Clover POS vs Toast: In today’s rapidly evolving restaurant industry, it is essential to select a reliable and efficient Point of Sale (POS) system.
Clover POS and Toast are two of the most popular restaurant platforms. Although both are designed to meet the specific needs of restaurant operations, they have some differences.
In this blog, we have a detailed comparison of Clover POS and Toast. We will discuss the details of each system so you can make an informed decision for your restaurant business.
Clover POS is a platform designed for smooth operations and to improve customer experiences in various industries like restaurants, retail, and service-based businesses.
The Clover POS is created by First Data (now Fiserv) and comes with various hardware options, including countertop stations, mobile devices, and handheld terminals. Its powerful software is integrated with the hardware to provide a robust and versatile system.
Here are a few features of Clover POS
Clover is a user-friendly system simplifying order-taking, payment processing, and inventory management tasks. It has a customizable layout that allows businesses to tailor the plan to their specific needs.
Clover offers a variety of payment options, such as credit/debit cards, mobile payments, and contactless transactions. This ensures that both customers and merchants can easily and securely complete transactions.
Clover’s inventory management features help businesses keep track of their stock levels in real-time, receive stock alerts, and easily change items. This feature helps companies to optimize their inventory levels and avoid running out of stock.
Clover helps businesses manage orders efficiently across various platforms, from tableside ordering to online order integration. The kitchen display system (KDS) enhances front-of-house and kitchen staff communication, reducing errors and improving order accuracy.
Clover’s comprehensive reporting tools provide valuable insights into sales trends, employee performance, and customer behavior. These analytics allow businesses to make data-based decisions and optimize their operations.
Clover has customer relationship management (CRM) features that allow businesses to gather customer data, execute focused marketing campaigns, and establish loyalty programs to encourage customer retention.
Toast is a point-of-sale system that helps restaurants manage their operations and grow their business. It was launched in 2013 and has become popular among restaurants of all sizes.
Toast offers a variety of tools to help streamline operations and achieve growth. Since it’s cloud-based, it allows for easy access to data and a more efficient way of running a restaurant.
Here are a few key features of Toast
Toast’s handheld devices empower servers to take orders and process payments directly at the table, enhancing efficiency and improving the overall dining experience for customers.
Toast makes it easy for restaurants to create and customize menus. Running special promotions is simple and hassle-free with Toast, updating items, and changing prices. The user-friendly interface and menus can be updated quickly, ensuring accuracy and consistency across all channels.
Restaurants can effectively manage their inventory levels, minimize waste, and avoid shortages with the help of Toast. Real-time inventory tracking and automated alerts help restaurants keep track of their stock levels. Toast’s solution makes it easy to manage inventory and procurement, reducing waste and saving time.
Toast provides various reporting tools that give restaurant owners insights into their sales performance, labor costs, and menu profitability. These tools allow restaurant owners to customize their reports to monitor the key metrics that matter most to them.
By analyzing this data, restaurant owners can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to optimize their operations.
Toast simplifies staff management, from scheduling and tracking labor costs to evaluations and payroll processing. Employees can swap shifts and request time off using the employee-facing features, which promote transparency and accountability.
Toast’s integrated online ordering platform enables restaurants to accept orders through their website or mobile app. The seamless integration with third-party delivery services streamlines order fulfillment and enhances customer convenience.
Let’s compare Clover POS and Toast across several essential criteria.
Clover POS and Toast are known for their user-friendly interfaces, but Clover’s customizable layout may offer slightly more flexibility in adapting to specific workflows.
However, Toast’s focus on the restaurant industry means that its features are finely tuned to meet the needs of food service establishments.
Clover POS and Toast have varying prices that depend on different factors, such as the business size, the number of terminals needed, and additional features selected.
Both platforms offer explicit pricing models, but businesses should assess their needs and compare pricing plans to identify the most cost-effective solution.
Businesses can select the hardware setup that best fulfills their needs from Clover POS’s various options. These include countertop stations, mobile devices, and handheld terminals.
Toast’s focus is on restaurant-specific Android-based terminals and handheld devices.
Businesses using Clover and Toast can accept payments through multiple methods, such as credit and debit cards, mobile payments, and contactless transactions.
However, businesses should assess payment processing capabilities based on processing fees, transaction speeds, and compatibility with existing payment infrastructure.
Clover and Toast have strong integration capabilities that allow businesses to link their POS system with other software solutions like accounting software, payroll systems, and online ordering platforms, allowing for seamless connectivity.
Moreover, these systems are scalable and can grow with businesses, adapting to changing requirements.
Clover and Toast offer customer support services through phone, email, and live chat. Their support teams are dedicated to helping users with setup, troubleshooting, and technical assistance.
However, the quality of customer support may vary depending on the speed of response and availability of resources.
Both Clover POS and Toast offer robust POS solutions for restaurants. Clover provides more hardware options and customization, but Toast specializes in restaurants and has features specifically designed to meet the industry’s needs.
In conclusion, both options are great for restaurants, and it comes down to what you value more: flexibility or specialized features.
The choice between Clover POS and Toast will depend on factors such as the specific needs of your business, budget considerations, and desired features.
By carefully evaluating the critical differences outlined in this comparison, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals and objectives.
If you want to learn more about Clover POS, contact our Sales team at +1 855 737 1469 or email [email protected].
Reach out to us today to talk about how we can turn your software vision into a reality.