Aldelo POS vs. PAR POS

Aldelo POS is great for small to midsize single location restaurants. Unless you go with the cloud model you're limited to that. Aldelo is great for limited menus and places that do not track inventory in their POS. Once you go with a very large menu, be prepared to spend a lot of time getting it entered and working properly! Multiple stations are no problem and it runs well on older hardware too. Overall, a pretty solid system!

Incentivized

Brink just needs to continue to develop its technology for the every-changing industry.

Incentivized

• Reports: Live up to the minute data is something that any restaurant manager/owner wants. Aldelo does this well.
• Backend store setup (for techs like me) is very easy once you know the system. Setting up the peripherals, station-specific settings and the like - all very easy and intuitive
• Support: calling into support has always been a great experience, and perhaps the biggest sell point. I've even received help with expired support contracts. Their team is always at the ready to login or just offer the right advice driven solutions for the current support needs. Great job here!

Incentivized

• Brink has a simple interface for the team to use in their day to day.
• Brink is mostly simple to reconfigure to our needs in the field.

Incentivized

• Credit cards: we've all seen it with the EV revolution. Once that happened, using whatever merchant/payment processor went out the window. Aldelo - to my knowledge - only integrates directly with 4 processors. They need to add a lot more than that IMHO!
• Menu setup/rollout: this can test even the most talented veterans. Depending on the menu and the modifiers - this can go easy or be an outright nightmare to setup. A more intuitive process is direly needed here.
• Inventory: Well, none of my clients use it. Make it a value addon? Just get rid of it and leave to another solution? Inventory is a job I and of itself. Most restaurants I've dealt with are way too busy and shorthanded to do this properly anyway.

Incentivized

• Brink could update its hardware to the sign of the times with guest interactive POS.
• Appears clunky at times with its processes and steps.
• Brink needs to be able to edit it reporting features to get the desired result for time clock compliance especially in CA with Meal Break Laws.
• Brink needs to integrate its time clock process in CA, for a team member to accept or decline time clock edits and to waive a mandatory break.
• Brink needs better integration with KDS systems to do exactly what we need it to do as our business model develops into the future.

Incentivized

I believe Brink has been very responsive to our needs and requests

Incentivized

From the list above Aloha POS would be the closest to a restaurant POS, it's actually a very good one. As with any software, it does the same basic things, and in all likeliness, this has improved as a platform. It's been a while since I used it, so I don't want to provide out of date info. I listed Counterpoint because I currently manage a busy retail store that uses CP and they are opening a second location that will add bar and restaurant-style services to the CP system. That said, CP is retail first but looks like it will handle the restaurant/bar side of things nicely. Hard to recommend this solution for anyone other than high (HIGH!) end retailers as the upfront and overtime costs can be big. I wouldn't recommend for restaurants.

Incentivized

I inherited Brink and it works for us for now. But as we grow in CA and other markets, Brink maybe becomes a challenge with time record compliance and the ability to perform up to expectations with KDS systems.

Incentivized

• Never been a loss to invest in Aldelo. It pays for itself very fast (software licensing).
• If you do the hardware right it can get expensive and take a little longer to see the ROI. All in one touchscreens are pricey, especially for the better brands. The peripherals are specific too: thermal printers, specialized impact printers for the kitchen, etc. They all add up quickly.
• The ability to monitor sales and adjust menus accordingly has to be priceless to an owner.

Incentivized

• Positive impact on its simplicity with our growth and ability to teach and transform our business.
• Negative impact on the business with time clock compliance in CA. We need more functionality for the Team Member experience in time clock management.

Incentivized