Toast for a pizzeria: when a POS is more than you need
Toast is a point-of-sale system first: the register, the kitchen screens, the card terminals. Online ordering is an add-on sold on top of a Toast plan. If you already run Toast at the counter, its ordering may be the natural choice. If you don’t, buying a whole restaurant system to get a website and an order button is the long way around.
What Toast is, and what it costs
Toast’s own pricing material lists a Starter Kit at $0 a month for eligible restaurants, with pay-as-you-go card rates, and a standard Point of Sale plan at $69 a month, with custom quotes for larger setups. Hardware is bought or financed separately. Online ordering, a website and marketing tools are add-ons with their own monthly fees, and online card payments are processed by Toast at its own rates.
| Toast | A pizzeria site with ordering | |
|---|---|---|
| Register and card terminals | Yes, the core product | No (keep your current POS) |
| Kitchen display, staff, payroll tools | Available | No |
| Commission on online orders | None | None |
| Monthly price | POS plan plus add-ons, quoted | $19 + sales tax |
| Hardware | Bought or financed | None needed |
Toast plan prices as stated in Toast's own pricing material ($0 Starter Kit for eligible restaurants, $69 a month Point of Sale); add-on and processing rates vary and are quoted by Toast. Check a current quote.
When Toast is the right answer
- You are replacing your register anyway. Then ordering that feeds the same system, menu and reports is genuinely convenient.
- You run a busy dining room with servers, tables and a kitchen display, not just a takeout counter.
- You have several locations and want one system for menus, staff and sales.
When it is too much
A neighborhood takeout pizzeria or a pizza truck usually needs three things online: a menu with prices and sizes in inches, accurate hours, and a way to order for pickup or delivery without paying an app. That does not require changing the register, signing a processing agreement or buying terminals. A simple site with ordering, on your own domain, does it for a flat monthly price and works alongside whatever POS you already have.
Questions to ask a Toast rep
- Contract length and what happens if you leave early.
- Processing rates for in-person and online cards, which differ.
- Every add-on you would need for online ordering and a website, priced monthly.
- Hardware: buy, finance, or lease, and who owns it at the end.
Comparing simpler options first? Here are the website builders worth a look.