depending on the POS system you use, you may have access to marketing tools, such as advertising, email campaigns, and text messaging campaigns to engage customers and boost revenues.
  • QR Menu Or Ordering: QR codes make it easy to digitize your menu and even provide ordering options for your customers.
  • Table Management: A table management system shows what tables are available in your restaurant, how long customers have been seated, and other data to improve front-of-house operations.
  • Menu Design: Menu design makes it easy to organize your menu items, create modifiers, add discounts, and perform other functions, so staff can easily take orders, answer customer questions, and send accurate orders to the kitchen.
  • Reputation Management: Instead of spending hours searching for online reviews for your restaurant, you can read and respond to reviews all in one place if your POS offers this feature.
  • KDS: Ditch the paper tickets and go digital for improved back-of-house operations with a kitchen display system (KDS) that displays your orders in real-time on an easy-to-read screen.
  • Reservations: A reservations feature makes it easy for customers to make reservations for busy periods, large parties, or special occasions, such as birthday parties or showers.

Top Restaurant POS Systems In 2022

Restaurant POS systems are feature-rich, all-in-one systems that provide restaurant owners with tools to run a restaurant business efficiently and pivot when needed. Our top picks for the best restaurant POS systems are Square, Clover, Revel, Lightspeed, Clover, TouchBistro, Toast, Shopify, Upserve, talech, and Lavu.

1. Revel: Best For Larger Restaurants

Pros

  • Highly customizable
  • Advanced restaurant features
  • Full offline functionality
  • Flat-rate processing

Cons

  • Many features cost extra
  • Requires a long-term processing contract for the best price

Revel is best for large restaurants, with advanced restaurant-specific features and robust inventory management.

revel restaurant pos system table management on ipad

Revel Restaurant POS System Features

The word we often use to describe Revel is “powerhouse.”

Here are some of Revel’s best features:

  • Always-on mode for internet outages
  • Conversational ordering system
  • Simply discounting system
  • Robust inventory management
  • Intelligent reporting suite
  • Self-service kiosk option
  • Mobile and remote ordering options
  • Open API for developers
  • Strong loyalty options
  • Built-in online ordering system
  • In-house delivery platform
  • Direct integration with DoorDash

Revel Pricing

This system has one of the deepest feature sets of any POS system and includes virtually anything a medium or large restaurant operation could want, starting at $99/month. The cost can add up when you include numerous add-ons, but Revel is certainly worth a long look, especially for an enterprise-sized business.

Hardware Cost & Features

Revel offers everything you need to get your business up and running, including individual iPads, stands, printers, and card readers. The website doesn’t list prices, but you can contact Revel directly for packages.

All of Revel’s hardware is iPad based. Some choices include a countertop POS with an iPad customer display option, iPads for tableside ordering, and self-service kiosks.

revel restaurant pos system on iPad with stand
revel restaurant systems pos

Payment Processing

Revel integrates with multiple processors and has Revel Advantage, the company’s payment system, which has a flat rate of 2.49% plus $0.15 for transactions.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

You need to sign up for a three-year deal through Revel Advantage to get its best rates, but this isn’t a requirement to use Revel’s services.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

Revel can work well in a small restaurant, but larger restaurants and franchise QSR businesses will get the most out of Revel. Revel has a higher cost and a longer commitment than a month-to-month POS, such as Square, making it less affordable for smaller businesses.

Where Revel Really Shines For Restaurants

Revel has the features to compete with some of the biggest POS competitors. It may not be cost-effective for smaller restaurants, but finding another system that gives you more bang for your buck isn’t easy. Revel has excellent customization options and also integrates with multiple companies. Because of Revel’s highly customizable feature set, we recommend it in even very customizable niches beyond just restaurants, such as a pos system for golf courses.

Foodservice, niche industries (or a combination of both) can find what they need with Revel.

Get Started With Revel POS Systems

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

2. Lightspeed Restaurant: Best All-Around

Pros

  • Affordable base price
  • In-depth ingredient management
  • Reservation management
  • Customer-facing loyalty app

Cons

  • Add-ons get expensive
  • Flat-rate processing is expensive for high-volume restaurants

Lightspeed Restaurant is a premium iPad POS for restaurants and works as well for quick-service as it does for full-service restaurants.

lightspeed restaurant point of sale system

Lightspeed Restaurant POS System Features

Lightspeed Restaurant POS features include:

  • Contactless ordering and payment options
  • QR code ordering capability
  • Smart tipping with the option to distribute among staff
  • Simple, adjustable table mapping
  • Direct with multiple delivery apps, including UberEats and DoorDash
  • Online ordering on a single screen
  • Customer-facing display
  • Intuitive reservation system
  • Multilocation reports
  • 24/7 customer support included

Lightspeed Pricing

With pricing starting at $39/month (billed annually), Lightspeed Restaurant is an affordable and quality choice of POS for small to medium full-service restaurants.

Hardware Cost & Features

Lightspeed Restaurant has iPad bundles that you can purchase through its website, as well as a wide variety of individual pieces you can buy. The website doesn’t list prices, so you’ll need to call the company for a quote.

Lightspeed Restaurant hardware is all iPad-based. Similar to Revel, hardware options may include a countertop POS with a customer display, standalone iPads for tableside ordering, and/or iPad kiosks for self-ordering. Lightspeed’s KDS is also iPad-based.

lightspeed restaurant ipad register with customer display
Lightspeed Restaurant point of sale with iPad KDS

Payment Processing

Lightspeed has its own processing program, and its fees are 2.6% + $0.10 for card-present transactions or 2.6% + $0.30 for card-not-present transactions.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Lightspeed has options that allow you to pay month-to-month without a long-term contract, but its lowest advertised rate comes with an annual payment.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

You can use Lightspeed at a small, single-location eatery or multilocation franchise. The system is entirely scalable, and you should be able to use its iPad-based POS hardware with another system if Lightspeed doesn’t work out.

Where Lightspeed Restaurant Really Shines For Restaurants

Lightspeed has made a big commitment to expanding its features and product in recent years, and it’s tough to find a POS system that checks all of the boxes as efficiently as this system does. Lightspeed has made numerous changes to help restaurants deal with issues stemming from Covid and remains one of the more cost-efficient options for what is included.

Get Started With Lightspeed Restaurant POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

3. Toast: Best For Android Users

Pros

  • Numerous digital ordering options
  • Advanced employee management
  • Advanced reporting

Cons

  • Long-term commitment
  • High transaction fees for online orders

Toast is best for restaurants looking for a solid, Android-based system with numerous digital online ordering options and strong team training resources.

toast flex point of sale hardware

Toast Restaurant POS System Features

Toast is one of our favorite POS systems for restaurants that want to use a cloud-based tablet POS but don’t necessarily want an iPad system. In fact, Toast runs exclusively on Samsung Android devices. Despite that distinction, it has a lot in common with the other tablet POS systems on our list — it’s feature-rich, user-friendly, and easy to set up.

Here are some of Toast’s other top features:

  • Tableside service
  • Excellent hardware options
  • Online ordering integrations
  • Cloud-based reporting
  • Excellent menu management
  • Restaurant team training
  • A strong kitchen display system
  • Multilocation management
  • Delivery integration options
  • Built-in loyalty and gift cards
  • Toast for Hotel Restaurants PMS integration (“generally available” now)

Toast Pricing

Toast has a free plan, but its all-in-one packages start at $165/month, which includes its takeout app and online ordering.

Hardware Cost & Features

Toast hardware is Android-based and specifically built for restaurants. Toast has some of the best restaurant POS hardware options of any POS company, including the Toast Flex countertop POS (starting at $799) and the mobile Toast Go handheld device (starting at $409 + $50/month).

toast flex restaurant pos kit
toast go 2

Payment Processing

You must use Toast’s payment processor, but its rates are competitive, starting at 1.8% plus $0.15 for card-present transactions.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

You do have to sign up for a contract through Toast, which can be from one to three years, and the cost of breaking one of these contracts can be pretty pricey.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

You can use Toast at your single-location restaurant, but Toast is typically a better value for larger, multilocation businesses. Toast is expensive (even free plan users pay a high price via higher payment processing fees) and requires a long-term contract, which might lead smaller, newer businesses to shy away from the system.

Where Toast Really Shines For Restaurants

Despite the issues with contracts and its high cost, Toast is still one of the top POS systems for restaurants. Toast’s intuitive hardware and built-in online ordering and delivery options are top-notch, and it has been on the cutting edge of adapting during the pandemic. Toast’s customer service is also some of the highest-rated around.

Get Started With Toast POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

4. TouchBistro: Best For Ease Of Use

Pros

  • Locally-installed POS app
  • An excellent in-house reservation system
  • Works with Square
  • Integrates with third-party delivery apps

Cons

  • No online payments
  • Add-ons get pricey

TouchBistro is an elegant POS system designed specifically by and for restaurant workers.

touchbistro self ordering restaurant pos

TouchBistro Restaurant POS System Features

TouchBistro’s unique model allows you to run your entire restaurant on an iPad, even with no internet connection, as it’s a locally-installed system. TouchBistro has excellent table-mapping and menu management as well.

Here are some of TouchBistro’s most impressive features:

  • Simple floor planning
  • More than 50 reports
  • Customer-facing display system
  • Tableside ordering integrations
  • Streamlined payroll and staff management
  • A robust number of integrations
  • Built-in loyalty and gift card add-on
  • Excellent reservation system
  • Online ordering through in-house and third-party platforms
  • Digital menu board

TouchBistro Pricing

TouchBistro has flexible pricing options starting at $69/month.

Hardware Cost & Features

TouchBistro offers a wide variety of Apple products through its website, including custom bundles and individual pieces of equipment. Hardware prices are not listed, and the company encourages you to call for a quote.

Pictured below are some of TouchBistro’s iPad POS hardware bundles for different-sized restaurants.

TouchBistro restaurant hardware
TouchBistro restaurant point of sale hardware kit

Payment Processing

TouchBistro integrates with an impressive number of payment processors, including Square and Worldpay, allowing you to pick the best and most cost-effective option for your restaurant.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Like most other POS systems, TouchBistro gives you options to sign up month to month but offers its best rates if you pay for its services a year in advance.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

Being a locally-installed system, TouchBistro works best for single-location restaurants. However, TouchBistro can work at small or large venues — multiple iPad devices at a single location can “talk” to each other through a shared Mac server.

Where TouchBistro Really Shines For Restaurants

TouchBistro has its finger on the pulse of the restaurant industry, and it has made it its mission to help restaurants out even in difficult times. TouchBistro has an exceptionally sleek and simple interface and excellent integrations. Couple that with the number of add-on services it provides, and you can customize TouchBistro into the perfect system for your business.

Get Started With TouchBistro

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

5. Square For Restaurants: Best Affordable Option

Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.

Pros

  • Free plan
  • Free online ordering
  • Affordable hardware options
  • Includes employee management

Cons

  • No dedicated merchant account
  • No reservation management

Square for Restaurants offers a generous free plan that includes employee management, Square online ordering, and plenty of add-on options when it is time to scale.

Square for best restaurants POS hardware

Square For Restaurants POS System Features

With Square for Restaurants, the processing and POS giant hit the bullseye again. Square for Restaurants is available on iPad, and Square’s sleek all-in-one POS has a customer display and card/NFC reader, Square Register ($799).

Here are some of Square for Restaurant’s highlights:

  • Fast order entry
  • Simple set up
  • Square online ordering
  • Square App Store
  • Advanced discount options
  • Live sales reports
  • Course management
  • Square kitchen display system
  • Automatic gratuity and tipping options
  • Third-party delivery integrations
  • Square for Restaurants Mobile POS module (free through 1/15/23)

Square Pricing

Square for Restaurants is extremely easy to use, includes employee management, and doesn’t skimp on restaurant-specific features, all for a very reasonable $60/month rate for the “Plus” version. Or you can choose the free plan if you are okay with a more basic feature set.

Hardware Cost & Features

Square has a wide variety of hardware options. Countertop POS options include the all-in-one Square Register (starting at $799) and Square Stand for iPad (starting at $149, not including iPad).

New Square Stand for restaurant top point of sale system
square register with customer facing display and quick serve setup

As for mobile options, the handheld Square Terminal starts at $299, and the basic reader is free. The Square for Restaurants mobile POS module for handheld ordering and payments runs exclusively on Square Terminal and will soon work on Square’s new “Restaurant Mobile POS Kit” (expected to ship in Fall 2022).

Square Terminal best restaurant point of sale system

Payment Processing

Square is known for its simple credit card processing. With Square for Restaurants, its rate for in-person transactions is 2.6% plus $0.10.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Square for Restaurants has month-to-month pricing plans, and its basic plan with limited features is free.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

Square for Restaurants is flexible for different size businesses and can easily scale up and down at any time with its per-location pricing and month-to-month contracts.

Where Square For Restaurants Really Shines For Restaurants

Square has been an industry leader for years and is one of the best all-in-one systems. The free plan for Square for Restaurants is exceptionally generous, and with Square, you also get excellent customer service and access to thousands of apps through its market. During Covid times, Square is also one of the best options for storefronts running ghost kitchens. Couple that with how easy Square is to set up and operate, and it’s tough to go wrong.

Get Started With Square For Restaurants POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

6. Clover: Best For Reservations

Pros

  • Sold by numerous merchant account providers
  • Full-service & quick-service software plans
  • Convenient pay-as-you-go pricing through Clover.com
  • Several Clover hardware setups to choose from

Cons

  • Can’t resell or reprogram hardware after purchase
  • Not all Clover sellers are reputable

Clover POS is a popular and incredibly easy-to-use system that gives restaurant owners everything they need to start selling food and managing a restaurant.

clover station at fast-casual restaurant point of sale system

Clover Restaurant POS System Features

Clover restaurant pos software is intuitive to use and set up. Simply select your desired hardware setup and software plan, and once it arrives, plug in your POS and begin serving customers in a matter of minutes.

Here are a few of Clover’s other great features:

  • Dynamic floor plans
  • Complex check splitting
  • Great hardware for tableside ordering
  • Included apps
  • Clover Marketplace
  • Delivery integrations (direct integration with GrubHub)
  • Online ordering functionality
  • Highly customizable
  • Virtual terminal

Clover Pricing

As far as software plans, you can choose from two month-to-month, pay-as-you-go Clover Dining plans. A sit-down restaurant should choose the table service restaurant plan, which is $74.95/month for the first device. QSRs can choose Clover’s counter-service plan for $44.95/month. 

Hardware Costs & Features

Clover’s hardware options include the following (pricing is MSRP):

  • Clover Go (Mobile Bluetooth Reader): $49

credit card reader for iphone

  • Clover Flex (Mobile Handheld Terminal): $499

Clover pos system for food truck

  • Clover Mini (Mini Countertop POS): $749

clover mini

  • Clover Station (Full-Size Countertop POS): $1,349 or $1,649

clover station pro

Payment Processing

With Clover, you must use Fiserv for your payment processor, which has less-than-ideal customer service reviews. Clover has a base rate of 2.3% plus $0.10 per transaction, but rates may vary slightly depending on your plan.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

With Clover, you can pay month-to-month, but you will want to make sure you buy any hardware you use instead of leasing, if possible.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

Clover can work well for both small restaurants and large, multilocation restaurants. If you purchase a plan from Clover.com, which bills on a month-to-month basis, you should easily be able to scale your system up or down.

Where Clover Really Shines For Restaurants

Despite its issues, Clover pretty much does everything well. It has excellent hardware options and some of the better online ordering and delivery options around, making it a strong choice as the pandemic continues to force restaurants to get creative. Clover’s table mapping function is also excellent, and its app marketplace makes for great customization options.

Get Started With Clover POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

7. Shopify: Best For Online Ordering

Pros

  • Pairs with eCommerce
  • Multiple payment options
  • Sleek interface
  • Excellent mobility

Cons

  • No offline mode
  • Complicated pricing

With options for curbside pick-up, delivery, and multiple tipping choices, Shopify can help you start selling online or enhance your online presence tremendously.

shopify point of sale

Shopify Restaurant POS System Features

Shopify, a huge player in the eCommerce game, has also made big strides with its point of sale product. Having a POS with excellent online ordering options has been a must during the pandemic, and Shopify has your back in that department.

Here are some of Shopify’s best features:

  • Accept multiple payment options
  • Gift card and loyalty functionality
  • Custom sales and discounts
  • Automatic tax calculations
  • Order histories
  • Real-time inventory management
  • Shopify App Store
  • Customized setup options

Shopify Pricing

Shopify added a Starter Plan that starts at $5/month after a 14-day free trial. After that, Shopify starts at $29/month.

Hardware Cost & Features

Shopify can use iOS hardware (iPhones and iPads) or Android devices (phones and tablets) for countertop and mobile uses. Shopify offers hardware bundles on its website, as well as individual items, such as printers and scanners. Shopify’s mobile reader retails for $49, while iPad stands start at $149.

Shopify also has an all-in-one Shopify Retail Kit, but this item is currently on backorder until Q3 2022.

Shopify Retail kit

Payment Processing

Shopify integrates with more than 100 payment processors, meaning that virtually any processor you find with rates that fit your business should be an option. It also has its own processor with in-person rates starting at 2.4% plus $0.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Shopify lets you use its services month-to-month, so there’s no need to worry about breaking a contract.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

Being primarily suited for online and retail, Shopify works best for smaller, single-location cafes that don’t need advanced in-person restaurant POS features or ghost kitchens (large or small) that operate entirely online with no physical premises.

Where Shopify Really Shines For Restaurants

Not surprisingly, Shopify is at the top of its game when it comes to eCommerce. Shopify’s restaurant online ordering system is superb and allows you to set up your restaurant for whatever fits best, be it in-store, curbside pick-ups, or delivery. Shopify has an excellent interface and numerous integrations that can help you operate at peak profitability, even if your restaurant can’t be open at 100% capacity.

Get Started With Shopify POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

8. Upserve by Lightspeed: Best For Reporting

Pros

  • Native online ordering
  • Highly customizable
  • Tableside ordering devices
  • Deep reporting

Cons

  • High upfront cost
  • Some issues with outages

Upserve (by Lightspeed) features simple, intuitive interfaces for its front and back end. It remains a top choice for the highly customizable system and in-depth reporting features. A user-friendly and high-quality POS system is one of our essential tips for reducing restaurant turnover.

Upserve restaurant point of sale system

Upserve Restaurant POS System Features

Upserve is another system made specifically with restaurant workers in mind. It runs on both iOS and Android platforms and prides itself on its mobility, making it an ideal choice for a busy quick-serve or full-service establishment.

Here are some of Upserve’s top features:

  • Course and menu management
  • Built-in online ordering platform
  • An efficient kitchen display system
  • Multiple payment options
  • Deep integration set
  • Multilocation management
  • Tableside ordering
  • Third-party delivery integrations
  • Mobile app
  • Analytics integration

Upserve Pricing

Upserve starts at $59 a month for a single register with “Core” (basic) package features. It’s also highly scalable, with larger plans available if you need to expand or add features.

Hardware Cost & Features

Upserve allows you to use Android tablets or iPads and has mobile and countertop options. The website does not list pricing, so you’ll need to call the company for a quote. Some hardware options include a countertop POS stand with built-in payment acceptance for iPads and a proprietary handheld device called Upserve Tableside. Both are pictured below:

upserve pos for pizzerias
Upserve Tableside handheld POS

Payment Processing

Upserve uses its own Upserve Payments processing system. Card-present rates start at 2.49% plus $0.15.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

With Upserve, you can pay month-to-month, and there are no long-term contracts for its software. Once again, we suggest you purchase the hardware upfront instead of leasing it.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

Upserve is scalable, and though it may require a significant upfront investment in hardware, contracts are month-to-month. Generally, Upserve can work for small or large businesses, though its advanced feature set may lend itself better to larger establishments.

Where Upserve Really Shines For Restaurants

Upserve is a step above some of its competition when it comes to online ordering. Upserve allows restaurants the ability to sell online quickly and efficiently without fees. Upserve is also highly customizable and has very deep reporting, especially when paired with some of its integrations. Its tableside ordering device is also a great additional feature for full-service restaurants.

Get Started With Upserve POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

9. talech: Best For Smaller Restaurants

Pros

  • Low monthly price
  • Purchase ordering
  • Works with multiple payment processors
  • Works on iPad & Android

Cons

  • Can’t accept credit cards offline
  • No integrated reservation system

While talech is best for smaller, quick-serve restaurants, it has solid inventory management features, including the ability to generate purchase orders automatically.

talech pos on ipad

talech Restaurant POS System Features

This POS has excellent inventory management that displays product history and performance and lets you easily track ingredients for all locations. Notably, talech also includes the ability to create and auto-generate purchase orders, which is pretty advanced for an iPad POS.

Here are a few other standout features:

  • Course and order management
  • Table and position management
  • Adjustable tips and transactions
  • Excellent purchase order functionality
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Label printing
  • Cash drawer management
  • Deep reporting suite

talech Pricing

talech is a user-friendly tablet POS offered at an amazing starting price of just $29/month. A mobile-only version of the software for smartphones is also available for $0/month.

Hardware Cost & Features

talech offers bundles for restaurants and individual hardware items for sale, with both iPad and Android options. Some options include Elo PayPoint countertop POS systems, Poynt handheld ordering and payments devices, and handheld Ingenico MOBY devices. Call a talech rep to get complete pricing.

talech cafe pos hardware bundle with elo paypoint, ipad, and poynt smart terminal

Payment Processing

talech integrates with a number of the top payment processors in the country, allowing you to pick and choose the best option for your business.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

talech has a free option, and its paid services are offered month-to-month, so you don’t have to worry about being locked into a contract.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

talech is an affordable, pay-as-you-go POS that works best for small restaurants. Larger restaurants may find the feature set somewhat lacking.

Where talech Really Shines For Restaurants

talech has everything that a quick-service or smaller full-service restaurant might need and a few unique features that even some of its more expensive competitors don’t offer. talech’s price point is excellent, and the number of companies it integrates with for payment processing and additional add-on services is impressive. It’s also highly scalable, making it a good option if you think your business will grow in the near future.

Get Started With talech POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

10. Lavu: Best For Included Integrations

Pros

  • Competitive monthly pricing
  • Local server option for full offline functionality
  • Works with PayPal
  • Free DoorDash integration

Cons

  • Expensive equipment leases
  • No purchase ordering

Lavu offers an excellent price point and includes access to plenty of third-party delivery apps as well as online ordering and delivery features.

lavu pos

Lavu Restaurant POS System Features

Lavu is another affordable and aesthetically pleasing iPad POS for small to medium-sized restaurants. Lavu is cloud-based but has a local server backup option that offers added stability for restaurants that want to sync multiple devices.

Here are some of Lavu’s best features:

  • Detailed timekeeping
  • Job rates
  • In-house online ordering with MenuDrive
  • Delivery integrations
  • Self-serve kiosk functionality
  • Flexible table mapping
  • Tableside ordering
  • Multiple payment options
  • Separate loyalty app

Lavu Pricing

Lavu has tons of features, and its affordable starting price tag — $59/month — can save your restaurant a lot of money.

Hardware Cost & Features

Lavu offers numerous hardware options, including iPad POS terminals, iPad kiosk enclosures, and EPSON KDS, which you can purchase on Lavu’s website, as well as card readers for various Lavu-supported payment processors. For example, you can buy a Vault Pro Line Enclosure for iPad Pro ($225), a PayPal Chip & Tap reader ($115), or an EPSON KDS bundle ($650). If you have to lease, make sure you’ve read the contracts first, as that has been a complaint with some users.

Lavu KDS pro
lavu ipad kiosk

Payment Processing

Lavu has its own processing program that you are incentivized to use, but you are not locked into it. Again, you’ll need to contact Lavu directly to get your best rate.

Contract Requirements/Warnings

Lavu offers month-to-month pricing options for its software. However, there have been issues with users complaining about feeling trapped after signing leases for Lavu’s hardware.

Business Size That Works Best For This Restaurant POS System

With its middle-of-the-road pricing, Lavu works best for small-to-medium restaurants. Larger, multilocation restaurants would better meet their needs with an enterprise-capable POS, such as Revel or Toast.

Where Lavu Really Shines For Restaurants

Lavu’s price point is tough to beat, especially when comparing its features with other similar products. Lavu’s kitchen display system is excellent and affordable, and its inventory and reporting are more than just bare bones. On top of that, Lavu integrates with hundreds of companies, making it easy to set up online ordering, delivery, or an accounting service if you need those additional features.

Get Started With Lavu POS

Read our in-depth review

Jump back to comparison chart

Choose The Best Restaurant POS System

Perhaps now more than ever, you need one of the best POS systems for a restaurant to make sure that you’re maximizing available features in a tough business climate. Today’s smart, web-enabled restaurant point of sale systems can help make your restaurant more efficient and might even improve your quality of service and customer communications.

Unsure of which restaurant POS system is right for your business? Scroll to the top of this post to check out our comparison chart, which lets you easily compare monthly pricing, payment processing rates, and why each POS system made out top ten list. And if you’re still unsure, check out our post on how to choose a POS system for your restaurant. This post explores POS pricing, popular POS features, and what to look for when selecting the right restaurant POS for your business.

FAQs: Best POS For Restaurants

What restaurant POS system is easiest to use?

Many of the top point of sale systems for restaurants are extremely easy to use. Square for Restaurants, Clover, and TouchBistro all feature simple interfaces and easy setup.

How much is a restaurant POS?

The cost of a restaurant POS varies depending on what features you need. Some companies offer a free basic plan, standard plans can cost from $30-$80 a month, and advanced plans can be a few hundred dollars a month.

How do I set up online ordering for my restaurant?

If your point of sale system has online ordering as an option, it can be as simple as turning that feature on and entering your restaurant and pricing information. If you have more complicated online ordering needs or need help setting it up, contact your point of sale provider, and they can walk you through the process.

Most good point of sale systems should either have their own accounting software or integrate with a third-party accounting program (such as QuickBooks or Xero) to allow your software to sync up seamlessly.

What’s the best restaurant POS for delivery?

There are many good POS options that either include their own delivery program or integrate with delivery platforms. Toast, Shopify, and Square all have excellent delivery capabilities.

Square is one of the most popular POS systems for restaurants. Because of the flexibility in features and cost, coupled with no binding contracts and available payment plans, Square offers little risk to a popup, quick-serve, or busy, established kitchen. Square offers free tools and customizable monthly services so that you won’t pay for more than you need.

What is the importance of a restaurant POS system?

A good restaurant POS system has the features you need to run your restaurant effectively, including:

  • Easy to use and train employees on
  • Easy tipping
  • Menu management
  • Online and curbside ordering
  • Transparent pricing
  • No binding long-term contracts
  • Features to scale as your business grows

What is the best restaurant pos system in 2022?

Lightspeed Restaurants POS takes the “best all-around POS” title this year. It offers a robust system at an affordable price, with all the features you’ll need to accept orders in person and online. Additionally, 24/7 customer support is included for restaurants.

In Summary: Top Restaurant POS Systems In 2022