5 Best Bar POS Systems for Dive Bars, Nightclubs, and Restaurant Bars

Monthly software fees:

• Starter Kit: $0
• Point of Sale: $69
• Build Your Own: Custom quote

Hardware costs:

• Pay-as-you-go plans include free hardware for up to two terminals (with the Pay-as-you-go processing rates listed below).
• The standard price for a stationary terminal with a router and card reader is $978.10
• One-time installation fees: $0 for self-installation, $250 for professional remote installation support

Processing fees: 

• In-person fees for the standard plan: 2.99% + 15 cents
• In-person fees for the Starter Kit plan: 2.49% + 15 cents

Countertop Terminal Kit	Handheld Terminal Kit	KDS
Pay-as-you-go: $0 upfront; 3.09% + 15 cents processing fees Pay upfront: $1,024 + $69 per month	Pay-as-you-go: $0 upfront; 3.09% + 15 cents processing fees Pay upfront: $978.10 + $69 per month	Custom quoted

• Open View order workflow: Toast’s Open View makes it easier for your staff to take orders by displaying items and modifiers all at once. This way, they can add modifiers as they naturally come up in conversation, as opposed to following a sequential list of submenus.
• Pay-as-you-go hardware: Get Toast’s industry-grade hardware with no upfront cost by agreeing to pay slightly higher credit card processing fees. You can get hardware for up to two terminals for no upfront cost. Toast is the only option on this list with pay-as-you-go hardware.
• Flexible bar tab management: Pre-authorize payment cards so no cards are left at the bar. Set your Toast POS to give any employee the ability to add items to an open tab from any register. Toast has a mobile POS terminal — the Toast Go 2 — so employees can take orders and close tabs tableside.
• Robust beverage integrations: Toast features a host of third-party integrations so you can customize the POS. Beverage-centric inventory is supported by BevSpot. Breweries can track keg usage with BrewLogix and offer self-serve pours via PourMyBeer.
• Toast Pay Card: For an additional fee, you can add the Toast Pay Card with PayOut, an app that lets your employees access their wages and tips as they are earned. This is a game changer for bars with high employee turnover. Toast is the only system on this list with this feature.
• Text from the POS: If your bartenders need more change, another bottle of tequila, or a manager to address a customer situation, they can send a text via the POS with the push of a button. This can help alert managers to high tills or relay requests for assistance with a customer.
• Multilocation Management: Toast enables you to have multiple versions of menus, allowing each location to feature its own specialties, exclude certain dishes, and even offer different pricing.
  Centralize reports for a bird’s-eye view of your restaurant empire, but have segmented control through assigning groups of individual permissions. You can also set up templates to make opening a new location easier.
• Intuitive handhelds: Toast touts excellent handheld POS options, which can be super beneficial during busy times like a Saturday night or a happy hour. The handhelds are very durable and offer all of Toast’s great features in a mobile package.
  Toast also offers mobile ordering, allowing guests to order from their cell phones and complete transactions when finished.

Monthly subscription plans*:

• Essentials: $189
• Premium: $399
• Enterprise: Custom quote

* Prices are lower for users who pay fees annually and enroll in Lightspeed Payments.

One-time installation fee: None

Payment processing: Lightspeed Payments starts at 2.6% + 10 cents for in-person payments. 

Terminal Kit	Verifone P400	Mobile Case
iPad stand, cash drawer, receipt printer, and kitchen printer	Mobile, PIN-enabled tap, swipe, and dip card reader	Rugged handheld case for iPad

• Automated inventory: Lightspeed’s built-in inventory tracking is comprehensive, including physical count and vendor management tools. It’s also more automated than TouchBistro.
  Due to Lightspeed’s plan consolidation, this excellent inventory system is now in the base Essential pricing tier. The system tracks idle stock, allows you to set par-level alerts, and supports real-time deductions while items are sold.
• Advanced Insights: The Lightspeed POS includes detailed reports called Insights, which offer a deeper look at staff productivity and customer behavior.
  Customer reports update automatically based on payment information. You don’t have to input each customer visit or purchase manually. The system logs all of this for you, even if the same customer uses different credit cards.
• Time-saving customizations: Lightspeed offers many features and shortcuts to make taking bar orders easier.
  Customers can start a tab by pre-authorizing a credit card. And design custom menus and floor plans for specific devices or shifts to offer limited menus at the bar or special happy-hour items, or split bills by item, course, or seat. You can also set up workflows for everything from ID checks to automating upsell suggestions.
• Recipe lookup: You can enter cocktail recipes into the POS, so your bartenders can look up cocktails with the push of a button. This is especially useful in craft cocktail operations where customers expect bartenders to make any obscure drink they request.
• Speedy ordering: Lightspeed Restaurant allows you to create combination orders for quicker order inputs. Pre-authorization allows for orders to be managed and processed at the best time for your staff, and single-seat checkout allows for your bar’s floor plan to stay up to date in order to serve more customers during every service.

Monthly software costs:

• Free: $0
• Plus: $69
• Premium: $165

Hardware costs:

• From $59 for a card reader (though Square will send your first card reader for free) to $1,389 for a complete Square POS kit with a stand, cash drawer, card reader, Square Terminal, receipt printer, and kitchen printer (iPad not included)
• $0 installation; Square is self-installed, but you can request on-site installation assistance for $600

Processing fees: 

• 2.6% + 10 cents for in-person transactions 
• 2.9% + 30 cents for online or invoice transactions
• 3.5% + 15 cents per transaction for manually keying in a customer’s credit card

Stand	Terminal	Stand Restaurant Station	Stand Mount
$149($14 per month for 12 months)*	$299($27 per month for 12 months)	$1,089*	$149($14 per month for 12 months)*
Payment-enabled iPad stand	Handheld order and payment terminal with integrated receipt printer	Complete POS including Square stand, cash drawer, and receipt printer	Counter or wall mount for POS or self-service kiosks

*Price without an iPad; with an iPad, add $349. 

• One-day setup: Square setup is the fastest among all systems on this list. All you need to do is download the POS app and attach a bank account. Square will send you a free swipe card reader, or you can purchase a tap or dip card reader for $59.
• Affordable hardware: Square operates on iPads or Square-built POS registers and handheld terminals. Almost every hardware tool offers easy monthly payments to reduce your upfront cost.
• Free baseline POS: Like competitor Toast, Square for Restaurants offers a free baseline POS subscription. This Free tier is designed to support the smallest businesses, so it only comes with a single set of user permissions, but you can use the software on unlimited terminals.
• Employee tools: Even its free plan offers some robust employee management tools, like time tracking, a time clock, and scheduling for up to five employees.
  If you choose to use Square Payroll ($35 per month + $6 per employee, per month), you can pay employees immediately through your Square account. It includes all the POS features, plus shift scheduling for five people, time tracking, online ordering, and more.
• Item-level inventory: Square for Restaurants includes simple item-level inventory tracking in the baseline POS. It’s not ingredient-level like Lightspeed, but Square can easily track wines by the glass or bottle, which is all a wine bar needs.
  If your bar needs more advanced, ingredient-level inventory, Square integrates with Peachworks, Yellow Dog, Digital Pour, and our top-ranked inventory system, MarketMan.
• Secure bar tabs: Square’s pre-authorized bar tabs are still in beta mode with some bugs to work out. That being said, offering this function at such a low cost is a great addition and could be all you need if committing to a two-year contract with Toast is too much. 

• Monthly subscription fee: Custom-quoted
• One-time installation fee: $0
• Processing fees: Custom-quoted through Lavu Pay, varies by other processors

Lavu’s hardware is iPad-based, so any additional hardware or card readers must be purchased separately.

• Cash discount setting: Lavu’s lowest-price software subscriptions all come with enrollment in Lavu Pay with cash discounting. This setting builds the cost of payment processing into your menu item prices and offers a discount to customers who pay in cash.
  If you’ve avoided accepting credit cards and digital payments because of the expense of processing fees, Lavu offers an easy (and legal) way to offset the costs.
• Bar-supporting features: Like others on this list, Lavu supports dual cash drawer tills, credit card pre-authorizations, and quick order screens. So, if you need to manage multiple cash drawers and handle a high volume of customers, Lavu has you covered.
• Accounts Payable via Sourcery: Lavu owns the accounts payable software Sourcery, and the Lavu POS integrates seamlessly with it. For an additional $99 per month, you can connect your POS to powerful invoice management tools, allowing you to store invoices, approve them, pay your vendor bills online, and even generate new orders.
  Sourcery’s ordering tools are the strongest of any system on this list, centralizing vendor catalogs and supporting orders placed from tablets, desktop computers, or over the phone.
• Bar-supporting integrations: Lavu users can choose from several bar-specific inventory tools, such as Bar-i, which counts inventory using barcode scans and an integrated scale for accurate counts every time.
  You’ll also find integrations for draft management with DigitalPour and multiple options for bar-specific inventory management.

• Monthly software subscription fee: $69 per terminal
• One-time installation fee: $0; this system is self-installed
• Processing fees: Custom-quoted for new clients

iPad	iPad Terminal configuration
iPad used for TouchBistro’s software	Typical TouchBistro iPad terminal setup

• Bar-specific tools to speed service: The “Fast Bar” mode lets staff take and close orders in just two taps. Bar tabs let customers order throughout the night, and you can easily split bills or make table transfers. You can also set up barside payments so guests can check themselves out.
• iOS-based user interface: Anyone who has used an iPhone will pick up TouchBistro at lightning speed. This streamlined design makes TouchBistro so easy to use. In fact, many user reviews mention that training new staff to use the POS can be completed in under an hour. If your bar struggles with high turnover, TouchBistro can help you save hundreds of dollars in training costs.
• Built-in inventory options: TouchBistro supports two inventory systems, one of which is a basic countdown for individual items like bottles of wine, which may be all a wine bar or brewery needs. Cocktail bars and pubs that serve food may prefer the ingredient-level inventory.
  In my experience, however, TouchBistro’s ingredient-level inventory tools require a lot more administrative legwork to update than more automated systems like Lightspeed.
• Reports To Go: TouchBistro includes a smartphone reporting app that owners and managers can access on the go called “Reports To Go.” This app is available for iOS and Android phones and includes basic sales and labor reports along with void and discount tracking.
• Brewery-supporting integrations: TouchBistro integrates with Bevchek, a draft beverage management system that monitors inventory level, fluid flow, and even beer temperature. Additional integrations with MarketMan, Freepour, and Craftable provide additional inventory options for different bar types.