Top 5 Best Restaurant Management Software in 2025

Discover the best restaurant management software and compare top POS, inventory, and scheduling tools to simplify operations and grow faster.

Restaurant management software has evolved to be a key tool for any restaurant in 2025. I would say that this software type is so crucial that it sets apart those businesses that use it from those that do not. The key qualities of the best restaurant management software include integrations with top restaurant POS systems, inventory tracking, employee scheduling, cost control, and reporting on the restaurant’s success. 

With only 56% of restaurant operators using technology to manage some of their operations, there’s a lot of room for businesses to differentiate themselves with the help of one of the top five best restaurant management software in 2025.

Restaurant management software compared

My scoreKey featuresStarting price per monthFree trial?
Toast4.53/5Integrated POS featuresRobust inventory and order managementPayroll tools are extensive$0/monthYes
Visit Toast
Korona4.26/5Unlimited free trialNo contract neededRobust CRM profiles$59/monthYes
Visit Korona
TouchBistro4.15/5Great recipe management and allergen mappingExcellent user reviewsExtensive custom loyalty tools$69/monthYes
Visit TouchBistro
Square for Restaurants4.07/5Free to use with a lot of featuresVery flexible contractNative POS is world-class$0/monthYes
Visit Square for Restaurants
Lightspeed3.78/5Great menu customization toolsExcellent customer support optionsAccounting tools scale to any restaurant type$189/monthYes (very limited)
Visit Lightspeed

Toast: Best overall restaurant management software

Toast logo.

Pricing: 4.69/5

General features: 4.78/5

Advanced features: 4/5

Support: 4.63/5

Expert score: 4.34/5

Pros

  • Robust POS integration into Toast’s industry-leading hardware
  • Suite of employee management and payroll tools
  • Excellent recipe management offering

Cons

  • Can only be used on Toast POS systems
  • No CRM capabilities
  • Limited onboarding support

Toast is a leader among top restaurant POS systems, and its employee management software is no different. Toast has a tool or feature for pretty much everything, and its ability to both manage employees and products is why it’s top of my list. 

Need a tool for managing employees? Toast has it. Do you have a lot of online orders to account for? Toast can help. Need to manage menu items and costs? Toast delivers. They are a complete and robust restaurant management system, only lacking in a few key areas. 

One area Toast lacks is robust accounting tools, which are pretty generic and not as in-depth as others in this guide. It also lacks true CRM offerings for guests, so if you manage your customer base through this method, then Toast is not likely your best bet. Finally, you need the Toast POS system in order to access its suite of management tools, so adopting this to another POS system is not possible.

What actual users say:

Toast is widely regarded as a top choice for many in the restaurant industry. The biggest complaints I see with Toast are initial setup issues or some niche features lacking depth. What is overwhelmingly present in reviews is the number of features Toast does well, and how easy it is to manage your restaurant when using the product. 

“They’re constantly changing design. Do not like new designs.” — Capterra review

“Toast is a very user-friendly POS System. They make it easy for business owners to get set up and get all of their technology connected and working seamlessly. They integrate with a lot of other technology, which helps mitigate manual data entry.” — G2 review

“I migrated to Toast POS four years ago and have been very satisfied ever since. It’s a reliable, restaurant-focused platform that covers everything from front-of-house to back-of-house operations. The system is intuitive, stable, and continues to evolve with features that truly support daily restaurant management.” — Capterra review

Pricing: 

  • Starter Kit: $0/month
  • Point of Sale: $69/month
  • Build Your Own: Custom Quote

Employee scheduling: Toast’s robust employee scheduling is powered by an application called Sling. This powerful scheduling software allows you to both schedule employees and message them about upcoming shifts. 

Toast also allows for easy swaps with manager approval, and employees can message within the app to determine shift swaps and other key information. Employee scheduling is hard in restaurants, and Toast makes it easy with this feature.

Toast uses Sling to make employee scheduling easier.
Sling is an app Toast uses to ensure employee schedule management is a breeze. (Source: Toast)

Recipe management: Food cost management is vital to not only the success of your restaurant, but its longevity as well. Toast’s food cost management tools allow you a full suite of options to understand your cost-per-plate better. Real-time plating costing ensures you know the cost of your menu items, as inventory changes and sales are calculated. 

Additionally, the app supports multiple languages, ensuring everyone on your staff is on the same page. Using these tools keeps your costs down and your management team informed about the restaurant’s status.

xtraCHEF costing by Toast
Toast’s xtraCHEF tool is great for seeing the true, live cost of a recipe. (Source: Toast)


Payroll tools: Toast makes processing payroll for your team super simple and easy. For example, the software manages multiple pay rates for the same employee, and also allows you to pay tips through the payroll app. 

Onboarding is done via a mobile app, making it easy to manage new hires or even offer employees a 401(k) option. The payroll tools are fully integrated into the POS system, ensuring accuracy and timely information whenever you need to manage payroll.

Omnichannel order management: If your restaurant offers delivery or takeout, then Toast is great at managing the different channels on which you sell your food. Toast offers its low-cost delivery service and ensures that setting up this delivery option is easy. 

The delivery management tools pair with Toast’s robust marketing features, ensuring you can reach customers whenever you want. This fluid integration into your restaurant management makes delivery a valuable asset to your restaurant, rather than the headache most operators see it as.

Email marketing: Toast’s marketing tools are great, but its email marketing is where the system stands out. You can set a variety of rules in order to automatically welcome new guests to your restaurant, as well as send follow-up emails for those who have not dined in for a while. 

Toast even offers an AI-writing assistant for its email marketing now, a key point of support for restaurant operators who may want help drafting compelling email copy. The dashboard they offer shows how your email marketing efforts are affecting your sales, and ties into the overall theme of seamless restaurant management.

Toast email marketing dahsboard
Tracking your email marketing campaigns is simple with Toast. (Source: Toast)

Korona: Best for accounting

Korona POS logo

Pricing: 4.56/5

General features: 4.75/5

Advanced features: 3.88/5

Support: 5/5

Expert score: 1.79/5

Pros

  • QuickBooks integration makes it great for accounting-related tasks
  • Customer support is some of the best in this guide
  • Has CRM guest profiles

Cons

  • Limited user reviews
  • Free trial is limited
  • Limited recipe management

Korona is an industry-leading POS system that’s also great for restaurant management. The thing that sets Korona apart is its many features, paired with the fact that it offers direct integration with QuickBooks, a top restaurant accounting software

Korona also has great features for employee management and scheduling, and its team will walk you through inventory management and tracking. If your restaurant needs accounting tools or more involved customer support, then Korona is your best option. 

One of the reasons that Korona fell to second in my guide is the limited nature of the unlimited free trial. While this trial is nice, it doesn’t fully meet the needs of a restaurant larger than a sandwich shop. Also, user reviews are quite limited, with some mixed reviews overall on the technology. Additionally, if you’re looking for robust recipe management, then Korona is likely not a solid fit.

What actual users say:

As you can see, user reviews remain positive for Korona, with some minor complaints on a variety of issues. What some users find an issue with is the fact that the mobile app can sometimes be difficult to figure out. Some users report not being aware of all of Korona’s features. 

That being said, Korona often presents a seamless experience for its users and makes managing staff that much easier. 

“The only thing I wish were a bit better is the mobile app experience. It works fine, but I think there’s room to improve how it looks and functions on a phone or tablet. I usually prefer using the desktop version because it feels more complete.” — G2 review

“What I liked most about KORONA POS is its intuitive interface and flexibility. The system is incredibly easy to navigate, making it simple for staff to learn and use efficiently. The real-time sales reporting feature is great, allowing us to make informed decisions quickly.” — Capterra review

“What stood out to me right away was how smooth the transition was from our old system. I was honestly expecting some headaches, but KORONA’s team walked us through setup step-by-step, and we were up and running faster than I expected. I also really appreciate how stable the system is, no unexpected bugs or downtime, even during high traffic times. It’s easy to update product info, add new staff, and track daily activity without digging through layers of menus.” — G2 review

Pricing: 

  • Korona POS Core: $59/month
  • Korona POS Retail: $69/month

Inventory tracking: Korona offers robust inventory tracking, with multi-store tracking capabilities. This can be a game-changer for restaurants with multiple locations, as it allows you to sync inventory between locations automatically. 

Korona also tracks your inventory and analyses how your orders can be optimized to save money and keep a tighter inventory on hand. This level of inventory management keeps your stock tight and your costs down. 

Korona Food: Korona offers a recipe management system for an extra $10 a month, called Korona Food. This add-on offers server management, table management, menu design, graphical table layouts, and item transfers. 

This add-on is great for recipe management and all other functions that relate to menu item management. If you’re looking for a tool that offers in-depth menu item management for both inventory and service operations, then this add-on is a great option.

Accounting tools: Korona integrates directly with QuickBooks, offering the popular accounting software full access to your POS system. This makes accounting that much easier, allowing you to worry less about the admin work and more about managing your food and staff. If accounting is vital for your restaurant and you use QuickBooks, then this integration is your best bet.

Korona offers great dashboards for every restaurant function.

CRM tools: Korona offers CRM functionality built directly into the POS. Korona consolidates customer sales data, ensuring you understand the best channels for each of your customers to purchase food and drink. 

This CRM functionality also allows you to target your marketing campaigns and drive your sales even further. The different tools to contact your customers, from email to SMS, make it easier to ensure loyalty and retention for your customers.

Korona POS is offered on a variety of hardware. (Source: Korona)

Excellent customer support: Korona’s customer support score is a perfect five out of five, and for good reason. They have 24/7 customer service and a great suite of online resources to support users. Customer support specialists also help with items such as inventory onboarding, so if you require more support in your restaurant management software, then Korona may be right for you.

TouchBistro: Best for recipe management

TouchBistro logo.

Pricing: 3.5/5

General features: 4.38/5

Advanced features: 4.25/5

Support: 4.81/5

Expert score: 4.32/5

Pros

  • Recipe management is extensive and made for restaurants
  • Excellent user reviews across sites
  • Customer loyalty tools are really effective

Cons

  • Inventory management is limited
  • Some additional features are not as transparent when it comes to pricing
  • No cancel-anytime contract options

TouchBistro offers an excellent POS product, and its restaurant management capabilities are no different. TouchBistro has a lot of features that I like, and I believe its recipe management tools are the highlight of this product. 

Allergen mapping, in particular, can help servers and staff communicate key allergens to customers who need them. Beyond this, TouchBistro is often highly regarded by restaurant users and is seen as a trusted POS and restaurant management platform by many. 

TouchBistro does have inventory management tools available, but this feature is limited. Its different prices with varying fees are also not as transparent, which could make it difficult for operators to price out. The one point I don’t like about TouchBistro is the fact that customers can’t cancel contracts anytime, locking them into a relationship. If any of these points don’t appeal to you, then TouchBistro may not be the best fit for your restaurant.

What actual users say:

My read on the user reviews for TouchBistro shows a service that is intuitive due to the native use of iOS and Apple products as the main hardware. Users find this very intuitive, making it easy to train staff on. 

What I see as an issue is both the inability to exit a contract and updates that are often implemented during working hours. This poor implementation time can be a hassle for businesses, especially during peak hours.

“Unfortunately, updates are always made during normal working hours, so we cannot use the system during the update.” — G2 review

“It was very user-friendly! Easy to train staff how to use and very straightforward format. Very nice for event-based or restaurant-based sales. Also great integration abilities!” — Capterra review

“TouchBistro offers a POS system that aligns itself with how employees today interact with tech today. A familiar interface with intuitive control makes implementation easy.” — G2 review

Pricing: $69/month

Recipe management: The highlight of TouchBistro, in my opinion, is its recipe management tools. The robustness of TouchBistro’s recipe management is unmatched, with recipes tying into inventory tracking and sales data. One important aspect I found with its software is the ability to input recipes and then generate allergen tags for each. This can be highly useful, especially for customers with severe allergies. 

TouchBistro's recipe management dashboard
Touchbistro offers a slew of different reports regarding individual recipe performance. (Source: TouchBistro)

Customer loyalty: Retaining customers through loyalty tools is very important for any restaurant. TouchBistro delivers you all the tools you need to surprise and delight your customers to ensure they keep coming back. 

CRM tools, marketing integrations, and targeted promotions all work in tandem to ensure you can attract and retain a customer base. TouchBistro even offers a branded app for your restaurant so customers can order through it.

Purchasing and invoicing tools: TouchBistro allows you to order food directly through its platform. It also has invoice tracking, making it easy to stay current with your vendors. When you pair this with the recipe management tools, you have full control over your BOH processing. 

Staff reports:  An underrated feature TouchBistro offers for staff management is called Staff Reports. These reports help you monitor staff performance during each shift. It also assists with scheduling, promotions, seasonal hiring, and even training. Staff Reports is a vital piece of the suite of tools TouchBistro offers for staff management. 


Guest analytics: TouchBistro allows you to see guest information and overall service trends in real time. This data shows your dining room at any given moment, allowing for more precise customer management. Furthermore, this view allows you to send marketing promotions in the moment, guiding your customers to choose menu items that you want to promote and sell.

Excellent customer support: Korona’s customer support score is a perfect five out of five, and for good reason. They have 24/7 customer service and a great suite of online resources to support users. Customer support specialists also help with items such as inventory onboarding, so if you require more support in your restaurant management software, then Korona may be right for you.

TouchBistro has robust customer analytics in its data dashboard. (Source: TouchBistro)

Square for Restaurants: Best free restaurant management software

Square logo.

Pricing: 4.69/5

General features: 3.48/5

Advanced features: 4.25/5

Support: 3.38/5

Expert score: 4.42/5

Pros

  • Free-to-use software
  • Very flexible contract
  • World-class POS system

Cons

  • Limited real-time reporting
  • No true accounting tools
  • No recipe management tools

Square for Restaurants is a dominant POS option for restaurants, and consistently tops our guides as one of the best options in 2025. Its restaurant management software is equal to its POS processing, with a suite of excellent tools to ensure you manage your restaurant with ease. The free-to-use plan and flexible contract are why Square is so popular, and make committing to the software that much easier. 

The biggest critique of the software is the more limited nature of some features when compared to other platforms on this list. Some restaurant management tools are simply not as robust as, say, a Toast or a Korona. 

Its limited real-time reporting and lack of true recipe management tools may turn off more data-savvy operators. That being said, if you’re looking for an affordable restaurant management software option, then Square for Restaurants is likely the best fit for you.

What actual users say:

Square for Restaurants is a fan-favorite in the food industry, and for good reason. It’s often the easiest starter POS system, and I would say it’s also a great starter software for restaurant management. 

Where I see a lot of negative reviews come in is when operators with a lot of experience want deeper levels of control through the POS tools. Overall, Square is a beloved restaurant management software with some limitations in its in-depth restaurant management capabilities. 

“Square for restaurants is a great app which helps in designing a platform with user defined requirements for all the services provided. It helps to create a platform for every need.” — G2 review

“The ease of entering in new items and organizing the screens is great and easy enough for even staff to do. We have worked with them to get certain end-of-day reports we needed, but overall, the accessibility to access what you need whether it be item sales per day, hour, category, etc., is really simple.” — Capterra review

“Doesn’t feel like it’s changing with the times. Frequent seeming disruptions. Less premium-type features outside the payment process. Reevaluate what customers want in personal payment processing and reinvent.” — G2 review

Pricing:

  • Free: $0/location/month + processing fees
  • Plus: $69/location/month + processing fees
  • Premium: $165/location/month + processing fees

Robust payroll services: For an extra cost of $35 per month, Square for Restaurants offers a very robust payroll processing tool — rightfully named the best restaurant payroll software in another recent guide. 

This tool offers two and four-day direct deposit, auto-payroll functionality, and even the ability to pay your staff through Cash App. Tax compliance, tip tracking, and digital pay stub generation are some of the many different functions Square’s payroll processing tool offers. 

Great user reviews: Square for Restaurants is one of the highest-rated POS software programs on the market today. The benefit of using Square is the size of the restaurant operator community that uses it. Square for Restaurants has been battle-tested in various restaurant settings, so there’s a lot of tertiary information on how best to use the product, no matter the food concept you manage. 

Customer loyalty tools: Square for Restaurants is known for making customer loyalty both easy and functional. Its suite of loyalty features ensures your customers can track the rewards they earn with each visit, while also encouraging them to return and collect more rewards with their next purchase. Square allows you to contact your customers automatically after a purchase, and makes signing up for your rewards program easy and seamless. 

Square for restaurants customer loyalty sign-up
Square for Restaurants makes customer loyalty sign-up simple. (Source: Square)

Great order management: Square consolidates in-house, pickup, and delivery orders from various channels into one dashboard. This allows the system to auto-86 items, speed up order entry, and keep each individual customer informed on the status of their order. 

Square integrates with top apps, such as DoorDash, to ensure your restaurant’s reach is as broad as possible. This order consolidation pairs the in-house hardware that powers Square with integrated delivery tech, allowing for an easy-to-manage order consolidation dashboard.

Square's consolidated order dashboard
Square for Restaurants offers great order consolidation tools. (Source: Square)

Lightspeed: Best for menu customization

Lightspeed Logo.

Pricing: 3.94/5

General features: 3.93/5

Advanced features: 2.75/5

Support: 4.75/5

Expert score: 3.59/5

Pros

  • Great menu customization tools
  • Excellent customer and account support
  • Omnichannel order consolidation is intuitive

Cons

  • Very high monthly cost
  • Limited marketing tools
  • Free trial is extremely limited

Lightspeed’s restaurant management software combines its signature POS software with many different tools that help you manage both your staff and your menu items. The customization you can make within this system is astounding, and that customization really makes the software feel like it is truly tailored to your restaurant. 

Excellent customer support means that you’re never left hanging when you need them, and its omnichannel order consolidation lets you manage different order channels in one place. It’s no wonder I named it one of the best restaurant inventory management software

I think the biggest drawback for Lightspeed is the high cost of the software per month. $189 a month is a large cost and significantly more expensive than the other options on this list. This, plus its very limited free trial, can deter some operators from trying the service. 

If cost is an issue for you, combined with its limited restaurant management functionality, then Lightspeed is likely not a great choice for your restaurant. 

What actual users say:

Lightspeed is generally well-reviewed by those in the restaurant industry, with many touting the excellent software/hardware combo that the product provides. Customer and account support is also a consistent highlight I see in reviews, which is encouraging for operators who need more support on tech setup.

The biggest complaints came from some local server issues, a lack of remote access, and some other technical glitches popping up every so often. 

“Training was efficient and professional.  Representatives were great to work with. Has functions that will help us grow and not move to another pod.” — Capterra review

“Smart and ease of use software for all of our staff. No need to buy exclusive hardware; all hardware can be bought off the shelf and is easy to set up. Customer support is always available, and we have a dedicated account manager who looks after our portfolio” — G2 review

Pricing: 

  • Essential: $189/month
  • Premium: $399/month
  • Enterprise: Custom-quoted

Menu customization: One critical piece of restaurant management is how you present your menu to your customers. Lightspeed’s menu customization is extremely robust, allowing you to customize and update your menu from anywhere. This menu customization also focuses on your staff, allowing you to leave dish details, allergen alerts, and even wine pairing suggestions with each menu item.

Lightspeed menu customization
Lightspeed has great menu customization for every menu item. (Source: Lightspeed) 

Excellent customer support: As I mentioned above, Lightspeed offers excellent customer support and account management. Account managers work with you and your account to ensure your POs are functioning as they need to. 

This focus on customer support is what sets Lightspeed apart in user reviews. Its wealth of online information and live customer communication is what helps so many operators find success with the system. 

Adjustable floor plan management: Managing the front-of-house is important, and Lightspeed makes it easy with its intuitive floor plan and waitlist management tools. Lightspeed designates table availability and timing with colors, making it very easy for staff to manage the dining room. Furthermore, you can add or remove tables during a service, and even set custom images in the table map to create a visual representation of your dining room for your staff.

Lightspeed table map
Lightspeed’s table management tools are industry-leading. (Source: Lightspeed)

Intuitive KDS: Lightspeed’s kitchen display system is very intuitive, using the same color designation ideology as table mapping. Each order on screen can come with an image, modifiers, and even a timer. 

You can set filters to sort orders during peak hours easily, and you can even set sound notifications for different order alerts. This robust KDS system allows you to manage your kitchen in a way that is both easy and highly efficient.

How to choose restaurant management software

Choosing a restaurant management software can be hard, as you need to pick one that fits the needs of your restaurant or food concept. Every restaurant is different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all option for management software. 

However, there are certain steps or criteria you can use to choose the best restaurant management software for your business.

1. Consider your restaurant type

First and foremost in your decision-making process, consider the type of restaurant you’re operating. The management software for a multi-unit QSR is going to be vastly different when compared to the software needed for a standalone wine bar. 

Evaluating whether the software actually has the tools you need to manage effectively will come down to your concept and the needs of that specific food business. Also, consider scalability. If you plan on growing, you’ll need a solution that can grow with your operation.

2. Understand your integration needs

Having a system that includes or integrates with a POS system should be another crucial part of your search for the right management software. Your POS will carry everything from sales data to employee management data.

Other items of note will be loyalty programs, accounting, and payroll information. Integrating and operating a robust tech stack between your management software and your POS data should be the goal.

3.  Weigh costs vs features

The cost of the software is important, but may not be the only variable. You shouldn’t automatically go into this search looking for the cheapest option, but rather the option that offers you the most success at a price you can afford. If a higher tier in a software will ensure you have the tools you need to succeed in managing your restaurant, then choosing that tier is likely your best bet, even if the cost is higher.

4. Review compliance and support

One important piece of advice I can give is to always look for tools with great customer support and data security. Also, ensuring that whatever software you choose coincides with labor laws and food safety regulations is highly important. 

By having robust customer support and an attention to laws surrounding labor, you can feel confident using your software. Asking about account security and how the software can comply with local laws and regulations is key when inquiring with a software company.

How to build a restaurant management tech stack

You may be wondering how the various restaurant technologies I write about fit into the restaurant setting. Restaurant management software is an excellent tool to have, but it works best when paired with other restaurant technology tools that are offered in the industry. 

For example, a restaurant I worked in used Toast and QuickBooks in tandem in order to manage accounting, sales, and the restaurant as a whole. 

If we were to have a restaurant using different tech to manage its operations, my tech stack would include: 

  • Toast for a POS and restaurant management software
  • MarketMan for inventory management
  • 7shifts for employee scheduling
  • QuickBooks for accounting

The way these software options intersect is where the best outcomes happen. To keep things simple, I mapped out how this software would be used for different tasks.

  • Ordering and inventory sync: MarketMan integrates with Toast, auto-updating when a dish is sold within Toast’s POS. Over time, the system alerts the general manager or account admin to reorder when stock on key inventory items gets low. 
  • Employee scheduling and labor cost tracking: 7shifts can schedule using past sales data from Toast automatically, which, in turn, optimizes your labor costs. 
  • Payroll and accounting: The hours logged into 7shifts flow into QuickBooks, which then processes the data for payroll. This process removes a lot of manual entry.
  • Performance insights: Toast reports on the best-selling items on your menu, while MarketMan tracks food costs on these dishes, helping you optimize for max profitability. 

As you can see, building out a comprehensive tech stack with your restaurant management software helps cover all areas of your restaurant. This connectivity leads to less admin time, more accurate data, lower operational costs, better customer retention, and overall business success. 

By pairing your tech stack like this, you can manage your restaurant admin with efficiency and better focus on the customer experiences. 

How I evaluated the best restaurant management software

Restaurant management is complex, and so are the different software options that assist in managing it. There are several key features, pricing models, and general tools to be considered when evaluating and rating the top restaurant management software on the market. Below is my methodology for how I rated the best restaurant management software.

Pricing: 30%

Pricing is a very important aspect of any restaurant software you may be considering. I took into account whether a free plan or trial was available, along with the starting price per month. I also checked if monthly billing was available, and if the pricing was actually transparent for each software. Finally, I looked to see the value each pricing tier offered and if the contract you signed up for was flexible. 

General features: 25%

The general features section of this guide took into account features that I deemed essential to managing a restaurant. Native or POS-integrated systems were a plus. I checked for both inventory and order management, and also looked for employee management tools, such as scheduling and team comms. 

I awarded more points to tools that offered real-time reporting by way of labor costing, P&L reports, and other cost control tools. Finally, I gave more points to vendors that offered menu management (like real-time 86’ing, cross-location edits, and AI-driven menu optimization or profitability insights) and accounting tools or integrations with major providers.

Advanced features: 20%

Some advanced features I considered in my ratings were recipe management, payroll tools, and rewards programs. I also looked for guest profile options, marketing tools, and omnichannel order consolidation. Finally, purchasing, receiving, and invoicing tools were also considered, as they indicated an in-depth focus on advanced restaurant features. 

Support: 15%

Support is always key in any software I review, and restaurant management software is no exception. I always look for how broad customer service hours are and if a software vendor offers live customer support. I also inquired about an onboarding account manager and looked for in-depth knowledge centers online. Finally, any product training or webinars are accounted for in this section of scoring.

Expert score: 10%

The expert score is my overall assessment of the total value of the software. I look at the cost associated with the software and the benefits it offers. And I look into real-world user reviews to determine what those in the restaurant industry think of the software I’m rating.

Restaurant management software frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Restaurant management software is a powerful tool that many different food business owners use. That being said, there are still many questions surrounding this type of food technology. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding restaurant management software.

How much does restaurant software cost?

Restaurant management software pricing varies depending on the actual provider you use and the tiered plan you choose. Pricing can be anywhere from $0 to over $200 a month. Some providers also have custom quotes, lacking transparency of pricing up front. That being said, the pricing you will choose will depend on the features your restaurant requires and the add-ons you want for your business. 

What software do most restaurants use?

Toast, Square for Restaurants, and TouchBistro are among the most popular restaurant management software. These software are affordable, have a ton of great features, and have been tested and approved by many in the industry. When it comes to which one is used most, it’s hard to say. These three are leaders in the space and the top picks for many restaurateurs. 

Can restaurant software help with inventory?

Restaurant software is a great asset to inventory management. This software often has a built-in inventory function or add-on, making it the perfect complement to your in-house inventory tracking. Additionally, many of these options will pair POS sales data with inventory tracking, allowing you to have a snapshot of what you have on hand in real time. Many of the leading restaurant management software programs on the market have an inventory tool or add-on.

Last bite

The best restaurant management platforms pair intuitive design, deep management tools, and easy-to-learn functionality into one. When it comes to the best choice on the market in 2025, Toast offers the most in-depth and well-rounded restaurant management software. With many different features to offer you control of your food business, it’s hard to find a system that’s more feature-rich and affordable than Toast for helping you manage your restaurant. 

Ray Delucci Avatar

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