Restaurant technology has evolved dramatically over the past decade, transforming how businesses manage orders, payments, and customer relationships. Two prominent POS systems—Toast and Upserve’s Breadcrumb—have emerged as popular choices for food service establishments. Toast has established itself as a market leader according to the G2 Restaurant POS Grid, while Breadcrumb maintains a solid presence despite lower market penetration. Both platforms offer restaurant-specific features, but their approaches differ significantly in terms of hardware, integrations, and operational philosophy. Understanding these differences becomes crucial as restaurants increasingly rely on technology to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences.
Toast operates exclusively on Android devices, creating both opportunities and limitations for restaurant operators. This Android-focused architecture allows establishments to utilize more affordable hardware options with diverse form factors, providing greater flexibility in physical setup and configuration. The system experiences fewer software versioning issues compared to iOS platforms, resulting in more stable performance across updates. However, restaurants heavily invested in Apple ecosystems may face transition challenges when adopting Toast’s Android-based infrastructure.
The platform’s comprehensive feature set distinguishes it from many competitors. Toast’s interface emphasizes efficiency through customizable layouts and quick-access buttons, enabling servers to input complex orders with minimal taps. Their check-splitting functionality receives particular praise for its drag-and-drop simplicity, allowing staff to easily divide items between multiple payment methods. The system includes native online ordering that seamlessly connects to kitchen display screens, automatically notifying staff and customers when orders are received.
Toast’s hardware ecosystem extends beyond basic terminals to include handheld devices for tableside ordering, kitchen display systems, and self-ordering kiosks. Terminals start at approximately $899 for a 10-inch device with flip stand and magnetic card reader, though costs increase when adding specialized peripherals. The company offers hardware financing options with 0% interest, potentially alleviating upfront investment burdens for new restaurants.
Toast’s innovation extends into contactless dining experiences through QR code payment functionality, allowing guests to view menus and pay directly from smartphones without server interaction. The platform also includes:
Breadcrumb was originally built for iOS, specifically optimized for iPads and Apple’s ecosystem. This platform choice leverages Apple’s renowned user interface consistency and device reliability, creating an intuitive experience for staff familiar with iOS devices. However, iPads generally represent higher initial investments than equivalent Android tablets, potentially increasing startup costs for budget-conscious operators.
The system earns recognition for its exceptionally user-friendly design and straightforward implementation process. Many reviewers highlight Breadcrumb’s intuitive check-splitting feature and comprehensive employee tracking capabilities as standout elements. The platform handles offline credit card transactions seamlessly, though some users note concerning gaps in declined payment notifications—a potential blind spot for payment processing management.
Breadcrumb’s acquisition history adds complexity to its market position. Originally developed by Groupon, then acquired by Upserve, and now managed under Lightspeed’s portfolio, these ownership changes raise questions about long-term development focus and platform stability. Despite these transitions, the system maintains functional capabilities suited to independent restaurants and smaller operations.
The platform excels in several key areas that appeal to restaurant operators seeking simplicity:
While traditional POS systems like Toast and Breadcrumb focus primarily on in-restaurant transactions and order management, restaurants face another critical challenge: managing phone orders and customer inquiries efficiently. Loman addresses this gap with a specialized AI for restaurants solution that operates 24/7 as an intelligent phone agent. Unlike general POS platforms, Loman specifically trains on individual restaurant menus, policies, and customer preferences to ensure accurate order-taking and customer service interactions.
The system seamlessly integrates with popular POS platforms including Square, Toast, and Clover, creating a comprehensive ecosystem where phone orders automatically flow into existing kitchen workflows. Restaurant owners report significant reductions in missed calls, shorter customer wait times, and improved sales conversion rates. While Toast and Breadcrumb excel at managing in-person transactions, Loman fills the communication gap by handling the phone interactions that traditional POS systems cannot address. The platform’s built-in analytics provide real-time insights into call patterns, customer preferences, and revenue opportunities that complement the reporting capabilities found in standard POS solutions.
Both Toast and Breadcrumb maintain extensive partnership networks with restaurant software providers, though their approaches differ significantly. Toast claims over 60 integrations across accounting, inventory, labor management, and customer relationship management categories. Their open API receives praise for flexibility, potentially allowing restaurants to develop custom integrations for specialized operational needs.
Toast’s native integration philosophy creates a more cohesive user experience but may limit flexibility for restaurants preferring best-of-breed solutions. The platform’s integrated approach means most features work seamlessly together, reducing complexity but potentially increasing dependence on Toast’s ecosystem. Advanced features like Menu Intelligence analyze not only sales volume but customer retention correlation, enabling data-driven menu optimization beyond simple popularity metrics.
Breadcrumb offers comparable integration capabilities with particularly strong connections to Grubhub’s delivery infrastructure. The platform’s integration with Lightspeed’s retail and hotel management systems may benefit businesses operating across multiple service categories. However, many advanced capabilities come through third-party integrations rather than native functionality, potentially creating a more fragmented user experience.
Both platforms support critical restaurant technology connections:
Toast offers a comprehensive hardware ecosystem designed specifically for restaurant environments. Their Android-based architecture provides significant hardware flexibility and typically lower initial investment compared to iOS-based alternatives. The company’s terminals, handheld devices, kitchen displays, and self-ordering kiosks create an integrated hardware solution optimized for food service operations.
Hardware financing options through Toast include 0% interest arrangements, making advanced technology more accessible for cash-conscious operators. The platform supports various payment processors and peripheral manufacturers, though compatibility centers around their Android ecosystem. Toast’s bundled hardware packages come specifically configured for different restaurant types and service styles, simplifying selection processes.
Breadcrumb’s hardware requirements center around Apple’s iPad ecosystem, creating sleek consumer-friendly aesthetics that enhance customer perception of restaurant technology. While this approach typically results in higher hardware costs, it provides greater flexibility for establishments with existing iPad infrastructure, potentially allowing device reuse. The system works with various payment processors and peripheral manufacturers, though compatibility may be more limited than Toast’s open architecture.
Both platforms support essential restaurant-specific hardware including thermal receipt printers, cash drawers, kitchen printers or display systems, and barcode scanners. For multi-location operations, Toast’s centralized hardware management capabilities offer advantages in maintaining consistent configurations across properties, while Breadcrumb’s simplicity may appeal to smaller operations seeking straightforward implementation.
A significant distinguishing factor between these platforms lies in their payment processing approaches. Toast requires restaurants to use their proprietary payment processing service, creating both advantages and limitations. This integration enables extensive reporting capabilities and customer insights, providing valuable data on repeat customers, spending patterns, and product preferences. Toast generally matches current restaurant processing rates, allowing them to subsidize software costs through transaction revenue.
However, this requirement prevents restaurants from shopping for potentially better processing rates or maintaining relationships with preferred payment providers. For establishments prioritizing payment processor flexibility, this restriction may represent a significant limitation. Toast’s approach enables robust analytics tied to customer spending data but reduces operational flexibility in payment management.
Breadcrumb follows a comparable strategy of matching current restaurant rates to capture processing revenue while pricing software competitively. This approach enables analytical capabilities tied to customer spending patterns, though some users report occasional synchronization issues with certain payment types. Both platforms maintain PCI compliance and offer encryption for sensitive payment data, though specific security implementations differ.
The payment processing requirement for both systems reflects industry trends toward integrated solutions that combine software licensing with transaction-based revenue models. While this approach can reduce apparent software costs, restaurants should carefully evaluate total processing fees against alternatives when calculating long-term expenses.
Toast distinguishes itself through extensive local presence, with specialists in over 230 cities providing in-person sales, support, and implementation assistance. This localized approach facilitates smoother onboarding and training processes, particularly valuable for restaurants with limited technical expertise. The company offers 24/7 support across phone, email, and chat channels, though customer experiences vary according to user reviews.
Implementation processes through Toast emphasize structured onboarding with dedicated specialists, though this comes at additional cost starting around $499 for remote installation. The platform provides comprehensive training options including in-person sessions for staff, potentially improving adoption rates and reducing operational disruptions during transitions.
Breadcrumb’s support experiences show greater inconsistency in user feedback. Some customers praise responsive 24-hour phone support, while others report frustrations with extended hold times and difficulty reaching representatives. This disparity suggests potential variability in support quality or resource allocation challenges.
Both companies offer comprehensive online resources, though Toast’s appear more extensive:
Data-driven decision making represents a critical advantage for successful restaurant operations. Toast excels in comprehensive reporting tools that provide insights into sales patterns, labor costs, menu performance, and customer behavior. Their system identifies which menu items drive customer retention and generate highest profit margins, enabling sophisticated menu engineering beyond simple sales volume analysis.
Toast’s analytics include detailed labor reporting, helping managers optimize staffing levels based on historical patterns and projected demand. The Menu Intelligence feature represents a significant analytical advantage, correlating item performance with customer retention rates to enable data-driven menu optimization. Real-time reporting accessible from mobile devices allows managers to monitor performance remotely—valuable for multi-unit operators.
Breadcrumb’s reporting capabilities receive mixed user reviews. While many praise basic reporting functionality, others cite missing features like detailed payroll reports. The platform provides solid inventory tracking analytics and customer spending pattern insights, though perhaps with less granularity than Toast’s solution. Both systems offer exportable reports compatible with major accounting software.
For restaurants focused on operational optimization, Toast’s comprehensive analytics may justify higher costs through improved decision-making capabilities. Breadcrumb’s reporting serves basic needs effectively but may lack depth required for sophisticated operational analysis.
Understanding total ownership costs requires examining multiple expense categories beyond monthly subscription fees. Toast’s pricing starts at approximately $79 per terminal monthly for basic packages, with additional costs for advanced features like online ordering ($50/month), loyalty programs, and gift card functionality. Hardware costs begin around $899 for basic terminal packages, with installation fees starting at $499.
Breadcrumb pricing follows similar structures, with base software subscriptions starting around $99 per terminal monthly. The platform’s reliance on iPad hardware typically results in higher initial equipment expenses compared to Toast’s Android devices. Implementation costs appear comparable between platforms, though Toast’s structured approach may involve higher setup fees offset by smoother long-term operations.
Comprehensive cost comparisons must consider hardware durability, replacement cycles, support contract details, training requirements, integration costs, and potential revenue impacts from system efficiencies or limitations. Both companies offer custom pricing for larger operations, so quoted prices represent starting points rather than fixed costs.
Key financial considerations include:
Toast’s primary strengths include comprehensive restaurant-specific features, robust reporting capabilities, offline functionality, and extensive integration options. The system particularly excels for full-service restaurants, bars, and multi-location operations requiring sophisticated management tools. Local support presence and structured implementation represent significant advantages for businesses without extensive technical expertise.
Toast’s weaknesses include mandated payment processing, potential costs for advanced features, and occasional software delays during peak periods according to user reviews. The Android-only platform may present transition challenges for iOS-invested businesses. Some users report declining customer service quality, particularly during high-demand periods when restaurant technology needs surged.
Breadcrumb’s strengths include intuitive interface design, strong check-splitting functionality, reliable offline processing, and user-friendly setup processes. The platform receives praise for ease of installation and provides familiar experiences for Apple device users. The system appears well-suited to independent restaurants seeking straightforward operations without extensive customization.
Breadcrumb’s weaknesses include reported bugs and glitches, limited feature offerings compared to market leaders, and inconsistent support experiences. Multiple reviews cite software lags during busy periods, potentially impacting service quality. Reporting capabilities lack advanced analytics found in competing platforms, and acquisition history raises questions about long-term development focus.
Restaurant operators must prioritize specific operational requirements, budget constraints, and growth projections when evaluating these platforms. Toast represents a comprehensive solution particularly suited for full-service establishments, bars, and multi-location operations requiring sophisticated management tools and detailed analytics. Its strong market position and continuous feature development suggest long-term viability, though potentially at higher costs for advanced functionality.
Breadcrumb presents a viable alternative for independent restaurants and smaller operations seeking intuitive interfaces and straightforward functionality. Its strengths in user-friendly design make it accessible for staff with minimal technical expertise, though reported issues with bugs and limited feature sets suggest potential operational challenges for high-volume establishments.
Prudent operators should evaluate both systems through comprehensive demonstrations focusing on workflows critical to their operations. Speaking with reference customers in similar business models provides valuable real-world insights beyond marketing materials. Consider negotiating trial periods when possible to test system performance under actual operating conditions. While software features matter, support quality, implementation assistance, and long-term reliability often prove equally crucial to successful deployment. For restaurants seeking specialized phone management capabilities alongside traditional POS functionality, solutions like Loman offer fast implementation and scalability for single locations, chains, or franchises prioritizing efficiency and enhanced customer experience through comprehensive communication management.
Enter your information in the form to receive a call from Loman and place an order like a customer would!
