Point of Sale Review

A Comprehensive Review of

TouchBistro

TouchBistro Review

Overall Rating

8.5/ 10

In-Depth Analysis

8.5
Overall

Price

4.4

Ease of Use

4.7

Features

4.1

Support

3.9

TouchBistro POS Review

In the contemporary, digital world, restaurants rely greatly on efficient point-of-sale (POS) systems for their day-to-day operations. One such prominent software is TouchBistro POS, a dedicated POS for restaurants and eateries. TouchBistro is one of the best iPad-based POS systems that can help restaurants simplify many of their daily functions. It can also help streamline and improve various daily operations for restaurants and eateries. 

TouchBistro POS offers reliability, efficiency, and seamless integration with the restaurant business. This has helped it emerge as a solid choice for restaurant owners. This article seeks to offer insights that would help users take their businesses to new heights by deciding if TouchBistro POS is the right choice. The comprehensive review also explores the various features, benefits, and things to consider before selecting TouchBistro POS to help restaurant businesses make informed decisions.

With a user base of over 29,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries, TouchBistro has established itself as a leading player in the POS industry. The system boasts a plethora of features – table management, reservation management, menu customization, order processing, payment handling, customer management, staff management, inventory control, reporting and analytics, and more.

TouchBistro’s Primary Offerings

TouchBistro offers four main restaurant service management software products, with   Point-of-sale being its primary offering:

Restaurant Point-of-Sale Services

TouchBistro’s restaurant point-of-sale system helps a restaurant maximize its profits. One can quickly increase sales using built-in tools to increase check sizes, speed up table turnover, and highlight profitable menu items. This mobile point-of-sale (POS) system speeds up seating reduces order errors, and guarantees seamless payment processing that helps improve the overall guest experience. 

It has an on-the-go system that manages staff, floor plans, and expenses and offers insights for optimization, whether on-site or remotely. With the help of this, businesses can easily save time and money. TouchBistro provides restaurants with an all-inclusive solution that improves their productivity and builds them up for long-term success in the competitive sector. 

Front-of-House Solutions

The Front of House Solutions from TouchBistro can boost a restaurant’s productivity. It can arrange processes automatically by giving employees more time to focus on the visitor experience. This is a cloud-based Point of Sale (POS) system, which enables easy order taking, immediate bill splitting, and menu revisions from any location. 

With TouchBistro’s front-of-house solutions, managers can process payment with an integrated system to ensure safe, fast transactions without human input. A Customer Facing Display, which gives visitors visual confirmation of their orders in real-time, improves service and reduces errors. This all-inclusive Front of House Solutions from TouchBistro allows restaurants to run efficiently, resulting in a flawless and delightful dining experience. 

Back-of-House Solutions

TouchBistro offers two main types of back-of-house solutions, including:

Kitchen Display Systems

The TouchBistro Kitchen Display System (KDS) can help transform restaurant kitchen management by guaranteeing prompt and flawless order fulfillment. It helps in restaurant management in a multitude of ways:

TouchBistro’s KDS is vital for smoothing restaurant operations, improving order processing, and increasing kitchen productivity. 

Profit Management 

With TouchBistro Profit Management, a complete back-office solution powered by MarginEdge, one can increase the profitability of one’s restaurant. 

TouchBistro Profit administration optimizes back-office processes, opening the door to more profitability and efficient restaurant administration.

Core Features of TouchBistro

The following are the main features of the Restaurant POS system TouchBistro.

Table and Reservation Management

TouchBistro’s extensive table and reservation management features help maximize the dining experience. This makes it easy for restaurant operators to create floor plans, place employees in designated areas, and monitor seat availability. The reservation capability of the system makes booking and guest tracking much more accessible, which helps front-of-house operations run smoothly.

Menu Management

TouchBistro boasts excellent features that help with customization. This is particularly notable in its ability to control menus. The system allows for scheduling restaurant specials, flexibly arranging menus, and managing takeout orders effectively. It provides color-coded highlights, customizable menu options, and thorough item descriptions, all of which help increase staff productivity and improve the ordering experience.

Order Management

Order processing is quick and accurate with TouchBistro’s table ordering, customer-facing display (CFD), and kitchen display systems (KDS). The integration of external delivery services like DoorDash makes operations much easier for restaurants providing pickup and delivery services. The KDS of the system makes it easier for front-of-house and back-of-house employees to communicate with one another, which reduces errors and improves order accuracy.

Payment Processing

TouchBistro Payments, powered by Chase, offers a dependable and safe payment system for customers and restaurants. The software supports debit and credit cards, digital payments (such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Samsung Pay), and contactless purchases. Even without an internet connection, transactions can go through smoothly thanks to offline payment capabilities.

Customer Management

Work related to building and maintaining customer relationships is simplified through TouchBistro’s customer management tools. The system captures and stores essential customer data, including phone numbers, email addresses, and birthdays, without compromising privacy. Automated marketing campaigns and loyalty programs are sent to the customer for engagement and retention. The ability to send customized emails and targeted advertisements improves the customer’s experience.

Inventory Management

TouchBistro also adds inventory management functionalities, enabling companies to keep track of their materials. Supply chain management becomes efficient and seamless when features like low stock alerts, exportable stock level data, and integration with inventory management providers are in place. Although more complex capabilities might need to be integrated with outside vendors, TouchBistro’s fundamental inventory tools meet the basic requirements of eateries.

Reporting and Analytics

The cloud-based architecture of the system enables extensive reporting and analytics. More than 50 report types are available on TouchBistro and can be filtered using various criteria. The scheduling and automation of report generation improves the availability of critical insights. Decision-making processes are aided by the integration with third-party analytics solutions like MarginEdge and Avero, which provide comprehensive business data.

Staff Management

TouchBistro’s integrated features make staff management more efficient. Simplified shift management is made possible by the clock-in/clock-out feature, real-time statistics on staff hours, and customized account assignments. Role-based customizable permissions improve system security and control.

Gift Cards

Businesses can sell both physical and digital gift cards using TouchBistro. A customized touch is added by the gift card customization options, which allow designs for different occasions. The purchasing of digital gift cards using mobile apps is made more accessible by the integration with TouchBistro card-not-present payments.

Integrations

TouchBistro integrates seamlessly with a range of best-in-class software solutions. From payment processing and accounting to inventory management and business insights, the system’s compatibility with external providers ensures a comprehensive ecosystem that aligns with diverse business needs.

User Reviews and Satisfaction

Understanding how users perceive and interact with TouchBistro is essential in evaluating the system’s real-world performance.

Positive Reviews

The user-friendly interface of TouchBistro is praised by many users, who highlight how well it simplifies daily tasks. The elements related to table and reservation management are commended for their efficacy in facilitating fast administration of reservations and ideal seating arrangements. The usefulness of the comprehensive analytics and reporting capabilities in monitoring sales, staff output, and overall restaurant performance is emphasized.

Critical Reviews

Concerns over the exclusive compatibility with Apple products are voiced by specific consumers, who point out possible drawbacks for companies using other platforms. Users who favor more superficial price structures note that the à la carte pricing model may be a disadvantage even though it offers customization choices. Occasional bugs or issues spark discussions regarding customer service responsiveness in resolving technical issues.

Overall Review

Despite these reservations, a lot of companies are happy with TouchBistro’s capacity to improve client experiences, expedite processes, and offer insightful data via its reporting functions. The committed customer service team has been specially commended for its promptness and efficient problem-solving. The fact that TouchBistro can be used in both quick-service and fine-dining restaurants has certainly helped the product gain favorable reviews overall.

Pros and Cons of TouchBistro

Here’s an overview of the strengths and drawbacks of this POS system.

Pros

The following can be considered to be the main perks of using TouchBistro, as pointed out by users.

Cons

Users reviewing the POS system also flagged the following downsides: 

TouchBistro’s investments have gone mainly toward improving the company’s main point of sale system. Even if there have been changes, some consumers may still feel that some aspects—mainly reporting and inventory—are still inadequate. As a result, users may have to spend money on add-ons to get a more complete solution. While the accounting and reporting functionalities are straightforward, there have been recent additions of connections with Xero and Shogo. With 7Shifts integrated, employee management has become more efficient, and customer data processing has become simpler. 

Pricing and Plans for TouchBistro

Here is a complete breakdown of TouchBistro POS pricing structure:

Why Choose TouchBistro?

Here are the reasons why restaurants and eateries can choose TouchBistro as their go-to POS system.

Easy Setup

Setting up TouchBistro POS is quick and straightforward, with the caveat that the system exclusively operates on iPads. The system can be installed on existing hardware or purchased directly from TouchBistro, and live demos, workshops, tutorials, and onboarding support are available to assist with the setup process.

Ease of Use

TouchBistro POS is designed with user-friendliness in mind, offering a simple and intuitive interface. Guides, live demos, and workshops are provided to ensure users can easily navigate the system. The iOS-based interface is particularly user-friendly, and customization options cater to individual restaurant needs.

Improved Security

TouchBistro prioritizes cardholder information security, storing only the last four digits of cards for processing purposes. The POS system employs SSL encryption for secure internet transmission, and measures are in place to prevent unauthorized access. Regularly monitor and investigate reported vulnerabilities to contribute to the system’s overall security.

Customer Service & Support

TouchBistro provides around-the-clock customer support, accessible through phone, chat, and email – even on holidays. Users also get a searchable knowledge base comes with resources such as articles, videos, and newsletters, alongside live workshops. The POS system provides thorough training to users, and specialists can remotely access the system for issue diagnosis.

Members receive round-the-clock phone or email support for any questions. However, some reviewers drew attention to possible delays in support response times. TouchBistro interacts with customers on review platforms to quickly resolve issues. 

With professional support agents, the platform provides multiple assistance methods, such as phone, email, support tickets, and live chat. TouchBistro’s menu configuration and network setup are covered in short films on their YouTube channel. The website has a comprehensive support section with setup and written instructions.

Additional Features

Two key bonus features make TouchBistro an excellent choice:

Final Verdict

TouchBistro POS is an efficient, user-friendly solution designed specifically for the restaurant industry. With its wide range of features, customizable options, and seamless integration with third-party applications, TouchBistro caters to the diverse needs of restaurants of all sizes.

While the exclusive compatibility with Apple devices may limit its appeal to businesses using other platforms, the overall performance, customer support, and continuous updates position TouchBistro as a reliable choice for restaurant owners seeking a solid POS system. 

The pricing structure, while flexible, may pose a challenge for budget-conscious businesses, especially with the à la carte approach that can potentially lead to higher costs as additional features are added.

For those in the restaurant industry who prioritize a tailored POS system that is easy to use, customizable, and feature-rich, TouchBistro POS is worth considering for streamlining their operations and enhancing the overall customer experience.