Toast

Yes. Toast is a restaurant-only platform, designed for restaurants, bars, and cafes. It includes hospitality features that general processors do not, such as kitchen display screens, online ordering, table management, and loyalty. If you run a non-food retail business, a general processor like Square or Clover is a better fit.

Toast's software fee is From $0-165/mo on its core plan, charged per terminal, with a free Starter tier available in exchange for a higher card rate and higher-tier plans that add modules. Because Toast bundles software, hardware, and processing, the monthly figure is only part of the picture, so review the full quote.

Often, yes. Toast's bundled deals are typically multi-year, though a pay-as-you-go month-to-month option exists at a higher rate. Early termination on a term contract is calculated from the months remaining. The card rate can also be raised with notice, so confirm both the term and the rate-change terms before signing.

Toast has native AI built for restaurants: ToastIQ is a conversational assistant, Sous Chef surfaces operational insights and voice tools, and the AI Marketing Assistant helps with campaigns. Toast does not publish an official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, so connecting it to AI agents currently relies on third-party or community tools.

Toast prices in bundles rather than a single published figure. Software runs from a free Starter Kit tier up to higher monthly plans per terminal, and the card processing rate is negotiated as part of your deal, so the real all-in cost depends on your hardware, modules, and rate. Toast is quote-driven, so get a tailored quote before committing. The comparison table on this page shows how Toast compares with transparent-priced systems.

Yes. Toast is built specifically for restaurants, bars, and cafes, with deep hospitality features like online ordering, kitchen display systems, table management, handhelds, and loyalty. It is not designed for general retail. If you run a retail store, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, or Shopify POS are the appropriate options; Toast is the specialist choice for food and drink businesses.

Often, yes. Toast entry agreements are frequently multi-year, and the card processing rate can be raised with notice. Hardware is proprietary to Toast, so it is tied to the platform. Because the term, rate, and bundle all vary by deal, read the agreement closely and confirm the contract length and any early termination terms before you sign.

Toast includes ToastIQ, a native AI layer that surfaces sales insights, menu and labor recommendations, and marketing suggestions from your restaurant data. It is built into the platform. Toast does not publish an official MCP server; connecting it to AI agents is done through community-built or third-party automation tools rather than a vendor MCP.

Yes. Toast includes its own online ordering and integrates with the major US delivery marketplaces such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub, so orders flow into the same system as in-house tickets. This is part of why it is one of the most complete restaurant platforms in the US, though the broad feature set is reflected in its bundle-led, quote-driven pricing.

Toast is the deeper, restaurant-only platform, with stronger kitchen display, online ordering, and hospitality features built in, but it is quote-led with proprietary hardware and often a multi-year term. Square for Restaurants is simpler, with transparent flat-rate pricing, no contract, and a free tier, but fewer specialist restaurant features at the top end. Toast suits committed full-service operators; Square suits cafes and casual venues wanting predictability.