Likelihood to Recommend Aloha POS is well suited for any kind of full-service restaurant, from high volume establishments to low volume, intimate fine dining settings. The universality to the system makes it an asset for any operation. I don't see much need for Aloha POS when it comes to fast casual, or fast food establishments, as Aloha POS is geared more toward constant communication and planning between the front of house service and back of house prep. For counter service, I believe this would be underutilized, and these establishments would be fine with a simpler service.
Read full review For restaurants it's great, and that's the only scenario I'm really use to seeing it. However I do have to say that during Christmas time, our city has a craft bizarre where local artists are featured and sell their wares, and this Bizarre was using Toast POS. Therefore, I think it can really span across all avenues. It's great because of how it categorizes menus, and how you can run reports like a p-mix to see your top sellers, and bottom sellers, etc. The more I think of it, now, really any business that sells something and needs to track those sales, could use this POS. A tire store? Sure. A hat shop? Absolutely. The great thing about Toast is that it is just SO customizable! You can even make the buttons different colors, that's how customizable it is. Lastly, the ability to sell online has been a game-changer. I wish there was a little bit better formatting for online ordering, but really, you can add pictures, descriptions, modifiers, use discount codes, and accept gift cards all online. We didn't have to build out an online store, we just had to build out our menu buttons and we were all set.
Read full review Pros Extremely user-friendly. The layout and simplicity of the program made for fast, accurate transactions. This was an easy system to learn for all of our users and made training a much more streamlined process. Versatility - even in the largest of transactions, my options for payment were wide-ranging (from charging to house accounts to accepting check, cash, or card). My ability to update price keys and users was extremely helpful where other systems have proven to be difficult to navigate. Great support. As we transitioned to newer versions of Aloha, we always had a great line of communication with customer support, and fast, friendly service. Read full review The ability for guest to select a receipt type. Allowing to enter in different types of orders (current in-store orders, future orders, house account orders, and more). The convenience of touch screen use and strong calibration. Ability to swivel tablet from employee to guest. Read full review Cons Sometimes you need tech support to help add or delete tabs. The programs are always growing and updating so sometimes you need assistance. The tech support isn't always available or takes time for them to respond. Read full review Though sales details are available in real time, the analytics take 2-3 days to post. So if you are looking for specific modifications you'll have to wait. Though you can edit the menus directly from the devices and move them around like you do on a smartphone, it doesn't give you a sorting option. If you're OCD like me, you have to alphabetize my hand. Read full review Likelihood to Renew There are many features I wish Toast had that it currently does not, but we are likely to renew this year because given Toast's recent increase in funding and expanding of their staff, we are hopeful some of these issues will finally be resolved in 2019. Plus, though I've never done it, I'd imagine that switching to another POS system would take a ton of time, money, and resources---things most businesses don't have a lot of. So we'll sit tight with Toast for now and see what they come up with this year in terms of fixing our biggest pain-points.
Read full review Usability Overall, Aloha POS's usability is phenomenal. The interface is extremely easy to navigate through. All buttons and tabs are easy to add or delete. Having a piece of software that is easy to toggle through creates a much more efficient workplace. I love the ease of use. A brand new employee can jump right into the system and use it with no issues.
Read full review Toast POS is a great basic POS tool, having some features I didn't think would be possible at this price point, such as:
processing CC payments in "offline mode" in case there is an internet outage kitchen display screens collecting payment from customers using a handheld right at their table pre-approving card payments to assure the customer has enough money to pay for their order, etc That being said, I still feel that Toast misses the mark on some things that I truly would consider 'common-sense' features, such as:
providing hardware that connects the Register Screen (Elo) to the Cash drawer so it doesn't fall off the table when flipped over for customer signature accepting physical and e-gift cards as payment on their own online ordering platform (ToastOO) a Rewards Program that allows for online enrollment, rather than holding up quick-serve lines to sign up a Promo code feature that allows you to add basic restrictions such as Limit 1 per customer, or date/time limitations increasing in-store operations efficiency by creating more straight-forward ways to manage restaurant/ToastOO hours, and Delivery/Takeout quote estimates Facing these issues after 3+ years has been a frustration. We hope Toast has some solutions in mind that they will be implementing in 2019.
Read full review Support Rating There were a lot of instances where I had to call back or a problem wasn't resolved, specifically with Aloha loyalty.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Aloha is much better than
Revel and MICROS.
Revel is not set up to handle very large volume of transactions & use. Aloha has many more features than the other two, with more thorough reports, etc. I personally have used ALOHA at several restaurants through the years, but I have never been a part of the implementation process.
Read full review Toast is so much easier to use than Breadcrumb. The display is so much easier to navigate. The card readers are more quality with Toast. Chownow was hard because it had its own printer, different than our kitchen printer, for to go orders, but now with Toast's all in one ordering we get the to go orders sent to the kitchen with the same ease as if they were getting fired from the main floor.
Read full review Return on Investment Through reprint, we were able to identify an issue around drink sales and create a plan to increase them. We were able to speed up the check-out process, allowing us to move people through faster. Read full review I wish there are a way to permanently delete items from the database instead of just archiving I wish there was a way to remove old locations that are no longer in use for my company completely from view. The system overall is easy to navigate and make changes to. Read full review ScreenShots