Top 10 Best POS Systems for Hospitality

three stages of making a coffee using bustle the best point of sale for cafes

Choosing the right point of sale (POS) system is crucial for running a successful cafe, restaurant, bar, or food truck. Here’s our roundup of 10 of the best POS systems in hospitality today, including their pros and cons, so you can find the one that fits your business needs.

1. Bustle

Pros:
Obviously we're going to start with this one! Bustle is a POS system crafted specifically for the high-energy, fast-paced world of hospitality. Formerly known as posBoss, it has vibrant features designed to simplify the lives of cafe, bar, and restaurant owners. Bustle enables faster transactions, smoother order processing, and flexible integrations with third-party apps. Its sleek interface lets users manage sales, menus, and staff all from one central hub. It also offers a robust real-time reporting system, providing instant insights into sales performance and customer preferences.

Cons:
While Bustle is easy to use and packed with features, it is specifically tailored for small and medium stand-alone venues, and might also be less suitable for large chain restaurants.

2. Square for Restaurants

Pros:
Square for Restaurants is a popular, user-friendly POS option for cafes, bars, and small eateries. Its intuitive design makes it easy to train staff, while its menu customization and table management features streamline operations. Square also offers integrated payment processing, with no monthly fees for the basic plan. It scales well with businesses, offering additional features like advanced reporting and online ordering when needed.

Cons:
The system is ideal for smaller venues, but it may lack some advanced features that larger restaurants require, such as detailed inventory management or customizable reporting. Also, while the free version is great for small businesses, you’ll need to upgrade to access more advanced tools.

3. Toast POS

Pros:
Toast POS is designed with the hospitality industry in mind, offering a wide range of features including online ordering, delivery, inventory management, and robust analytics. Its cloud-based system allows real-time tracking of sales and performance. Toast is known for its  customer support and hardware designed specifically for restaurants, such as splash-proof terminals. The system also allows integrations with popular third-party services like DoorDash and Grubhub.

Cons:
Toast’s comprehensive system can be overwhelming for smaller venues that don’t require all the bells and whistles. Additionally, the upfront hardware costs can be significant, and its tiered pricing model might not suit cafes with tight budgets.

4. Lightspeed Restaurant

Pros:
Lightspeed Restaurant is a designed for larger hospitality businesses with multiple locations. It offers detailed inventory management, menu customization, and staff management tools. The platform integrates well with accounting software and offers deep analytics to help optimize your business. Its interface is highly customizable, and the platform supports advanced features like reservations and floor plan management.

Cons:
While Lightspeed is rich in features, it comes with a steep learning curve, especially for smaller cafes and food trucks that don’t need all the advanced tools. The pricing can also be on the higher side, particularly for venues with limited budgets.

5. Shopify POS

Pros:
Shopify POS can work for hospitality businesses that also run retail operations, such as cafes selling branded merchandise. It offers seamless integration with Shopify’s eCommerce platform, making it suitable for businesses with an online and in-store presence. The system is easy to use and integrates with various payment processors, enabling a smooth checkout experience.

Cons:
Shopify POS is more retail-focused, so it may lack advanced hospitality-specific features. For a purely cafe or restaurant setup, you might find it a bit limited unless you sell a lot of products alongside food and beverages.

6. TouchBistro

Pros:
TouchBistro is a POS built by restaurant professionals for restaurant professionals. It provides a smooth front-of-house experience with features like tableside ordering, customizable floor plans, and staff management. It offers robust reporting and analytics to help owners make data-driven decisions, and the platform supports integrations with third-party apps for delivery, loyalty, and reservations.

Cons:
TouchBistro offers fewer third-party integrations compared to other POS systems. This can be a drawback for businesses that rely on various software for payroll, accounting, or loyalty programs. Additionally, while it’s affordable upfront, the cost of necessary hardware and add-ons can add up quickly.

7. Revel Systems

Pros:
Revel Systems is known for being highly customizable, making it suitable for larger establishments like restaurants and bars. It offers features like inventory management, employee scheduling, customer loyalty programs, and delivery management. The cloud-based system ensures that you can access your data from anywhere, and its detailed reporting helps in tracking sales and performance.

Cons:
Revel’s extensive feature set can be overwhelming for small cafes or food trucks, and its high price point makes it less accessible for smaller businesses. The setup process can also be time-consuming, especially if you require custom configurations.

8. Clover POS

Pros:
Clover is a versatile POS system that works for small and mid-sized cafes and restaurants. It offers a variety of hardware options, from mobile devices to full-service terminals, and integrates seamlessly with third-party apps. Clover’s user-friendly interface helps in managing menus, orders, and payments, while its loyalty and rewards programs can help build your customer base.

Cons:
Clover’s software packages can become expensive if you need to add extra features, and its hardware is proprietary, meaning you’re locked into their ecosystem. Additionally, while it’s easy to use, it doesn’t offer as many advanced hospitality-specific features as competitors like Bustle.

9. Lavu POS

Pros:
Lavu allows for significant customization, which makes it adaptable to a wide range of hospitality businesses. Lavu’s inventory system also helps cafes and restaurants keep precise tabs on stock levels. This minimizes wastage and helps control food costs.

Cons:
While Lavu is feature-rich, its initial setup can be overwhelming for non-tech-savvy owners. There’s a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with POS systems, especially in configuring advanced features.



10. Aloha POS

Pros:
Aloha POS offers detailed tools for order management, table management, and kitchen display systems. It’s particularly strong in managing complex workflows like split checks, multiple tabs, and tipping. Aloha can operate offline and on mobile devices, allowing staff to process orders and payments at the table.

Cons:
Aloha tends to be more expensive than some of the other options on the market, with high upfront costs for hardware and installation. While robust, the interface is not as modern or intuitive as newer systems, and updates can be slower to roll out. This could result in a steeper learning curve for staff.


Choosing the best POS system for your cafe or hospitality business depends on your specific needs. Whether you’re looking for speed, scalability, or advanced reporting, there’s a solution on this list that can help elevate your operations and drive growth.