TouchBistro Review: Plenty of Features, Murky Pricing
TouchBistro offers all of the features most restaurants need. But it’s tough to tell at what cost due to quote-based pricing and unclear contract lengths.
The bottom line:
TouchBistro is an OK iPad-based POS system for restaurants that want to shop around for their own payment processor. Doing so gives you the opportunity to negotiate rates and find the cheapest processing solution for your business. Otherwise, TouchBistro is expensive for what you get. Its general lack of transparency also makes it difficult to stack up against competitors.
Software details
Payment processing fees
N/A
Quote-based.
Monthly fee
$69
and up.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Compatible with some third-party payment processors.
Offers in-house reservation management, staff scheduling and loyalty program.
Profit management tools available.
Has 24/7 phone support in all plans.
Cons
Quote-based pricing makes it hard to compare to competitors.
Software plans are expensive.
Unclear about contract duration.
Compare to other products
3.4
NerdWallet rating
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
at TouchBistro
4.4
NerdWallet rating
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
5.0
NerdWallet rating
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
3.7
NerdWallet rating
NerdWallet’s ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula takes into account the type of software being reviewed (such as accounting, point of sale, invoicing or payroll) and the software’s range of features, cost, integrations, customer support and more.
Payment processing fees
N/A
Quote-based.
Payment processing fees
2.49% + $0.15
if you buy hardware upfront; 3.09% + $0.15 and up for pay-as-you-go option.
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.15
Online: 3.3% + $0.30
Payment processing fees
In-person: 2.6% + $0.10
Online: 2.9% + $0.30
Need more options? Check our picks for best payment processing systems
Toast: Better for restaurant-grade hardware. TouchBistro’s iPad POS systems are convenient and easy to move around. But if you deal with lots of spills in your front-of-house space, Toast’s hardware might be a better fit. The company built its devices to withstand drops, high heat and humidity, spills and grease. Read our full Toast review.
Square: Better for free POS plan. Unlike TouchBistro, Square has a $0-per-month plan. Its features are limited, but it’s a good jumping-off point if cash flow is low. It includes menu management, online ordering, low-stock alerts and basic reporting. And if your needs change, you can upgrade to its Plus or Premium plan. Read our full Square review.
Lightspeed Restaurant: Better for inventory management. Lightspeed’s inventory management system lets you track food waste, cost out recipes and compare margins. This is a big plus if you’re trying to dial in your menu and home in on recipes with the largest returns. You’ll find these advanced capabilities in Lightspeed’s Essential plan and up. TouchBistro considers inventory management an add-on regardless of your plan. Read our full Lightspeed Restaurant review.
Full review
TouchBistro has been building and selling restaurant POS systems since 2010. In terms of features, the company offers a capable solution for lots of different restaurant types from quick-service to fine-dining.
Its lack of transparency ultimately drags it down, though. That’s why I recently removed TouchBistro from NerdWallet’s list of the best restaurant POS systems. Most restaurants can find a better solution that’s more upfront about term lengths and pricing.
Still, I give it credit for some of its more unique features. For example, TouchBistro is considerably more versatile than competitors that use expensive proprietary hardware and in-house processing services. That’s because its POS systems mostly use iPads. So, if you already have one, the barrier to entry (at least in terms of upfront hardware costs) is pretty low.
TouchBistro also works with a couple of third-party payment processors. And from what I can tell, it doesn’t charge you extra to do so. (I’ve reached out for confirmation on this and will follow up when I hear back.)
Competitors like Lightspeed Restaurant are compatible with outside processing companies too. But Lightspeed adds its own markup on top of what the third-party processor charges.
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a highly flexible POS solution, TouchBistro might fit the bill. You just have to be willing to put in the work to figure out how much it’ll cost you.
TouchBistro is best for:
✔️ Choosing between a few payment processors.
✔️ iPad POS setups.
✔️ Picking and choosing add-ons.
TouchBistro overview
Payment processing model | Flat rate or interchange plus. |
Payment processing fees | Quote-based if you use TouchBistro Payments; can also choose from supported third-party payment processors. |
Monthly fee |
|
Hardware cost | Quote-based. |
Contract length | The contract length is specified in the quote and is automatically renewed unless 30 days' prior notice of cancellation is given. In most cases, you can’t terminate the contract early. |
Customer support | 24/7 phone support, plus email. |
Where TouchBistro stands out
Third-party integrations
TouchBistro’s main strong suit is its compatibility with a couple of third-party payment processing companies. Other popular restaurant POS systems, like Square and Toast, pigeonhole you into using their in-house services. That’s not a bad thing for restaurants that prioritize convenience over cost. But you can often find cheaper processing rates if you explore third-party options.
TouchBistro is compatible with Chase and TSYS in the U.S. TSYS is a backend processor, which means your business won’t work directly with it. Instead, your pricing and day-to-day interactions will be with a TSYS partner like Cayan, Transfirst or a local company. That gives you even more options for shopping around.
If you’re looking for a POS system you can use with a larger variety of processors, check out Clover. Just know that you need to buy your hardware directly from the third-party processor. Otherwise, it won’t be programmed correctly.
TouchBistro also has its own in-house processing services if you don’t feel like shopping around. Its rates are quote-based, and you can choose between interchange-plus and flat-rate pricing.
The former is typically more cost-effective for restaurants with high sales volume. But it’s hard to find a breakeven point without actual rates. For other processors I’ve looked at, interchange-plus becomes worthwhile if you process more than $8,000 per month and deal mostly with transactions that cost more than $50.
Payment processing aside, TouchBistro also integrates with Restaurant365, QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, MarginEdge and DoorDash.
Selection of add-ons
TouchBistro’s variety of add-ons makes it highly customizable. It also lets you access more capabilities under the same roof as opposed to mixing and matching different software programs.
For example, TouchBistro has its own inventory management, profit management and reservations platform. Keeping these programs in-house helps guarantee data flows smoothly between them.
You’ll also find add-ons for gift cards, customer loyalty programs, labor management, marketing and online ordering.
Where TouchBistro falls short
Quote-based pricing
TouchBistro isn’t transparent about its pricing. That goes for POS software, hardware and payment processing. Even if you think it might be a good fit for your restaurant, you have to do a good amount of legwork upfront to figure out how much it’ll cost. And that can be a time-consuming endeavor.
For instance, TouchBistro tells you its base-level Point of Sale plan starts at $69 per month and its Essentials Bundle starts at $119 per month. It’s unclear what drives those starting prices up, though. Its website points to costs like “additional fees,” which could mean anything. I reached out to TouchBistro for more details on their pricing and will update accordingly.
Add-ons are also quote-based. This isn’t atypical for restaurant POS systems. But it’s inconvenient. At the very least, the company should list a starting price for each add-on. That can help you estimate a baseline for potential costs, even if your actual bills might be higher.
The same goes for average processing rates and basic POS hardware setups. It’s less common for none of these details to be available. For instance, Toast also uses “starting at” pricing for its software and quotes for add-ons. But it at least lists processing rates and hardware pricing for its starter plans.
Base plan is expensive for what it offers
TouchBistro’s starter plan costs at least $69 per month. But its capabilities are underwhelming when you compare them to some competitors. For example, TouchBistro’s base plan doesn’t offer much more than Square’s $49-per-month restaurant POS plan.
Both include staff management, tableside ordering, menu management and integrations. The biggest differentiator seems to be TouchBistro’s 24/7 phone support.
Toast’s plans start at $69 per month as well. Those come with 24/7 phone support too. You also get Toast’s guest CRM services. You can use these tools to create customer profiles from data like reservations and orders to help drive repeat engagement. None of TouchBistro’s plans include those capabilities. However, like Toast, TouchBistro offers loyalty programs as an add-on.
What small-business owners think of TouchBistro
I checked online forums like Reddit and reviews from sites like Trustpilot, G2, the App Store and Google Play to gauge how users feel about TouchBistro. I used an AI tool to help analyze this feedback. Here are the major trends I spotted.
👍 iPad hardware
Some online users appreciate that TouchBistro runs on iPads. If a component breaks, they’re often simpler and less expensive to replace than proprietary registers. iPads are also versatile, because they’re so easy to move around. This is important in fast-paced environments.
👎 Termination fees and unclear contract renewals
Multiple online commenters shared similar stories regarding contracts. It’s typically something along the lines of they closed their business, called TouchBistro to let it know and came to find out they were still paying for its services months later. Some say TouchBistro automatically renewed their contract even after they had tried cancelling.
TouchBistro’s terms of service do state that you can only terminate the agreement in writing at least 30 days before the contractual term is up.
The company’s terms also mention that it’ll renew your contract unless you provide written notice. Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon. Toast does the same thing. But it sounds like TouchBistro may not be clearly communicating that to customers who call to cancel.
How we evaluated TouchBistro
NerdWallet’s writers and editors independently review POS systems, like TouchBistro, by analyzing more than 30 data points. To evaluate TouchBistro, I collected data from its public-facing website, help articles and company representatives.
I also looked through individual reviews and feedback on sites like Trustpilot, the App Store, Google Play and Reddit. Then, I used AI tools to help spot larger trends within those comments.
Since our team cannot verify each user’s individual experience, we don’t incorporate user reviews in our star ratings. For more information on how we score payment processors, see our full methodology.