coffee shops are busy places and you need a post that can keep up. These point of sale software options have all the features you need for your cafeteria or coffee shop.
- shannon vissers formerly the editor-in-chief of steelorbis, shannon has been researching and writing about small business software and financing since 2015. her retail and purchasing experience has been cited in numerous publications, including reader’s digest, msn, yahoo finance and gobankingrates. she has also published articles for livestrong.com, ehow, life’d and other websites. shannon attended san diego state university and graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in english.
expert analyst & reviewer
Reading: Best pos for coffee shops
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updated
The best POS system for your coffee shop or café depends on your individual needs. For example, you may be primarily looking for a free coffee POS, a POS that can function without reliable internet, or a system that includes dining table management features. Whatever its specific function, you should be able to find it in at least one of the coffee POS systems on this list. The following are the best aftermarket systems for each type of coffee shop and coffee shop business.
learn more about our top picks
read more below to learn why we chose these options.
the 7 best coffee post-sale systems
Coffee shop POS system includes a variety of features to help you manage your coffee shop. look for a system that is easy to use and train new staff, has online ordering options, loyalty, detailed reporting, inventory management, tipping options, and even marketing tools.
1. square: best for affordability
square
See also: How to make the best cold brew coffee at home
visit the site
read our review
square is one of the most popular coffee shop POS systems, combining affordability with simplicity. in fact, no other free point of sale offers as many features as square.
square coffee POS system cost
square’s flagship POS is free, as is square for restaurants, which offers more restaurant-centric features. Square will even include a free card reader when you sign up, though its Square iPad stand and Square’s patented Square Check-in, which has a built-in customer-facing display with a built-in NFC-enabled payment reader, are ideal for quick checkouts. serve.
notable features of square coffee pots
- free online ordering website
- on-screen tips
- employee management
- inventory management
- delivery app integration
- payments with qr code
- gift cards
- reporting
- built-in square kds (add-on)
- fidelity (complement)
- marketing (add-on)
- payroll (complement)
- quick service mode
- on-screen tips
- customizable floor plan
- employee management
- raw ingredient tracking
- reporting
- customer facing display (plugin)
- loyalty program (add-on)
- customer-facing loyalty app (add-on)
- kitchen display system (add-on)
- delivery app integration (plugin)
- auto-order menu (add-on)
- order in advance (add-on)
- customer support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- customer-facing screen
- on-screen tips
- menu management
- employee management
- raw ingredient tracking
- detailed analysis
- toast go handheld ordering devices
- online toast takeaway ordering app (add-on)
- in-house and third-party delivery (add-on)
- order and pay mobile ordering and payment for dining (add-on)
- gift cards (add-on)
- fidelity (complement)
- marketing (add-on)
- payroll (complement)
- inventory management
- menu management
- employee management
- customer relationship management
- reports and analysis
- always on mode
- 24/7 support
- online ordering (add-on)
- delivery management (add-on)
- app integration (plugin)
- self-order kiosks (add-on)
- digital menu board (plugin)
- kds (plugin)
- fidelity (complement)
- gift cards (add-on)
- mobile order takers (add-on)
- multi-location and enterprise management (add-on)
- menu management
- plan and table management
- reports and analysis
- order at the table
- personnel administration
- app integrations
- offline payments
- kitchen display system
- customer-facing screen
- 24/7 support
- qr code menu
- digital menu board (plugin)
- online ordering (add-on)
- gift cards (add-on)
- fidelity (complement)
- reservations (complement)
- self-service kiosk (add-on)
- management of menus and orders
- customer-oriented hardware options
- screen tipping and self-tipping
- order ahead
- order online (included in counter service plan)
- third-party delivery application integration
- discounts and promotions
- mobile loyalty
- physical and digital gift cards
- clover app market
- mobile ordering devices (flexible cloverleaf)
- advanced client interaction (plugin)
- advanced inventory management
- composite products appear in a group and sell goods and services together
- customer profiles
- employee management
- returns, refunds and exchanges
- free barcode scanner app
- reports and analysis
- unlimited products and users
- loyalty program (add-on)
- promotions and gift cards (add-on)
- app integrations, including ecomm (add-on) apps
- multi-location inventory management (add-on)
- api access (plugin)
- easy csv spreadsheets
- downloadable reports
- daily stock alerts
- barcode labels
- item categories
- supplier management
- purchase orders
- multi-location inventory management (for stores with more than one location)
- multi-channel inventory management (for stores that also sell online)
- square:
- $0+/month
- order online for free
- affordable point of sale hardware
- affordable kds
- lightning fast restaurant position:
- $59+ per month
- excellent employee management
- raw ingredient tracking
- detailed report
- toast position:
- $0+ per month
- digital order package
- tableside ordering devices
- strong customer service
- point of sale systems:
- $99+ per month
- strong offline mode
- good for cafes with multiple locations
- open api
- touchbistro:
- $69+ per month
- locally installed system
- multiple processing options
- integrates with the square
- clover position:
- $0+/month
- counterservice plan
- plug-and-play system
- easy to use and configure
- speed of light sale:
- $99+ per month
- strong inventory management
- payment processing options
- use on any device
hardware cost
You can buy an all-in-one square cash register with a point-of-sale display and a customer-facing display with integrated payment acceptance for $799. or you can buy a square stand with a 10.2″ ipad, a swivel mount and a contactless and chip card reader for $498.
payment processing
Payment processing is included at a flat fee of 2.6% + $0.10 for all in-person transactions. there is no option to integrate another payment processor to use with square.
contract requirements/warnings
square has a month-to-month agreement that you can cancel at any time without penalty.
start with square
read our detailed review
See also: How Many Coffee Beans in a Cup of Coffee? Cheat Sheet
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2. restaurant at the speed of light: the best in all aspects
restaurant point at the speed of light
See also: How to make the best cold brew coffee at home
visit the site
read our review
lightspeed restaurant is an innovative yet easy to use pos for ipad that offers many advanced foodservice features at a competitive price.
point of sale price of coffee at the speed of light
lightspeed’s entry-level plan starts at $39/mo if billed annually, and you can do pretty much anything you want, whether you’re running a quick service cafe or a sit-down. coffee.
notable features of the position of coffee at the speed of light
hardware cost
lightspeed ipad pos hardware is based on quotes; you can also get your lightspeed hardware yourself.
payment processing
Payment processing is via ultra-fast payments at a flat rate of 2.6% + $0.10 for all in-person transactions. You also have the option to integrate a third-party payment processor, but there is an additional fee to do so.
contract requirements/warnings
You can use lightspeed restaurant from month to month, although your base price will increase from $10/month to $69/month if your plan is billed monthly. otherwise, the speed of light is an annual commitment.
start with pos restaurant at the speed of light
read our detailed review
See also: How Many Coffee Beans in a Cup of Coffee? Cheat Sheet
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3. toast – best for digital ordering options
after toast
See also: How to make the best cold brew coffee at home
visit the site
read our review
price after cafeteria toast
toast pos was built with small coffee shops and coffee shops in mind, though it can handle full-service coffee shops as well. Android-based POS Toast offers a free starter pack that includes basic POS functionality, cloud-based reporting, menu management, and kitchen operations; paid plans start at $69/month. Toast in particular is highly technologically advanced and offers numerous online and mobile ordering options. These include handheld point-of-sale devices, a customer-facing online ordering app, a mobile-optimized online ordering website, and the ability for on-site dining customers to order and pay from their own phone. .
notable characteristics of roasted coffee pos
hardware cost
You can purchase a toast starter kit that includes the basics you need to get up and running for $799 or add a guest display for another $200. With the pay-as-you-go plan, the starter kit is free (minus the guest screen), but you’ll pay a higher processing fee.
payment processing
Payment processing is included at a flat fee of 2.49% + $0.15 for all in-person transactions on the standard plan or 2.99% + $0.15 on the pay-as-you-go plan. american express cards are processed at a higher rate of 3.29% + $0.15. there is no option to integrate another payment processor to use with toast.
contract requirements/warnings
toast requires a two-year contract and processing agreement. If you want to terminate your contract before the two years are up, you will have to pay a high early termination fee to do so.
start with toast pos
read our detailed review
See also: How Many Coffee Beans in a Cup of Coffee? Cheat Sheet
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4. revel – best for multi-location management
aftermarket systems
See also: How to make the best cold brew coffee at home
visit the site
read our review
revel is an advanced pos for ipad that is exceptionally powerful and wonderfully fast. revel has a patented ipad-ethernet connection option, revel ethernet connect™, which makes the internet connection faster and more stable than wi-fi. If your internet connection fails, revel’s always-on mode allows you to continue placing orders and even process credit card payments offline. With its scalable, modular design and open API, revel can be adapted and expanded to meet the needs of any size business.
revel coffee POS system price
Retail and restaurant point of sale starts at $99/month per terminal, with a minimum of two terminals.
cafe revel pos features
hardware cost
revel’s ipad pos hardware is based on quotes. you also have the option of getting your hardware yourself.
payment processing
revel offers integrated payment processing through the revel advantage at a flat fee of 2.49% + $0.15 for in-person transactions. revel also integrates with several other payment processors and gateways, including moneris, adyen, tyro, usaepay, and freedompay (although you’ll pay a higher monthly price if you use a third-party processor).
contract requirements/warnings
revel requires a long-term contract. to get the lowest price, you’ll also need to sign a multi-year processing contract. at $99/mo/terminal level, revel requires a three-year contract with revel advantage.
start with pos revel systems
read our detailed review
See also: How Many Coffee Beans in a Cup of Coffee? Cheat Sheet
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5. touchbistro: best for rendering options
touchbistro
See also: How to make the best cold brew coffee at home
visit the site
read our review
touchbistro coffee point of sale price
touchbistro ipad pos for restaurants starts at $69/mo. The system is feature rich at an affordable price and integrates with multiple processors and gateways in case you don’t want to use Touchbistro’s internal processor. touchbistro is locally installed software that does not require wifi to work; if you have more than one ipad terminal, your ipad pos data is synced with a local mac server.
features of touchbistro cafe pos
hardware cost
touchbistro ipad pos hardware is based on quotes. you also have the option of getting your hardware yourself.
payment processing
touchbistro offers integrated payment processing through touchbistro payments (powered by chase) at add-on pricing. touchbistro integrates with many other payment processors and gateways including evo, moneris, square, worldpay, tsys, etc.
contract requirements/warnings
touchbistro requires a minimum one year contract. however, contracts can last longer than a year, depending on your processing agreement. For example, Touchbistro currently offers a discounted hardware package that requires a two-year agreement with Touchbistro, as well as a two-year processing agreement with Touchbistro payments.
starts with touchbistro
read our detailed review
See also: How Many Coffee Beans in a Cup of Coffee? Cheat Sheet
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6. clover: best for ease of use
post clover
See also: How to make the best cold brew coffee at home
visit the site
read our review
clover is a unique plug-and-play system that is incredibly easy to set up and get started with minimal training. clover uses proprietary android-based hardware, with features designed for fast service.
point of sale price of clover coffee
Although plans start at $0/month for the minimum POS features, to access the cafe’s POS features, you’ll need the $39.95/month Counter Service plan. >.
notable features of clover cafe position
hardware cost
clover hardware starts at $99 for a mobile reader, but coffee shops that want a full POS setup will need a clover station ($1,349 to $1,649) or at least a clover mini ($749). clover also sells clover flex handheld smart terminals ($499) for mobile payments.
payment processing
clover systems are always sold with a fiserv (formerly first data) merchant account. We recommend purchasing your hardware and clover plan through clover directly, which offers monthly flat rate processing at a fee of 2.3% + $0.10 for in-person transactions (with teller service plan).
contract requirements/warnings
Not all clover retailers offer month-to-month pricing; Many entities that sell clover require long-term contracts with ETFs. Since you cannot purchase hardware yourself, it is important that you purchase clover hardware from a reputable clover merchant service provider.
start with clover pos
read our detailed review
See also: How Many Coffee Beans in a Cup of Coffee? Cheat Sheet
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7. vend: best for retail features
sell at the speed of light
See also: How to make the best cold brew coffee at home
visit the site
read our review
vend by lightspeed is primarily a retail point of sale, but can also work for coffee shops, particularly those that also sell merch or takeout items and need inventory management features.
point of sale price of coffee
Sale plans start at $99/mo and can be run from any device with a web browser, so you don’t have to buy any expensive hardware. another thing i like about vend is that it integrates with the payment processor of your choice at no extra charge. the system is also super easy to use and train new hires.
notable characteristics of post-sale coffee
hardware cost
You can use vend on hardware you already own or buy an ipad or pc bundle from vend. The Pro Hardware Pack includes an iPad, iPad Dock, Barcode Scanner, Receipt Printer, and Cash Register for $1,036.49. The sale also sells star micronics mpop all-in-one cash register and printer bundles with scanner (ipad not included) for $600 and a pc starter kit (pc not included) for $495.
payment processing
vend integrates with several payment processing options, including square, paypal, chase, bluedog, evo, tsys, and others.
contract requirements/warnings
You’ll need to commit for a year to get the lowest retail price: $99/mo on the lite plan or $129/mo on the pro plan. you can use vend month to month, but it will cost you. Monthly billing is an additional $20/mo on the lite plan and another $30/mo on the pro plan.
start selling at the speed of light
read our detailed review
See also: How Many Coffee Beans in a Cup of Coffee? Cheat Sheet
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how we chose the best coffee shop pos systems
Our best coffee shop POS systems have a lot going for them, including a rating of 4 stars or higher on hipster merchants. All of these coffee shop POS systems come with great customer support, affordable pricing, built-in payment processing (either in-house or through third-party integration), and the ability to scale as your business grows. they also include some level of inventory, customer, and employee management, as well as an online ordering module and a built-in loyalty program (in most cases). Finally, most of these coffee POS systems also have optional add-ons for advanced restaurant features such as touch screen kiosks and kitchen display systems.
Like many businesses during the covid-19 pandemic, the point of sale industry had to make rapid and drastic changes to adapt to the needs of its customers. All of these tech-forward POS systems outperform in areas that have become necessities since businesses had to switch in a heartbeat. these include contactless payment options, electronic ordering systems, socially distanced dining features, and an intuitive user interface to easily train new hires during this time of staffing shortages and high employee turnover in restaurants. If you can use an iPad, you can learn any of these pos systems in an afternoon.
how to use your coffee pos system to manage your coffee shop
Having a coffee outlet with inventory management is incredibly important in an industry that thrives on people coming in and out and selling large quantities of your product. If you have a busy store with multiple employees working quickly and checking stock, it’s hard to keep track of everything you have, and the amounts used from day to day can be unpredictable.
Having a point-of-sale system with real-time inventory tracking can be extremely important in ensuring you don’t run out of a crucial ingredient during peak hours. Good cafeteria inventory systems will also provide analysis, tracking (eg item cost efficiency), and sales patterns.
Here are some other things that many POS inventory management systems have that could really help your coffee shop or cafe:
To learn more about managing your cafeteria inventory, I recommend reading his complete guide to restaurant inventory management: how to control costs, reduce waste, and more. more.
which coffee post-sale system is best for you?
As you can see, there are plenty of quality POS systems for cafes to choose from, and you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to get all the features you need. While all of the above POS systems are strong and highly rated, they all shine in different areas. Hopefully, this article has helped simplify the process of choosing the best POS for your coffee shop’s unique needs, whether you’re operating a simple coffee cart, sit-down coffee that also fulfills coffee delivery app orders. third parties or a hybrid business that sells both coffee and merchandise.
Be sure to also check out our post on coffee shop loans if you need help financing your pos or other aspects of your coffee shop business.
See also: Coffee Basics: Our Year-Round Coffees
frequently asked questions: best coffee point of sale systems
in summary: the 7 best coffee point of sale systems
