Neighborhood café, 8 staff

One location, counter service, hourly staff, and a mailing list for regulars. Square and Homebase do most of the work; QuickBooks keeps the accountant happy.

Restaurant or café · 2–10 people · curated by SMB Stack · updated 2026-10-09

Your stack

Retail shopRestaurant or caféService businessAgency or studioTrades or contractorOnline storeJust me2–10 people11–50 people51–200 people

POS

Square POSRecommendedFree $0/mo: 2.6% + 15¢ per tap, dip, or swipe; Plus $49/mo per location: 2.5% + 15¢; Premium $149/mo per location: 2.4% + 15¢ · matches how you get paid, fits where you sell, easy to run

Connects to QuickBooks Online

$0 /mo

Accounting

QuickBooks OnlineRecommendedSimple Start $38/mo (1 user); Essentials $85/mo (3 users); Plus $140/mo (5 users); Advanced up to 25 users; every plan adds 2 accountant logins; list prices, with promotions often cutting the first 3 months · matches how you get paid

Connects to all 3 of your related picks

$38 /mo

Payroll

HomebaseRecommendedPayroll $49/mo + $6 per employee paid, first 6 months free (limited time); Basic scheduling free for 1 location, up to 10 employees · matches how you get paid, fits where you sell, easy to run

Connects to QuickBooks Online and Homebase Scheduling

$85 /mo

Scheduling

Homebase SchedulingRecommendedBasic free for 1 location, up to 10 employees; per location, unlimited employees, billed annually: Essentials $24/mo, Plus $56/mo (6 months free when you add payroll, limited time), All-in-One $96/mo; payroll add-on extra · matches how you get paid, fits where you sell, easy to run

Connects to Homebase

Free up to 10 users

CRMNot chosen · see 20 picks—

Email

MailchimpRecommendedFree to 250 contacts; Essentials $13/mo at 500 contacts, $26.50 at 1,000, $45 at 2,500, $75 at 5,000, $110 at 10,000 (monthly); Standard from $20/mo · matches how you get paid, fits where you sell, easy to run

$13 /mo

Online storeNot chosen · see 14 picks—

Banking

RelayStarter free (20 checking accounts); Grow $30/mo adds approval rules and recurring invoices; Scale $120/mo ($90 limited-time) adds free same-day ACH and 50 accounts

Connects to QuickBooks Online

$0 /mo

Add a category…Invoicing & paymentsExpense managementInventoryProject managementWebsite builderBusiness phoneBusiness internetAI receptionist & answeringCustomer supportReviews & reputationSocial mediaAI voice & videoPresentations & designSEO & local searchWeb analyticsContracts & e-signatureHR & complianceSecurity & passwordsBusiness insuranceLoans & creditLegal & formation

$136 /mo
for 6 people · core categories only · one seat for accounting toolsWithin your budget ($100 to $300 a month).

4 of 4 connections this stack needs are direct

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