For iPad soulution for busy restaurants, this is your answer!
Pros
Customer support, fast system, no internet needed to run, menu photos and special items to show to customers at table, data to watch your bottom line and a ton more.
Cons
No chip card swipe yet, I would say more program features, but when I asked for more they made more. I am having trouble with this part as the programming can be a bit tech, but they help you and then your good.
Perfect for a cafe !
Before Touch Bistro we were using the ol' pen and paper system. Tickets would get lost, tabs weren't getting paid and all our employees were charging different prices! We finally grew up! Touch Bistro is not only affordable, I'm sure it actually makes us more money!
Pros
Works just like an iPhone, so training is a breeze! Our younger employees actually pick it up so fast, they end of training our more senior staff members!
Cons
Our main (and perhaps only) problem is in the programming and the printing process. Most of our orders are custom made sandwiches and with the choices of ingredients we offer, it can be slightly overwhelming. I would like better control over the order the ingredients print, so they are the same every time, regardless of which order they are out into the system.
Easy to Program POS
Touchbistro is an easy right out-of-the-box solution for all sorts of styles of restaurant service. It's fairly quick to set-up and support is excellent.
You can easily throw new staff to it and have them come out on top feeling like they understand how to use it very quickly. Intuitive as an iPad/iPhone program should be to new users.
Reporting is very good unless you're expecting TouchBistro to do a lot of the heavy lifting - it's good, but not quite amazing on the back end quite yet.
Be aware of how you organize your products early on for the reporting that you do get. It's only as good as the input and thought you put into it while your business is just a baby - that can come back to nip you once you have a better feel for both the software and your establishment.
Pros
Ease of putting in products + costs, assigning staff, third-party integrations (ie. 7Shifts)
Cons
Some of the reports lack in what they return, Reports should be fully automated, Crashes happen (though not frequently), hard to run in a building with no dedicated network
Best decision ever
We embraced touch bistro over 3 yrs ago in that time they have continued to upgrade and make it better and better. That said the only down side is as technology changes so does your need for newer faster iPads and that is something we did not budget for.
I would never go back to a stand alone POS
Just remember that if you make the jump to tableside ordering wirelessly you will be amazed at how much faster your table
Turns are and effective your servers become . Less staff required because they carry the POS with them no lines at a station. Smoother flow in kitchen
Just take .25 per bill
And put it in a gotta get newer IPad fund and you'll be happier then you have ever been
Bill Justus
Owner chef EKs Grill Kelowna BC
Pros
Just about everything
Cons
Cash layout for required new iPads to retain full functionality
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, Bill!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear you say TouchBistro was the best decision ever. We couldn't ask for anything more!
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
I Doubt There's Better
Pros
TouchBistro has been an amazing tool for our cafe. I love the ease of use, how easily we are able to get an overview of the cafe at any one time, along with performance, financial reporting, and all the rest. We keep discovering new features that allow us to be more and more accurate and efficient behind the counter. Support is also always really helpful and available whenever we need them!
Cons
Some of the features seem weirdly incomplete, like reporting having some types of reports available and not others. Also, we have had to source a secondary POS system to use for our retail inventory, as despite having the capability for things like barcode scanning, there is no way to quickly or easily update our inventory--with a stocklist of over 2000 items, having to create each item individually and update them manually is too much of a headache to bother with.
We love Touch Bistro and happily recommend it.
Pros
It connects with our accounting software so that our daily sales are uploaded automatically.
The app is easy to use and our new staff can be trained quickly and efficiently.
The billing features are really great and allow our servers to manage tables the way the customer wants, not the way the POS wants.
Cons
Adding menu items is time consuming and a general pain. We would love to have a web based site that allows easier uploading .
The reporting features are a bit clunky - for example we cannot check on single item sales totals. Instead we have to download a entire report with ALL items.
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, Alexandra!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear you love TouchBistro and recommend it to your friends and colleagues.
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Touch Bistro: Great for the Independent Business
I've been using Touch Bistro since 2013 and it has only got better over the years.
They are a very dynamic company with frequent updates which serve to keep your system always performing better with greater functionality and better reporting. Every update is like a little present in which you can unpack more and more features!
Their support network has never failed us in our dire times of need when your mac mini crashes 30 minutes before service. This to me is one of the most important functions of a POS provider and Touch Bistro has always been easily reachable and more than happy to get us back up and running.
Pros
price, ease of use and support system in place
Cons
lacks some of the functionality of the big POS systems but frankly independent businesses do not need all that horsepower
TouchBisatro is everything we wanted, needed and more. We are still discovering it's capabilities.
ease of use and functionality are the biggest pluses.
Pros
It's ease of use. New staff literally need a 30 minute tutorial to be functional. We get our daily, weekly and monthly summaries in a snap.
Cons
I'd like to be able to narrow down searches to specific items. the detail is available on times and days, but not on specific menu items.
We sometimes need to know if and when specific products sell. It would allow us to plan better.
Response from TouchBistro
Hi Jens,
30 Mins worth of training to be functional is amazing!!
Not sure how many non TouchBistro POS users can say that!
Thanks for the feedback!
Mell
Excellent product!
TouchBistro is central to our restaurant operation. Our servers are happy with it, and overall administration is easy and effective for our needs.
Pros
TouchBistro is very easy setup and use and is truly designed for restaurant use. The cloud reporting feature and customer support are also excellent.
Cons
The one downside for us is that you can't do any real administrative activity without disrupting service, so you have to do it on one of the iPads outside business hours.
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, George!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear you're finding TouchBistro to be very easy to setup and use, and agree with us that TouchBistro is truly designed for restaurant use.
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Exceptional tab-splitting functionality and superb customer service!
Pros
We were looking for POS solution that offered enhanced tab-splitting and customer checkout capabilities. Of all the vendor applications we reviewed (and it was an exhaustive search...), TouchBistro was the ONLY one the not only met our needs, but far exceeded them! With the help of TouchBistro, we can now handle any and every checkout scenario customers throw our way.
And many thanks to the customer service reps that initially trained our staff and continue to answer questions that come up from time-to-time!
Cons
The only things I would like to see TB expand upon are its reporting and customer relationship management capabilities.
Give us the ability to create custom reports and mine the data that is already stored within TB. Cheaper POS systems we reviewed have much more robust reporting options.
Give us the ability to store customer information and reporting on customer-based sales (i.e. who are my top customers, who were my top customers that haven't visited recently, etc.). Again, cheaper POS systems offer these features and integrate with 3rd party vendors like Constant Contact and MailChimp.
Harbor Haus Restaurant
We moved to TouchBistro last year during our summer operation. After reviewing many options we believed TouchBistro provided the best product for the cost and for our fine dining establishment, and we were correct. The transition was extremely smooth and the support was great. Our TouchBistro system performed well through our busy summer season. We are happy to be part of the TouchBistro family and look forward to even better things to come.
Pros
Ease of use and functionality
Cons
Some minor adjustments we would like to see, including the option to not print certain items on the kitchen chit.
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, George!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear you're finding TouchBistro easy to use and are enjoying all the features and functionality.
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Easy, efficient, user friendly!
Easy to train the girls, easy to learn, extremely efficient for large parties!
Pros
Love how efficient it for everything. Splitting bills, payroll, taxes, and mobile for large parties! Easy to navigate and very user friendly.
Cons
That you can't tell the difference between modifications done by the servers and the actually substitution on the kitchen chit.
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, Millie!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear you're finding TouchBistro to be efficient, easy to use and user friendly.
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
This is great for small businesses!
My only complaint is the customer service is very sluggish! Otherwise the system works fine enough. I do not like that I can only use it on one IPad per license but I get it.
Pros
Ease of use
Cons
Only one IPad per license
Response from TouchBistro
Hi Brandon,
Thank you for the feedback and happy to learn that TouchBistro has been great for your business!
We've heard the concerns around customer service and have expanded the team to help resolve them.
Exceptional customer service is a priority for us!
Great way for small businesses to look big
Pros
This iPad based program is excellent for any restaurant, Cafe, Bar etc. Easy to use and even easier to set up. I really liked the customization aspect of it and the fact that it's on the iPad just makes customers all that more intrigued to see what the service staff are using.
Cons
Not much I didn't like about this product. Everything was pretty well put together.
Response from TouchBistro
Hi Keri, thanks so much for taking the time to let us know about your experience with TouchBistro so far. We¿d like the opportunity to continue to make sure that you¿re making the most of your POS, and let you know that we are always available to answer your questions when you have them.
Thanks again, and all the best with your business.
The TouchBistro Team
No regrets!
Pros
Easy to get up to date metrics of business' performance. Simple interface and always improving. Great tech support.
Cons
Software could have better way to compare sales week over week, month over month, year over year. Cloud has connectivity problems.
Response from TouchBistro
Hi Alan,
Happy to hear that you have no regrets!
Stay tuned for our next update...may be what you're looking for :)
Thanks!
Mell
The system runs well without problems.
Pros
The best feature of this software is the ease of use and simplified menu system. The learning curve for new staff is minutes not days.
Cons
If I had to pick holes I would say the graphic for setting up the restaurant layout could be improved with a little more flexibility.
Response from TouchBistro
Hey Brad,
Thanks for taking the time out to leave a review!
Ease of use is a huge feature for us; so I'm happy to hear that it took your staff minutes to adjust to using TouchBistro - not days!
I'll let the design team know about the restaurant layout graphics :).
Thanks again!
Mell
The only POS i have used, or will ever use, it's been a lifesaver!!
Pros
Ease of use and customer service! We've had to call a few times for help and the staff has always been knowledgeable and helpful in our issues.
Cons
Occasional glitch that hard to determine a cause, but never anything terrible. It has worked very well.
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, Brian!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear you say that TouchBistro is the only POS you'll ever use. We're very lucky to have you as a customer!
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Dark table on touch bistro
We have been with Touch bistro for over 4 years now . Very smooth and easy to use . It does occasionally crash , but resorted easily with a restart of the app . We noticed a price increase and we hope they keep it affordable .
Pros
Easy to use . Perfect size . Love the cloud feature .
Cons
It does occasionally crash
REPLACEMENT EQUIPEMENT NIGHTMARE
Faulty printer! the only printer they support has third party ink, the ink strips the part inside the printer... solution? buy another $500 printer so I can spend money to get the other one fixed and will be a reoccurring break every nine months! SHOULD BE CALLED 24/7 SUPPORT TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR OWN ANSWER. Every time I call in I am either dropped, have to wait 4 hrs for a call back or lied to. One rep even told me my email had been updated... fast forward to an update and I wasn't notified again. Called in and next rep says oh we can't even update that kind of info through call centre!
Pros
It is a detailed app that provides us with time saving benefits
Cons
Buggy system. orders disappear or don't send to kitchen, even though says sent.
I love it makes my day much eaiser
It helps keep my business running smoothly
Pros
The software is very user friendly and the support is second to none. The more i use and discover the better i feel about the product
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, Charlie!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear you're loving TouchBistro and it's making your day much easier.
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Touch Bistro
Overall, I use this pos system daily, and it is a very handy program.
Pros
Easy interface, and very user friendly. Able to switch prices and add new items no problem.
Cons
I really disliked the way customer service is set up. When you have an issue it's very hard to get through to them
Knowledgeable staff, courteous and timely responses. They made it easy for me.
Having everything inside of 1 program
Ease of Use for staff to quickly learn
Ease of edits
Pros
Ease of use and includes most features needed to run a large 175 seat restaurant and bar. The features I would like to see developed have been given to the TB Team for consideration.
Cons
Not being able to access the program remotely. The reports are available on the Cloud but to remotely access and make changes to the program would be awesome. I understand they are working on this.
Response from TouchBistro
Hey, Jimmie!
Thanks so much for your review. Very happy to hear that you found our staff to be courteous and helpful. We hire directly from the restaurant industry for this exact reason. If our team understands your needs and challenges, it makes it easier for us to respond to them with care and empathy.
If there's anything I can do to make your experience even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Ranch House Burgers
Great fast service!!! They took care of the problem right away! Now we know if we have a problem to call right away!
Best POS company ever
Pros
Touch Bistro is user friendly, my staff absolutely loves the system. It is also constantly updating to the next best thing to help business owners out! We have been using the system for over 6 months! WE have not had to deal with anything negative with the Touch Bistro POS
Response from TouchBistro
Hey Jesse,
Thank you for the amazing feedback and so happy to hear that your staff love the system!
Thanks again!
Mell
non-existant customer service
They don't answer their phone, they don't call you back, they don't do anything after they sell you the product
Pros
It's easy to use. That's it. it is intuitive enough to use which lulls you into a false sense of security at first because as with any product you are bound to run into problems and then who do you call? No one! You would think the people who sold you the product would be happy to stand by their product and help you out. Negative they don't do diddly.
Cons
They don't answer the phone. You will note that I titled this review non- existent customer service because they simply do not answer the phone, call you back... NOTHING. The few phone calls they have returned they tend to call at noon, as in lunch time. lunch time would be a good time for them to take lunch not to contact a restaurant.
I have a higher volume seafood restaurant in Key West Fl called The Stoned Crab. We wanted a system where wait staff could service multiple tables while taking orders with out having to go to a main terminal. After trying another system and seeing others that relied upon cloud support and internet we were left with a crashed system and back to basics. A good resturantuer recommended Touch Bistro, I can tell you things are now amazing, the systems works incredible off its own network(yes you loose internet and never skip a beat) it's fast, reliable and the customer support and tech can't be beat. I really lost faith in entering the market with iPads after a big faluire, but Touch Bistro made me a believer and goes out of there way to find new ways to give us data and programs that we want. To sum it up, if you want to increase service, business, effiency and have happy staff.....You just found the right system, take it from me who found then latter than sooner, you won't regret.
Paul Menta