Square or Toast for a restaurant
The two point-of-sale systems most independent restaurants choose between, and why it comes down to whether servers take orders at the table.
5 min read · updated 2026-10-11
Square and Toast both take payments, print tickets, and track sales. Square is a general retail system that works well for counter service. Toast is built for restaurants and nothing else.
If servers take orders at the table, you want Toast. If customers order at a counter or a kiosk, Square is cheaper and simpler.
Where Square wins
Square's software is free; you pay 2.6 percent plus 10 cents per tap. A reader costs $59, a full register about $800, and there is no contract. If you also sell merchandise, coffee beans, or gift boxes, Square's inventory and online store cover that without an add-on.
It is also simpler. A new hire learns the register in an afternoon, and the reports make sense without training.
Where Toast wins
Toast handles full service: handheld ordering at the table, kitchen display screens that time courses, split checks, tip pooling by shift, and 86ing an item from the line. Square can do versions of these; Toast does them natively and the staff workflow is faster.
Its hardware is built for a kitchen. The terminals are spill-resistant and the handhelds hold a charge through a double shift.
What Toast costs that the price sheet does not say
The Starter Kit is free with higher processing rates. Most restaurants end up on the Point of Sale plan at $69 a month per terminal plus processing, with a hardware contract of two years. Online ordering, payroll, and marketing are separate add-ons. Read the processing rate in your quote, not the headline price.
Either way, pair it with scheduling
Both systems integrate with Homebase, which reads sales data to forecast labor and runs the time clock on the same tablet. Its scheduling is free for one location with up to 10 employees. Its payroll add-on handles tips.
