2023 TouchBistro Review: Best for High-turnover Restaurants

TouchBistro uses iPads exclusively for its POS terminals and peripherals. You can configure iPads as countertop terminals, tableside terminals, or kitchen display system (KDS) screens. You can bring your own compatible iPads that run iOS 12 or later, or purchase through TouchBistro for custom-quoted prices.

Countertop Terminal Kit	Tableside Terminal	Kitchen Display Screen
iPad stand, cash drawer, card reader, and receipt printer	iPad-based handheld order and payment terminal	iPad-based kitchen display system screen
Purchase from TouchBistro

Alongside your POS terminals, you can add advanced features like online ordering and reservations management for a-la-carte prices.

TouchBistro includes built-in payment processing via TouchBistro Payments. But the system also integrates with TSYS, Worldpay, and Square, so you can shop for the lowest processing rates. Outside the US, TouchBistro also integrates with Chase Merchant Services, Moneris (Canada), Barclaycard (UK), and EVO (Mexico).

Payments Integrations (US-only)
Provider	Rates
	In-person payments: 2.6% + 10 cents Online payments: 2.9% + 30 cents Card-not-present payments: 3.5% + 15 cents
	Custom-quoted based on sales volume and card types accepted
	Custom-quoted based on sales volume and card types accepted

TouchBistro includes ingredient-level inventory tracking in the baseline POS, but it is less automated than competitors like Lightspeed Restaurant. To use TouchBistro’s inventory, you’ll need to add all of your bulk ingredients and recipes and tie these to specific menu items. Once this bit of administrative work is done, your TouchBistro POS will update your stock levels in real time as items sell. It will also alert you when stock is running low, so you never forget to reorder. You can export the low stock report as a CSV file and use it to generate purchase orders.

To get started with TouchBistro inventory, you need to manually enter each ingredient from a POS terminal. (Source: TouchBistro)

TouchBistro’s inventory management is ingredient-level, and the food cost and usage reports can help you control costs. However, the platform’s inventory tools require manual updates to stay current.

You’ll need to enter each ingredient from a POS terminal manually; you can’t currently add ingredients in the cloud dashboard or bulk upload them from a spreadsheet. You’ll also need to adjust quantities as new stock arrives manually; you can’t scan invoices to update quantities as with a system like Revel. And you can’t generate purchase orders in the POS as you can with Toast.

That doesn’t mean that these tools are unavailable to TouchBistro users—all you need is a third-party integration. The platform integrates with several third-party inventory tools for all types of food and beverage businesses. There are even specialized options for bars that need to track draft beer programs and keg levels.

TouchBistro includes over 50 built-in reports that track sales, labor, customer behavior, payments, and accounting. You can schedule specific reports to be automatically emailed to you and your management team at the end of a day, week, or month. TouchBistro’s reports are all available on the cloud and update in real time, so you can keep track of your business even when you are out of the restaurant.

TouchBistro reports live in the cloud, so you can view them from any web-enabled device, including smartphones. (Source: TouchBistro)

You can customize each report’s view by filtering the report by date, payment type, sales type, or menu category. All reports can be downloaded as CSV and XLSX files, so you can filter the data or create combined reports for deeper analysis. You can further streamline your operation by connecting your POS to accounting software to save administrative time and reduce human error. However, with TouchBistro, you’ll need to do a little jury-rigging.

You can also get your TouchBistro system to communicate with popular accounting tools Xero, Sage Intacct, and QuickBooks via intermediary plug-ins Shogo or MarginEdge. A Shogo account runs $30 per month for a single location, though the price decreases for additional locations. MarginEdge, on the other hand, runs $300 per month but also includes robust inventory tools.

These fees are in addition to whatever you pay for the accounting software itself. These costs can add up, but if you are running a restaurant with few managers or support staff, it may be money worth spending.

TouchBistro integrations are a little feast or famine. If you want a direct integration for inventory and vendor management, you can choose from seven options, including general-use inventory tools like MarketMan or niche bar industry tools like bevcheck and Freepour. But if you need third-party online ordering platforms or accounting integrations, you’ll need middleman plug-ins, which adds to your costs.

For staff scheduling, you can only integrate with 7Shifts or Push. Considering that TouchBistro does not have scheduling features built into the POS, it would be nice if it included other popular scheduling options like HomeBase, Dolce, or Hotschedules.

But, unlike some competitors, TouchBistro does not charge extra to add a pre-built integration. If the two systems are compatible, all you’ll pay are the subscription fees for the partner service. There are no integration fees from TouchBistro.

For an additional $50 per month, TouchBistro users can add the online ordering module. This built-in module allows your customers to place orders via an “order now” widget on your website that redirects them to your online menu on TBDine.com. You can also send this link to customers via email and link it on your social media accounts. You have the option to accept orders for delivery or pick-up, with online payments or payment at pick-up, and to be ready as soon as possible. You can also schedule future orders.

With TouchBistro’s Online Ordering, you choose what type of orders your customers can place and how far in advance they can place them. (Source: TouchBistro)

TouchBistro Online ordering syncs directly with TouchBistro’s Loyalty module, so you can reward your regular customers even online. For orders that are placed in advance (for pick-up the next day, for example), you can set your POS to only print the kitchen ticket in time to prepare the order rather than at the time the order is placed. You can also choose to accept or decline online orders as they show up in your POS and send cancellation messages if your kitchen is backed up or you have run out of stock.

In addition to TouchBistro’s built-in online ordering tools, the system integrates with aggregating apps to feed third-party platform orders directly into your POS. However, TouchBistro does not integrate directly with popular third-party ordering and delivery platforms like GrubHub and UberEats.

If you use those platforms and want those online orders to appear directly in your TouchBistro orderstream, you’ll need to use an ordering aggregator like Deliverect. These have their own monthly fees, alongside any commissions or fees you’ll pay for using the third-party platforms themselves.

TouchBistro’s Loyalty and Rewards modules are streamlined and dynamic, so customers can enroll easily at checkout. Loyalty profiles are tracked by phone number or email address, so you don’t have to track special loyalty numbers or distribute cards. TouchBistro Loyalty is an add-on to the baseline POS, offered at $99 per month. This module integrates with other POS functions, like online ordering, to reward your loyal customers wherever they order. Multilocation restaurants can decide to apply rewards at all locations or only specific ones.

TouchBistro’s Loyalty tool is incredibly customizable, letting you choose when and how to reward loyal customers. (Source: TouchBistro)

You can customize reward settings in the POS cloud dashboard. Choose whether to reward customers for each dollar spent, offer a specific item as a reward, or apply a dollar or percentage discount. Customer accounts are tracked by phone number or email, so customers never have to remember a loyalty card or special number. You can create categories for regulars, recent visitors, or guests who like beer. Then create custom email promotions to those groups or by customers’ birthdays, number of visits, or average spend.

TouchBistro is one of the only cloud POS systems that supports a built-in reservations module. This tool is priced at $229 per month. This sounds steep, but it is in line with what systems like Resy ($249–$899), OpenTable ($249–$449), and Yelp Guest Manager ($249–$299) cost. You can accept reservations over the phone, in person, or online.

You can also require a credit card to secure reservations and send custom email messages to reserved guests to alert them to cancellation fees or parking instructions. To process no-show or cancellation fees, you’ll need a Stripe account (in addition to whatever processor you use for your POS).