2023 Rezku POS Review: Affordable, iPad Restaurant POS
Meaghan has provided content and guidance for indie retailers as the editor for a number of retail publications and a speaker at trade shows. She is Fit Small Business’s authority on retail and ecommerce.
With more than a decade of hospitality experience, Mary has worked in some of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. Her expertise is featured across Fit Small Business in restaurant, retail, and starting a business content.
This article is part of a larger series on POS Systems.
In our ranking of the best iPad POS systems, Rezku earned a 3.95 out of 5, placing fifth overall. It also earned the second spot on our ranking ghost kitchen POS systems, with a score of 4.30 out of 5. Our Rezku POS review found that this affordable iPad point of sale (POS) has been making big moves in the restaurant industry over the past two years and is increasingly becoming a system to watch.
Overall Score:
3.95 / 5
Pros
- Baseline POS subscription is free
- Built-in payment processing rates are low
- Baseline POS includes loyalty, gift cards, and other features that others charge extra for
Cons
- Two-year contracts are standard
- Customer support is not 24/7
- Reporting and inventory have limitations
When to Use Rezku:
- Ghost or cloud kitchens
- Restaurants that need an affordable, all-in-one iPad POS
- Restaurants that want cash discounting tools
When to Use an Alternative:
- Your menu has complex modifiers (like pizza shops)
- You need a retail POS
- You need advanced inventory functions
Rezku is great for restaurants switching from a cash register or cash-only operation. It is also a perfect fit for food and beverage businesses that want to expand into online ordering and customer loyalty without breaking the bank. Rezku includes cash discounting tools that enable small restaurants to offset the costs of payment processing by passing credit card fees on to their customers.
But if locking yourself in the back office and drilling into reports is your favorite pastime, you’ll find Rezku’s reporting functions limiting. This is also still a young system. Even with lots of positive reviews for customer support, it might be too soon to build a restaurant empire on it. Rezku’s subscriptions also require the use of its native payment processor. If you have a preferred payment processor, then you may be better served with a POS system that allows you to bring your own.
Rezku Deciding Factors
Supported Business Types | Food and Beverage Quick service restaurants, full-service restaurants, bars, food trucks |
Standout Features |
|
Monthly Software Fees | Very Competitive
|
Setup and Installation Fees | $0 |
Contract Length | Long Two years |
Payment Processing Options | Limited Rezku Payments |
Payment Processing Fees | Low; Very Competitive From 1.99% + 15 cents |
Customer Support | Sun–Mon: 6:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Pacific time Tues–Sat: 24 hours |
Rezku POS Alternatives
Best for | Monthly software fees | In-person processing fees | Learn more | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Short-term contracts | $0–$60+ | 2.6% + 10 cents | |
 | Advanced reporting and inventory | $69–$399+ | Lightspeed Payments 2.6% + 10 cents (other processors available) | |
 | Industry-grade hardware and low upfront cost | $0–$165+ | From 2.49% + 15 cents |
Not seeing what you need? Check out our guide to the best POS systems for small businesses to find the tool that’s right for you.
Rezku’s pricing is transparent but changes frequently. Rezku currently offers its POS at two subscription tiers, Silver ($0 monthly) and Gold ($99 monthly). The only difference between the two is the number of supported terminals. Silver only covers up to two terminals, while Gold covers unlimited terminals. Both systems include several functions (listed in the table below) that other POS brands charge extra for.
Over the past year, Rezku has updated its pricing several times. Initially, it offered a single subscription level at $49 per month, then switched to three separate tiers ($0, $99, and custom-quoted).
Rezku Pricing Plans
Silver | Gold | |
|---|---|---|
Monthly software fees | $0 for up to 2 terminals | $99 for unlimited terminals |
Includes | Online ordering Delivery Management Phone ordering with caller ID Coupons Inventory tracking Loyalty Gift cards | |
Optional Add-ons | Custom Restaurant app ($149/month) Order Ready SMS texting ($89/month) Multi-location management ($129/month) Doordash Drive integration ($39 / month) | |
Payment Processing | From 1.99% + 15 cents for in-person payments | |
The pricing listed here is the price as of this writing. But be sure to check with Rezku directly for current pricing; it can (and seemingly does) change at any time, based on Rezku’s sole discretion.
Rezku lost some points on pricing because you are locked into Rezku Payments. Though the rates are competitive, you can’t shop for alternatives.
Like a lot of cloud POS systems, Rezku was designed to operate on iPads and iPad Minis, which keeps the system flexible and affordable. You bring your own compatible iPads (generation 6 or later) and purchase rugged tablet cases and terminal stands from Rezku. Printers are the industry standard Epson and StarMicronics options, and card readers are built into terminal stands.
Rezku Simplicity | Rezku Stationary POS | Rezku Ready Terminal |
|---|---|---|
 |  |  |
$548 | $687 | $797 (iPad); $847 (iPad mini) |
Adjustable angle iPad stand with countertop EMV tap, swipe, and dip card reader | 10.2 inch iPad case with integrated EMV swipe, dip, and tap card reader | Handheld, card reader-enabled POS case for iPad or iPad mini devices |
Rezku easily converts to a mobile POS and offers affordable, built-in payment processing that includes gift cards. Rezku has a fully mobile configuration option for businesses like food trucks and offers a streamlined handheld POS terminal that operates on both iPad and iPad mini devices for on-site tableside and curbside service.
For payment processing, users are locked into Rezku Payments. The published rates start at an affordable 1.99% plus 15 cents for in-person payments. This is lower than most restaurant POS systems on the market. But keep in mind, that is the starting price; your final rates may vary based on your card mix and sales volume. You’ll need to contact Rezku for a full quote.
With cash discounting enabled, the discount price shows up as a line item on receipts whether customers pay with cash or card. (Source: Rezku)
While we’re talking about payments, we should also mention Rezku’s built-in cash discounting setting. With the cash discount enabled, the POS builds in a discount for customers that pay cash. This enables you to offset the cost of card processing by incentivizing customers to pay in cash. Unlike most every cloud POS on the market, Rezku includes gift card processing tools for no additional fees.
You can design custom, swipeable loyalty cards via Rezku.
(Source: Rezku)
Rezku is an all-in-one cloud POS and includes many features in its baseline system that competitors charge more for. Like competitors Square and Toast, Rezku’s baseline POS subscription is free.
The baseline subscription includes:
- Online ordering
- Custom floorplans
- Credit card pre-authorized bar tabs
- Course and seat management
- Forced and unforced modifiers
- Ingredient-level inventory
- Caller ID for phone orders
- Loyalty
- Promotions
- QR code ordering
- Employee time management
- Staff and shift reporting
Rezku’s online ordering is included in all subscriptions. For a free tool, it is incredibly comprehensive. With online ordering, your restaurant’s menu is posted online, allowing customers to place orders for pick-up or delivery. Your custom online ordering URL is included in your Rezku subscription; there are no additional web hosting fees to pay. Online payments are secure and include gift cards alongside credit and debit cards. Back-office settings let you control the pace of online orders so you don’t overwhelm your kitchen.
Rezku’s online ordering website is easy to set up and syncs with your POS in real time. (Source: Rezku)
Restaurants that manage in-house drivers can set a delivery range in the POS and add custom delivery fees. You can assign orders to in-house drivers through the POS, but Rezku does not support tools for full driver dispatch and route management. You’ll need to route your drivers manually or run dispatch operations through a non-integrated third-party tool like Tookan.
Alternatively, for $39 per month you can hail third-party drivers on demand via an integration with Doordash Drive. This fee is in addition to the per-delivery fee Doordash charges, which varies based on the distance from your restaurant.
If you use third-party platforms for both ordering and delivery, you’ll need an integration to plug these orders into your POS orderstream. Rezku integrates with ItsaCheckmate to organize third-party orders. This integration comes with its own fees ($85 to $100 monthly) in addition to the fees you pay to the third-party platforms themselves.
Rezku includes loyalty and robust customer management functions in its baseline POS. You can track loyal customers by their phone numbers or design and distribute custom-branded, swipeable rewards cards. You can run unlimited coupons and create promotions and track their performance. The system also logs which staff member processes each discount or coupon to ensure that none of your staff are over-discounting.
Rezku’s customizable email templates make it easy to send professional-looking email offers. (Source: Rezku)
You can create filtered lists of customers based on birthdays, anniversaries, or number of visits. Then use included templates to send custom promotions and discount emails to drive future business. This is a great tool for small restaurants that want to increase their customer retention efforts without breaking the bank.
Rezku’s reporting and back-office tools are similar to those of competitor TouchBistro—and that’s not a bad thing. Both systems support a wide range of built-in reports that show your restaurant’s performance with vivid charts. Both systems also include ingredient-level inventory in the baseline POS and both systems require a similar amount of manual data entry.
Rezku’s report interface is slightly easier to navigate than TouchBistro’s. You get all the basic reports for sales, comps, voids, discounts, close of shift, and close of day. You’ll also get low stock reports and reports that show the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns (both modules are included in the baseline POS).
Rezku’s pre-built reports pre-analyze data to create easy-to-read charts and graphs. (Source: Rezku)
The cloud-based manager dashboard is easy to navigate. A sidebar menu allows you to move between different built-in reports. The reports themselves have all the information you need, but these are not as customizable as systems like Lightspeed Restaurant or Toast. Depending on your operational style, you may still need to cobble together information from several reports to create your best-fitting end-of-day manager snapshot.
You can access the manager dashboard directly through the POS terminals for flash reports on sales and labor, as well as to print end-of-shift and end-of-day reports. Reports can be exported from the dashboard in XLS, CSV, and PDF files.
The Rezku Manager smartphone reporting shows your sales, labor costs, and other data in real time. (Source: Rezku)
Rezku users can also access reports via a smartphone app—Rezku Manager—to keep track of the restaurant’s key performance indicators in real time from anywhere. This is especially useful for owners and managers of multilocation restaurants.
Rezku includes basic ingredient-level inventory in the baseline POS, but it requires manual data entry to keep updated. This won’t overwhelm small restaurants or those with streamlined menus, but larger restaurants with frequently changing menus will want to add an integration to get some time-saving tools. Like Rezku’s reporting tools, the inventory module reminds us a lot of competitor TouchBistro.
You can update inventory quantities in the Rezku POS or the back office. (Source: Rezku)
You can tie ingredients to recipes to keep track of your supplies in real time as items are sold. The system will send you an email when supplies are low so you don’t forget to place orders. But, if you want to place orders with vendors and manage purchase orders directly through the POS, you’ll need to add a third-party integration with Yellow Dog.
Rezku includes advanced timeclock features that prevent buddy punching and streamline payroll processes, but you’ll need a separate schedule builder. As with most POS systems, your employees can clock in directly on the Rezku POS. Unlike competitors, however, Rezku captures a photograph at clock-in, so staff members cannot clock in for one another.
Rezku logs employee hours and pay rates for easy payroll processing. (Source: Rezku)
You can grant your bookkeeper or payroll administrator remote access to your employee time cards so they can run payroll independently. The system does not have a built-in schedule builder, though. To get integrated scheduling, you’ll need to add an integration with 7Shifts ($0 to $150+ monthly).
Rezku is an affordable starter POS for small and growing restaurants that want an iPad POS. The all-in-one software that includes everything from employee timekeeping to gift cards is easy to understand and implement. You don’t have to wonder if a feature is included, it’s pretty much all there. And the customer service is definitely responsive. We never waited more than a minute for a response from a live agent, no matter what time of day we reached out.
That said, one of the few things Rezku charges extra for is multilocation management. Considering it has so few add-on charges, this is an understandable place to draw the line, but multilocation restaurant groups can get more automated, expansive tools from a larger footprint POS like Toast or Revel.
Most available reviews rate Rezku positively, but most are a few years old. Users give the customer service team exceptionally high marks for response time and friendliness. And many users are happy with the system’s low cost.
Negative user reviews tend to mention granular issues, like changes to the offline mode that require extra steps to process payments or being unable to cancel a two-year contract after their business unexpectedly closed. But overall, customers only mention positives, like the responsive customer support and how Rezku has helped streamline their business.
- Capterra: Rezku earns a rating of 4.5 out of 5 based on 15+ reviews.
- POS USA: Rezku is its No. 5 overall restaurant POS system, and it awards the system a rating of 9 out of 10.
- Finances Online: Rezku earned Great User Experience and a Rising Star award for 2018. The system earned a rating of 8 out of 10.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | Software updates can sometimes alter favorite features |
| Responsive customer service | Two-year contract cannot be easily canceled if business closes |
| Competitive price | Few pre-built integrations |
| Robust offline mode | |
Methodology– How We Evaluated
We score iPad restaurant POS systems based on what’s important to small, independent restaurants. Each system is evaluated for price, mobility and payment processing features, front-of-house tools, and back-of-house and back-office functionality. We also consider our retail and restaurant experts’ evaluations of each tool, alongside available user reviews.
Click through the box below for our specific evaluation criteria:
20%
Pricing
20%
Mobility and Payment Processing
20%
Front-of-house Tools
20%
Back-of-house and Office Tools
20%
Expert Score
20% of Overall Score
We looked for inexpensive systems that didn’t limit the number of users on a terminal. Also, we gave favor to any with a free plan and month-to-month contracts. Square, with its free POS, earned a perfect score.
20% of Overall Score
POS systems with integrated payment processing earned extra points, but regardless, all the POS systems on our list process credit cards and contactless payments. Most had an offline mode to allow you to record payments to process when you were back on the internet. All scored 4.0 and up.
20% of Overall Score
We considered table mapping, order taking that allowed modifications, loyalty programs, and gift cards in addition to standard order-and-pay functions. Lavu had a near-perfect score with 4.81 out of 5.
20% of Overall Score
20% of Overall Score
We gave our own score based on the features and functionality vs price and looked at real-user reviews on reputable sites like Capterra and G2. Only Square earned a perfect score here.
*Percentages of overall score
Rezku Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who should use Rezku?
Rezku is a great entry-level POS for small restaurants, especially those switching from a cash register or cash-only operation. It is also a perfect fit for food and beverage businesses that want to expand into online ordering and customer loyalty without breaking the bank.
In particular, we recommend Rezku for small restaurants converting from cash-only operations. Rezku includes cash discounting tools that enable small restaurants to offset the costs of payment processing by passing credit card fees on to their customers. Rezku is also good for mobile food businesses like food trucks since it is a highly mobile system that includes loyalty and marketing in the baseline, free POS.
When should I use a Rezku alternative?
If you need granular analytics, advanced payroll functions, driver dispatch or multilocation management tools, you’re better off with a more established POS like Toast or Revel. If you need short-term contracts for a seasonal restaurant, Square is a better fit. If you want to shop for processing rates, Rezku is also not a fit. Try Lightspeed Restaurant, TouchBistro, or Revel instead.
Bottom Line
Rezku is a streamlined, cost-effective bar and restaurant POS. Its built-in reporting, strong offline functionality, and mobile terminals also make it a good fit for food trucks. With online ordering, loyalty, and inventory built into the baseline software subscription, Rezku is great for small restaurants that want to streamline their operations. To get a more in-depth look at its full functions, contact Rezku for a full demo.
