Toast, Square, Lightspeed, TouchBistro, Clover compared. Honest pros, cons, pricing, and what to watch out for in contracts.
Choosing a POS system is one of the biggest technology decisions you will make for your restaurant. It touches every part of your operation: orders, payments, kitchen communication, reporting, staff management, and increasingly, your online presence.
This guide compares the major options available to independent restaurants in Canada, with honest pros and cons for each.
Before comparing specific systems, know what matters for your restaurant:
Payment processing flexibility. Some POS systems require you to use their payment processing (and take a cut of every transaction). Others let you choose your own processor. If you already have a payment processing relationship you are happy with, this matters. Contract terms. Some systems lock you into 1 to 3 year contracts with early termination fees. Others are month-to-month. Read the contract carefully before signing. Hardware costs. Tablets, terminals, kitchen display screens, card readers. Some systems sell hardware at cost and make money on software subscriptions. Others give you "free" hardware but lock you into expensive processing contracts. Online ordering integration. If you want to accept online orders through your own website (not just through DoorDash), check whether the POS includes this or charges extra. Canadian payment support. Not all US-based POS systems work smoothly with Canadian payment processors, tax rules, and tipping customs. Verify Canadian compatibility before committing.Toast is the most popular restaurant-specific POS in North America. It was designed exclusively for restaurants, which means the features are tailored to how restaurants actually operate.
Pros:Square started as a general payment tool and built restaurant-specific features on top. It is simpler than Toast but also less specialized.
Pros:Lightspeed is a Canadian company (Montreal-based), which means strong Canadian support and compliance.
Pros:TouchBistro is another Canadian company (Toronto-based), built specifically for restaurants.
Pros:| Feature | Toast | Square | Lightspeed | TouchBistro | Clover |
|---------|-------|--------|------------|-------------|--------|
| Canadian company | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bring your own processor | No | No | Yes | Yes | Varies |
| Free plan | Yes* | Yes | No | No | No |
| Month-to-month | No | Yes | No | No | Varies |
| Built-in online ordering | Yes | Yes | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| Kitchen display | Yes | Paid plan | Yes | Yes | Add-on |
| iPad-based | No (Android) | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (proprietary) |
*Toast free plan requires Toast payment processing
Once you commit to a POS system, switching is painful. Your menu is built in that system. Your staff is trained on it. Your reporting history lives there. Your payment processing is tied to it.
Before signing, ask yourself: "If I want to leave this system in two years, what does that look like?" If the answer involves early termination fees, proprietary hardware you cannot reuse, and losing your sales data, factor that into your decision.
Your POS handles orders and payments. Your digital menu handles how customers discover and browse what you serve before ordering.
These are complementary, not competing. Your POS manages the in-house workflow. Your digital menu manages the customer-facing presentation on Google, your website, your QR codes, and your social media.
EasyMenus works alongside any POS system. Build your customer-facing menu on EasyMenus, link it from Google and your website, and use your POS for everything that happens after the customer decides to order.
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