The Best Bakery POS Systems: 8 Must-Have Features (2024)

When it comes to running a bakery, your focus should be on retaining great staff members, baking up delicious bread, and crafting the best pastries. 

Notice worrying about your point of sale system didn’t make the list? That’s because your bakery POS features should make your day-to-day easier so you can focus on more important parts of your business. 

Restaurant technology is constantly changing. With an increased demand for contactless payment options, such as takeout and online ordering, it’s more important than ever to choose a bakery POS platform that offers all the bells and whistles while remaining easy to use and affordable. 

Whether you’re just starting your journey as a bakery owner or you’ve been in business for years, let’s determine the best POS system for your business. In this article, you’ll discover which software features you should consider if you want to sell a lot more baguettes in 2023.

What is the most popular POS system for cafes?

There are several different pos systems to choose from for your bakery. However, something to keep in mind, is whether or not the POS platform you’re evaluating was specifically for restaurants. While some retail POS systems might work for a restaurant, they often come with drawbacks and missing features that can complicate your day-to-day processes.

Another consideration is whether to choose a cloud-based POS or a legacy POS system. Some examples of cloud-based POS platforms include Toast, Square POS, Lightspeed, and Clover. Examples of legacy POS platforms include NCR and Oracle Micros. When it comes to the benefits of a cloud-based POS system, greater flexibility, cleaner data, and frictionless guest experiences top the list. 

All in all, it’s important to choose a POS system that can grow with your bakery and help increase efficiency for your staff.

The best POS systems for bakeries in 2022

Toast ranks #1 in the restaurant POS system category based on consumer reviews. G2 examines over 15 data points to determine the market presence, using a combination of proprietary and third-party data and exclusively uses consumer reviews to determine satisfaction. All of their scoring methodologies are explained in more detail on the G2 website, but we’ll provide a bit more information below.

How the G2 Grid Restaurant Review Scoring System Works

G2’s scoring system is based on thousands of customer reviews and a unique algorithm that helps to process the data and find meaningful patterns and results in real-time. Here’s a breakdown of the different elements in the grid and scoring system.

• X-Axis: Satisfaction, based on user reviews and feedback
• Y-Axis: Market presence, based on proprietary usage data, third-party data, and customer reviews
• Top right quadrant — Leaders: The restaurant POS systems that have both strong customer satisfaction ratings and a strong market presence Ex. Toast, Square, Lightspeed
• Top left quadrant — Contenders: POS systems with weak satisfaction scores and a strong market presence Ex. NCR Aloha POS
• Bottom right quadrant — High performers: POS platforms with strong satisfaction scores, but a weak market presence Ex. Upserve, CAKE
• Bottom left quadrant — Niche: These platforms have weak satisfaction scores and a weak market presence Ex. POSitouch, Payfacto

The G2 scoring methodology and grid system incorporate several attributes to surface the most helpful reviews for prospective technology customers. Some of the factors in satisfaction rates include customer satisfaction with product features, popularity, quality of reviews, age of reviews, net promoter scores (NPS), and more.

Toast for bakeries

Toast's Starter Kit package is the ideal POS system for cafes or bakeries with fewer than 10 employees. With the choice between a countertop or handheld kit, Toast’s Starter Kit helps you get up and running fast with intuitive tools that help your staff focus on food and hospitality, not complicated software. 

The Toast Pay as You Go plan keeps startup costs low by including Starter Kit Hardware for $0* (just pay shipping and taxes), and eliminating monthly POS software subscription fees. The payment processing fee covers all costs, meaning Toast only gets paid when you do. One flat rate applies for all credit card transactions, regardless of card type and entry method.

(Have more than 10 employees? Schedule a quick demo today with a Toast specialist to discuss which Toast products and packages would be best for you.)

With Toast, you can serve up coffees or pastries fast with easy and efficient tools, all at your fingertips. From 24/7 reliability to flexible options for every budget, here's to finally getting that me time back.

But don’t just take it from us. Here’s what others have to say about Toast:

Quick to learn, and even easier to use: Toast's restaurant-first platform is built with you in mind. Interested in learning more? Request a demo with a Toast specialist.

The top 8 features of a bakery POS system

When it comes to running your bakery, you have enough on your plate. From deciding on your menu and hiring employees to providing great hospitality and managing inventory, being a bakery owner is no piece of cake. But choosing the right cafe POS technology will make a lot of these tasks easier and more efficient.

Here are the top seven features to consider when choosing a bakery POS for your bakery business needs.

1. A reliable and modern cloud-based POS terminal

When it comes down to it, everything in the front of house revolves around one thing: the cash register.

Without a POS system, you wouldn’t be able to process orders or collect payments. So while you may have the friendliest bakers in town or the most perfect focaccia, the POS hardware you install helps keep track of cash and, in effect, keeps the doors open for more customers.

Finding a terminal that’s easy to use and train employees on—as well as one that can manage all on-prem and off-prem order sources in one system—can help integrate FOH and BOH to reduce ticket times and improve customer service. A cloud-based POS terminal helps link the various technologies you’re using, such as handhelds, a kitchen display system or KDS, a payroll system, and more.

2. Guest-facing POS screen

This is how it’s always been: your customer says their order, the server or cashier repeats the order back to confirm, they swipe their card, a receipt prints, and they sign with a pen.

Rinse and repeat. 

But what if your customers could see their order in real-time on a guest-facing screen, sign with the swipe of a finger, and cut down on wait times?

Guest-facing POS displays do just that, improving order accuracy and giving guests the transparency they want.

3. Integrated kitchen display system

When it comes to that early-morning rush hour, staff shouldn’t have to fumble with paper receipts to keep up.

A kitchen display system (KDS) is a digital screen used to view orders at a glance. A KDS replaces printers and physical tickets. Some kitchen display systems can even automatically fire orders based on prep time, ensuring that one item doesn’t get cold while another is still being prepped. Plus, having a KDS allows your staff to be both efficient and sustainable by cutting down on paper use.

3. Integrated kitchen display system

When it comes to early-morning rush hour, staff shouldn’t have to fumble with paper receipts to keep up.

A kitchen display system (KDS) is a digital screen used to view orders at a glance. A KDS replaces printers and physical tickets. Some kitchen display systems can even automatically fire orders based on prep time, ensuring that one item doesn’t get cold while another is still being prepped. Plus, having a KDS allows your staff to be both efficient and sustainable by cutting down on paper use.

4. Easy menu management

If the POS is the heart of the restaurant, the menu is the backbone. 

Having a POS system that allows for easy, on-the-fly menu updates is a must. Being able to 86 menu items helps to avoid poor customer experience and streamline kitchen operations. With a legacy POS platform, every time an ingredient runs out or a menu item needs to be updated in the POS, the entire system needs to be restarted. Imagine that during a lunch rush!? With Toast, it’s as easy as using Quick Edit Mode to mark an item as out of stock. 

Plus, Toast POS uses a hierarchal system to organize your menu offerings into menus, groups, subgroups, and items for better organization and easy access. 

Need to change your pricing? No sweat. Not only can you easily update the price of an item using Toast, but you can also take advantage of size pricing, group pricing, and even time-based pricing for things like happy hours or weekly specials. 

Being able to easily upload, edit, and view your menu is a must for any bakery or cafe POS software.

5. Inventory management

At a time when inflation is at a high and cost control is more important than ever, it’s important to have POS software that offers inventory tracking and management. Being able to quickly take stock of your inventory with a simple glance can help you make smarter purchasing decisions and control your costs. 

Using inventory management software helps you ditch the sheets and clipboards with app-based processes. The best inventory management platforms will help get counts done quicker on your phone or mobile device by mapping count lists to your unique kitchen setup and tracking patterns of missing value to identify waste, shrinkage, and theft.

xtraCHEF by Toast offers modern inventory management tools to keep your culinary and finance teams on the same page. Control waste, rising costs, and manage your profitability with value-based inventory insights.

6. Employee management

Having your basic operational tools integrated into one system can be a game changer. Rather than jumping from software to software, the convenience of having an all-in-one platform can simplify your tasks as a restaurant owner. 

Choosing a POS system that will help speed up employee onboarding, facilitate payroll, and ensure your team is paid on time can be a big stress reliever. Then, add in the ability to schedule employees and communicate with your team, too?!

With Toast Payroll & Team Management and Sling by Toast, restaurateurs can do all of that and more. Save time, reduce miscommunication, and streamline vital HR processes with an integrated POS platform like Toast.

7. Online ordering integration 

Having a seamless online ordering solution integrated with your POS saves both your staff and customer time. The fact of the matter is that your guests are on the go, and want their coffee to be ready when they arrive at your cafe. Set up a beautiful online ordering site that showcases your brand with custom font, color, and images to let your guests know it’s the restaurant they love.

Plus, mobile dining solutions such as Toast Mobile Order & Pay™ can be a huge delighter for guests; this technology means that your regular who works remotely from your cafe can order a second coffee without having to get up!

8. Customer loyalty programs & gift cards

In 2023 customer loyalty is of the greatest importance, especially for small business bakeries. Offering a rewards and loyalty program for your regulars will keep them coming back time and time again. Gone are the days of punch cards to keep track of orders; in 2023, it’s all about digital loyalty programs.

Designed to attract and retain guests, loyalty programs allow guests to rack up points-based rewards that can be customized by you. From setting up sign-up bonuses and accrual and redemption rates, or even special rewards for birthdays or anniversaries, loyalty programs reward your frequent supporters and gamify the experience of visiting your cafe. 

Meanwhile, gift cards are a great way to offer future experiences to your guests. But what good is a gift card if you have to jump through hoops to redeem it? The best POS software allows for integrated gift card sales and management. With integrated, digital gift cards, guests can check their balance easily online, from your website or your online ordering site. And, since they’re integrated with your point of sale software, many platforms — including Toast — offer reporting & analytics to analyze gift card sales by day, week, month, or more and see detailed order history on each gift card transaction.

(Read the full review on G2)

Other things to keep in mind when choosing bakery POS technology

• Whichever POS hardware you choose, make sure it can withstand the wear and tear of accidental drops and spills.

• Your POS solution should be versatile enough to process different payment options and support both online and offline orders. 

• User-friendly POS hardware is a must, whether your staff is taking orders or customers are using self-service kiosks. With relatively high employee turnover in cafes, implementing a POS system that’s easy to use will make a huge impact when onboarding new staff.

• The restaurant industry is always changing, and bakeries are included. Choose a POS that doesn’t have hidden monthly fees no matter what’s going on in the industry. Always know what you’re paying. 

Deliver a better experience with POS technology that is built for your coffee shop or bakery

Whether your cafe is a quick grab-and-go spot or a place for students to spend hours in with their laptops, it’s important to find the right POS technology for your needs.

Trusted by thousands of cafes and restaurants of all sizes, Toast is built for you.

Set your cafe up for success by opting for a cloud-based POS system, like Toast, that will grow with you and allow you to drive great hospitality — even without the table service. 

At the end of the day, reliable POS hardware and software will both improve your business's bottom line and lead to happier staff and customers.

Related coffee shop, cafe, and bakery resources

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• How to Make a Bakery Menu Design With Examples (Free Template)
• How Flour Bakery Shaved Minutes Off Wait Times with Toast POS System
• How to Run a Successful Bakery: 8 Running a Bakery Business Tips (2024)
• How to Write a Bakery Business Plan
• How to Do Bakery Branding (Ideas and Examples)
• Bakery Industry Trends and Statistics in 2024
• How to Design a Bakery: 9 Bakery Design Ideas
• How Much Does it Cost to Open a Bakery? [Bakery Startup Costs]
• Essential Bakery Equipment List: Equipment Needed to Start a Bakery