If looking for a point-of-sale system to help in running restaurant operations, then TouchBistro would be impeccable.
The software has a design to improve restaurant operations so that owners can focus on what matters- selling their cuisines. It simplifies the act of doing business and cuts on unnecessary costs.
TouchBistro is an iPad POS system designed specifically for restaurants and all types of eateries. The POS began in Toronto, Canada, in 2010. It intended to help grow sales, improve the guest experience, and help inform critical business decisions.
TouchBistro has won several competitive awards, among them being the 2016 New York Design Awards and Best Restaurant POS for 2019.
The usage of the POS has grown over the years, with more than 100 countries currently using it. Globally, there are over 3000 restaurants and eateries utilizing the software.
The TouchBistro POS is an ultimate solution for the restaurant and food business. It integrates well with different Apps, including Accounting software and an array of payment solutions.
TouchBistro Features
Payment Processing
The goal of any business is to have a safe and reliable payment processing method that suits its needs. TouchBistro has a unique and customizable feature that provides customers with tons of choices when it comes to making payments.
The feature also allows merchants to choose from a wide range of processors, depending on what is most convenient for the business.
TouchBistro accepts all card payments such as Apple, Samsung, and Google Pay platforms. The modes are secure and fast, giving both the customers and managers flexibility, handiness, and freedom.
Tableside Ordering
Restaurants can be bustling, especially during rush hours. Most customers want to quickly come in and get served without delays or long waits.
TouchBistro POS has made it easy, accurate, and quick for attendants to take orders and reflect the order requests to the kitchen staff at an instant.
Therefore, attendants no longer have to spend a lot of energy and time moving from one place to another to place orders. The service experience for the guests has dramatically improved thanks to this feature.
Adjusting the menu has also been simplified and takes less time. Customers become more regular, and profit margins increased.
Kitchen & Customer Display System
Back-of-the-house operations can be challenging to manage, given how busy kitchens can be during rush hours. TouchBistro provides a kitchen display system that syncs information allowing secure communication and increased efficiency.
Through the system, the time spent on preparing meals is measured to avoid delays and long waits for the customers.
The customer display system is useful for customers to view and confirm billed amounts hence minimizing errors that could occur during busy hours. Both displays are specific to the user’s liking.
Employee Management and Development
Most managers usually have large tasks in their day to day activities. One of the functions that can be hectic is staff scheduling and management.
Restaurant staff often work on shifts and rotation, making it even harder and more tasking for the managers to keep tabs.
TouchBistro recognizes this task and has made it less difficult for the managers through the staff management feature. Through the feature, merchants can track staff activities, performance, review labor costs, communicate efficiently, and plan shifts within no time.
Restricting accessibility to specific functions is quickly done through provisions for PINs.
The system, therefore, records what each staff does in the firm. The feature takes cognition of the fact that staff members determine customer experience. It is hence a smart component that is a must-have for all restaurateurs.
Customer Management
The backbone of any business is the customer. The goal for any restaurant is, therefore, to always grow its customer base by providing quality food products and exceptional customer experience. TouchBistro has an excellent customer management tool.
The feature allows the merchants to interact directly with their customers in a friendly manner. Creating guest loyalty takes more than just service; it requires consistency, follows up, incentives, and constant communication. The feature enables restaurants to create guest accounts in their systems.
The guest account provides a profile of the customer contacts, favorites, purchase history, personal preferences, and discounts/bonuses offered. It purposes to award customer loyalty and improve overall customer experience through feedback accorded.
Inventory Management
Running out of inventory in the middle of a busy day at an eatery can be a significant drawback. Restaurants using TouchBistro are, however, unlikely to have stock-outs due to the inventory function. The feature allows secure and up-to-date tracking of supplies.
Notifications get to you whenever there are low stocks on any ingredients allowing for ample time to purchase from the most affordable vendors. The feature also allows managers to keep track of fast-moving items and scrap off the slow-moving items from the menus.
Costing is made easy and precise. Within a click of a button, the procurement team can contact vendors with a list of inventories to you needed in a convenient, fast, and organized manner.
Reporting & Analytics
Usually, managers spend a lot of time developing and analyzing reports manually. It is, however, different from TouchBistro, which has simplified report writing and analysis. Through its tool, labor costs significantly reduced as restaurants do not have to do a lot of bookkeeping.
TouchBistro automatically generates detailed reports and analysis that are easy to interpret for decision making. The data reports provide great insights on business progress and profit margins.
The feature is customizable, allowing merchants to access reports either daily, weekly, or monthly depending on their preference. Besides, the TouchBistro iPad empowers managers to access the data reports from any location at whatever time. That way, managers have greater control over their business entities.
User Support
TouchBistro has a reliable customer support system that is always available to provide help as needed. Over the years, the POS has won several awards on customer service. The company thrives on improving its user experience by incorporating customer feedback continually.
The POS provides tutorials and troubleshooting manuals to empower its users to solve any underlying system problems that may occur.
Merchants can easily reach the customer care through the phone, sending emails, live chats, or the company website. Overall, TouchBistro is simple to use and has fewer hitches and system downtimes.
Offline Mode
Unlike most POS systems, TouchBistro does not necessarily require the internet for it to function. The system uses a router or server and continues to operate even with internet downtime or loss.
Restaurant Table Management
TouchBistro comes with an in-built table management function that works well, especially for busy restaurants. The feature allows the managers to make floor plans and table arrangements as per the needs of the customers.
For example, if there is an event that requires tables arranged in a certain way, the feature makes it easy and quick to plan and organize for special occasions.
Assigning tables to waiters is simplified, which brings more order and efficiency in the restaurant. The feature can be customized further to make it even more specific to other restaurant needs.
TouchBistro Products
PRODUCT | ROLES/ FUNCTIONALITIES |
Food Truck POS System | Food truck business can be challenging to run if one doesn’t have a reliable POS system. TouchBistro has designed a POS that is specific to food trucks. The POS easily tracks inventory, manages long queues, and gives an up to date sales report at the end of the day. |
Brewery POS System | Breweries are known to be busy in the manufacturing and distributing of their products. A robust POS goes a long way in ensuring smooth operations, minimal costs, and customer satisfaction. TouchBistro has designed an elaborate POS for the breweries, which has helped in reducing theft and fraud, improving accuracy, and overall sales for the business. The POS has high-security settings that protect companies from any unnecessary losses. |
TouchBistro Hardware
Hardware equipment enables the POS to run flawlessly without hitches.
Payment Hardware
The POS works well with two primary payment devices; Ingenico Moby 8500 and Ingenico RP457C. The two methods are Bluetooth enabled and connect to the POS through the Bluetooth portal.
The gadgets are portable, allowing for secure table payments as opposed to counter subsidies.
Barcode Scanner
The scanner provided by TouchBistro is wireless. Scanning can, therefore, happen from any point in the restaurant.
TouchBistro’s main hardware
TouchBistro gives provision for an Apple tablet that functions as the POS terminal. The iPads compatible with the POS include the 2nd-4th generation versions.
The iPad is supported by an Apple minicomputer, which acts as the main engine for running the system.
The computer acts as the primary storage for all the restaurant information.
TouchBistro also requires an Apple TV for receiving and displaying content. Digital menus display through the TV.
Cash Drawer
The drawer is well secured and automatically prints receipts upon receipt of payment.
Receipt Printers
The printers vary depending on preference and affordability. TouchBistro gives provisions for thermal printers, wireless printers, ethernet thermal, and multiple connectivity printers.
TouchBistro Accessories
The accessories include a USB mouse and keyboard, ethernet cables, an HDMI compatible monitor, and a cash drawer cable that connects the printer to the drawer.
Network devices include the AmpliFi Mesh Router and HD. They are crucial in enabling wireless connection and accessibility.
TouchBistro Integration Plans
One of the growing trends in the hospitality industry is the ‘third-party’ integrations. Different businesses use different Apps and software, and it is, therefore, critical for the POS to easily integrate with an array of Apps.
TouchBistro excels at integrations as it is customized to work flawlessly with most Apps making it more convenient and handier.
TouchBistro Integrates with Shogo
Shogo is a software that simplifies accounting and financial management. Shogo works well with TouchBistro POS, making it an ultimate solution for economic analysis and bookkeeping.
It helps save on time by eradicating manual calculations and analysis. Accounts and projections are more accurate when using Shogo.
TouchBistro Integrates with QuickBooks
Most small and medium-sized firms use QuickBooks for their financial analysis. Through QuickBooks, managers can monitor profits, costs, and business performance.
Unlike other POS systems, TouchBistro integrates well with QuickBooks providing businesses with convenience and ease of use.
TouchBistro must integrate with QuickBooks since many users prefer it because of its value in preparing payrolls, business payments, and settling bills.
TouchBistro Integrates with Sage
Sage is accounting software that is primary in managing and analyzing financial information.
TouchBistro easily blends with Sage making it more useful in managing payrolls, assets, HR, among others. TouchBistro users can save time and minimize errors by using Sage on their POS.
What do customers have to say about TouchBistro POS?
The reviews discussed in this section derived from primary review sites such as Capterra, Software Advice, and Merchant Maverick.
User-friendly interface
No one likes an interface that is difficult to use and navigate. Most users have described TouchBistro’s interface as simple to use, set up, and incredibly intuitive.
The features are customizable depending on one’s preferences, making it specific to the individual restaurant requirements.
If one needs to find particular information, it is quick to search through and get results instantly, saving on time and energy.
Training of new staff is less time consuming and quick. Merchants recommend it to other POS systems, which can be bulky and difficult to learn.
Highly Reliable
Restaurants can be bustling, especially during the rush hours. TouchBistro is highly stable and rarely breaks down or has any downtime sessions.
Information in the system is well secured and protected from fraud or theft. Merchants greatly recommend the POS as it is consistent and dependable. Internet connection is not compulsory for one to access the system.
Relevant Features and Integrations
TouchBistro has an array of features that are relevant and useful to the hospitality industry. The features continually improve based on new technologies and needs.
The Cloud-based function, for instance, makes it convenient for merchants to monitor their business from any location and make any changes as essential.
TouchBistro has a functional integration with third-party apps such as QuickBooks and Shogo, which makes accounting easy and accurate. POS is one of the best systems for full-time restaurants and described as robust and useful POS.
Good Customer Support
Whenever there is a hitch in the POS, merchants can easily reach out to the customer support team for help and expertise.
TouchBistro has a reliable and responsive support system that is available 24/7, whether day or night.
In case one calls and finds the number engaged, the support team returns the call within a short time.
The team is well conversant with the system and can respond to any queries without a lot of back and forth.
Good Reports and Analytics
Users of TouchBistro are happy and satisfied with the reporting feature. The POS generates detailed reports that provide an analysis of the financial performance for any period as preferred.
Other costs, such as labor, production, and inventory, also get analyzed through a good breakdown. The analysis provides helpful insights in making critical business decisions.
Smooth Operations
Running a full-time restaurant can be tasking if systems are not streamlined and well structured. A right POS such as TouchBistro, however, makes it less stressful and efficient.
TouchBistro has high reviews when it comes to smoothening operations.
Its features are beneficial in running processes and saving on time and costs. A good example would be the tableside ordering feature that allows attendants to place orders from any location without necessarily moving from the dining area to the kitchen. Modifying menu items is instant and straightforward.
The reporting and analytics feature help to cut on labor costs that would have otherwise incur if the staff need to do the financial analysis and bookkeeping. Users find TouchBistro less problematic, accurate, worthwhile, and highly convenient.
TouchBistro is Affordable
TouchBistro is affordable even to the small and upcoming businesses considering the array of features it presents.
Small business owners find it worthwhile to manage the monthly subscription as the POS helps run daily operations and overall restaurant management.
Merchants find the price point to be accommodative of their small and growing enterprises.
TouchBistro is Mobile
Times have changed, and so has technology. Merchants enjoy using TouchBistro since it is a mobile iPad that one can move around with anywhere.
The POS makes communication among staff members easy and instant. Tracking of sales happens at a click of a button. The company is dynamic and keeps up to date with upcoming trends and technologies.
Drawbacks
Sometimes the customer support department is exceedingly busy, and merchants have to wait a little longer to receive a response on complaints filed. TouchBistro has likely grown users hence the long waits.
Several small businesses may find a starter POS offer at $69 monthly expensive. TouchBistro is also only compatible with Apple-based infrastructure, which is quite costly to new users. The company could introduce small and cheaper bundles to accommodate all enterprises regardless of size.
Conclusion
TouchBistro has achieved great strides over the years and continues to grow in the number of its users. The array of features and ease of integrations with third-party Apps has made it highly competitive to other POS Systems, making it the number one best restaurant POS. The reviews are mostly positive, with most users giving the POS a five-star rating.