5 BEST CAFÉ POS SYSTEMS OF 2019-20
Published by - OP Team on November 13, 2019 Blog
Café POS system is designed especially for small coffee shops, eateries, food outlets, etc. to manage the counter efficiently. Finding a right POS system for your business might seem to be quite a task as there are a lot of overwhelming options. To choose a perfect POS system for your café certain important factors are to be kept in mind so that your business works as efficiently as possible.
If you are still finding it difficult to narrow down your choices then don’t worry we have already done it for you. Here we have listed top 5 café POS systems which are currently popular among the restaurant owners.
Before we begin the list let us also mention on what basis we have chosen these POS systems. Our process was simple but thorough. We sorted best café POS systems on the basis of these points:
- Runs on a low-profile countertop
- Able to take orders
- Facility for paying through mobile devices
- Manage customer tabs
- Customizable order entry
- Supports all kinds of orders including taking away
- Customer loyalty program
- Staff tracking
These added features not only help run the café smoothly but also create an order among the staff and leave no space for customer complaints. Now that we have mentioned the criteria here are our pick of top 5 café POS systems of 2019-20.
| Fee | Features | |
| Square POS | Start with Fee | Square Point of Sale is included with your Square account at no extra cost. You can also add Square for Retail for more advanced retail tools. |
| TouchBistro | Start with $69/Month | iPad POS at their counter, but don’t require multiple terminals. This plan allows you to perform all point of sale functions within one iPad. |
| Loyverse | Start with free | Loyverse Free POS works on iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone and tablet. |
| HarborTouch | Start with is $39/ Month | Robust point-of-sale solution for all types of restaurants and bars. Whether you have a fine dining establishment, a casual restaurant, or a quick service location. |
| ShopKeep | Start with $69/Month | Easy to setup, easy-to-use. ShopKeep’s system works exactly the way you need it to.
|
1. Square
Square tops the list as it’s undoubtedly the best POS system for small cafés and startups. For someone who does not have an idea about Square it might appear just a payment processing tool but look closely and you will find the numerous benefits this system offers. To name the few this POS system allows you to handle invoices, recurring bills, and has numerous built-in app integrations.
Although only one feature of Square is enough to attract small cafés and, that is, Square is absolutely free POS system. It offers customer and inventory management designed specifically to boost the early period of startups. Square’s software is simple to use and runs on any iPad or smartphones.
It offers the flexibility to use any available device which works best for your café. This saves you from additional investment in the devices. The software allows you to take orders simply on your smartphone or tablet. It offers secure inbuilt payment system. Square does not charge monthly fees but, if you need, you can purchase their advanced add-on services to make the most out of your business. Square has a system to charge 2.75% of the total bill if you accept credit or debit card payments.
2. TouchBistro
TouchBistro was developed as a POS system dedicated completely to the food industry. Therefore, the developers have worked hard to fit in all the minute details of what the food industry requires. TouchBistro offers a fast-paced and reliable POS system that can be connected to the cloud. You can use your iPad to take orders and instantly submit it to the kitchen display. It has a single-entry system that removes any probability of errors and improves overall efficiency.
Some of the best features of TouchBistro include real-time inventory reports, automatic cloud backup, user-friendly and easy to learn, and comes with the pay-at-table option. Apart from these services TouchBistro also offers table reservation feature, and take special cooking requests from customers and send it directly to the chef.
TouchBistro does not rely on the internet, therefore, you can process orders quickly and avoid your customers from waiting. Besides, the pricing of this POS system is quite affordable. For a single iPad device, it costs $69 per month, for two devices it costs $129 per month, for five devices the price is $249 per month, and an unlimited package is priced at $399 per month.
3. Loyverse
Loyverse is a fast-growing POS system provider whose services are designed to meet the needs of small and medium-sized café businesses. Just like Square, Loyverse is also a free café POS system. It is equipped with a unique add-on called Loyalty-Ocean. It is a built-in loyalty program for your customers earning them loyalty points. Loyverse offers unbelievable features free of cost which are truly good to be true.
The software is easy to learn and can be used on any smartphone or tablet device. This saves you from investing separately on a tablet. The moment you install Loyverse you can start accepting payments. Some of the robust features Loyverse offers are creating menus, track inventory, take orders, payments, and messaging function. You can accept credit and debit card payments but for that, you first need to register with one of Loyverse’s payment processors like Vantiv or SumUp. It also works in an offline mode in case the internet network goes down.
Loyverse does not charge you any fees and no add-on costs on the built-in loyalty program. There are some paid features like employee management module costing $5 per month per employee and premium support for $15 per month.
Buy Loyverse POS Hardware
4. HarborTouch
HarborTouch is another strong competitor in the POS system industry. This POS system comes with multi-features that harbor the growth of a café or a restaurant. There are no startup costs levied on the purchase of HarborTouch but you will have to bear shipping charges. You can acquire this software on a contract basis of 3 years before which you get a 30-day trial deciding period.
HarborTouch has rolled out their Echo model which is considered to be the best POS system for small businesses. This software can be used on a smartphone or a smartphone device. Some of the features of HarborTouch include tableside ordering, table reservations, customizable menu, order tracking, etc. and for food delivery features like driver management, maps, and caller ID have been included.
HarborTouch charges minimal fees for top-class features. Their service fee is $39 per month for Echo model and $69 for the Elite model. Elite model is made for retail businesses.
5. ShopKeep
Offering a full range of café POS system features ShopKeep has made it to our list of 2018’s top café POS systems. Developed specifically for small-scale businesses it offers some unique features that make your work more efficient. One of its unique features is it lets you track the raw goods inventory. This feature lets you track the usage of a particular raw ingredient like an egg in each sale. So, if you receive a huge order you can track real-time inventory usage.
Other features ShopKeep offers includes sales and ticket management, employee tracking tools, credit and debit card payment option, etc. ShopKeep is easy to learn and simple to use. You can install it in any of your existing iPads or smartphone.
ShopKeep charges you minimal fees priced at $69 per month per register to access the software. This price is quite cheap for a small café and given its additional features, it’s the best POS system you can get.
Last Words
The 5 café POS systems mentioned in this article belong to the most competitive company’s aimed at making their services much more efficient. Their software is developed to meet the industry standard and exceed it. The perfect choice of POS system for your business is completely your decision. Make sure you decide after going through the fine details your business needs and choose accordingly. Among the above five Square and Loyverse stand out as they are least expensive but others provide additional features for the minimal cost. So, choose a POS system that meets your needs and make your business efficient and productive.
