Is Toast worth it for a small restaurant?
By the Menuthere editorial team · Updated
Toast is worth it if you want a full hardware POS and have the budget: its Point of Sale plan is about $69 a month per terminal, plus hardware and card processing, with online ordering as a paid add-on. For a small or takeout-first restaurant that mainly wants its own commission-free online ordering, a lighter tool like Menuthere from $17 a month usually costs far less and needs no terminals.
- Toast is a hardware-first POS: great for dine-in service, but you pay for terminals, card processing, and online ordering as separate pieces.
- Toast's Point of Sale plan lists at about $69/month per terminal; online ordering and other modules are added on top.
- Toast also adds an online-order service fee (about $0.99 on online orders over a set amount) that surprises some owners.
- Menuthere charges 0% commission, starts at $17/month (Lite) and needs no terminal: your menu, website and QR codes work on any phone.
- If you need deep kitchen, payroll and floor-plan tools across many staff, Toast earns its price; if you mostly need direct online orders, it is more than you need.
Commission-free online ordering, without a POS bill
Menuthere gives your restaurant its own ordering website, QR menu and dashboard with 0% commission on every order, built from a photo of your menu. There is no terminal to buy and no per-order cut, so a small place keeps its own orders and its own margin.
How much does Toast really cost for a small restaurant?
Toast's software is priced in tiers, with a Point of Sale plan listed at about $69 a month per terminal, plus a free Starter tier with higher card-processing rates. On top of the software you pay for hardware, card processing, and any extra modules such as online ordering, loyalty or a kitchen display. Real monthly totals for a small full-service place commonly land in the low hundreds of dollars before processing, which is why the honest answer depends on whether you need the full POS or mainly online orders.
| Toast | Menuthere | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry software | Point of Sale ~$69/mo per terminal (free Starter tier exists) | Lite $17/mo, Pro $39/mo |
| Online ordering | Paid add-on module | Included |
| Hardware needed | Terminals and card readers | None — any phone or browser |
| Commission on direct orders | 0% (processing fees apply) | 0% (gateway fees apply) |
| Online-order surcharge | ~$0.99 on online orders over a set amount | None |
| Own branded app | Available via Toast | Branded App $99/mo |
Toast's current plan prices are on its own pricing page, which we link below. Some module and processing figures are quoted to each restaurant rather than published as a fixed number, so treat the base plan as the starting point and ask Toast for a full quote.
What are Toast's online ordering fees?
Toast does not take a commission on your own online orders, but there are costs around them. You pay for the online ordering module on top of your software plan, card processing on each order, and Toast's online-order service fee, reported at about $0.99 on online orders above a set amount. None of these is a percentage of your food sales to Toast, but together they add up, so compare the all-in figure, not just the base plan.
Toast vs Square vs Clover: which suits a small place?
All three are hardware-first POS systems. Square has a genuine free tier and suits very small cafés and counters that already like Square hardware. Clover is sold through banks and resellers, so pricing varies by provider. Toast is built for full-service restaurants and is the most restaurant-specific of the three. If your main goal is commission-free online ordering rather than a counter POS, a dedicated ordering tool such as Menuthere is a lighter, cheaper route than any of them.
- Square: free POS tier; good for small cafés and counters on Square hardware; online ordering has its own fees.
- Clover: sold via banks and resellers, so the price depends on who you buy from; hardware-led.
- Toast: restaurant-specific, strongest for full-service dine-in, highest typical all-in cost.
- Menuthere: no POS hardware; own ordering website, QR and app; 0% commission from $17/month.
When is Toast worth paying for, and when is it not?
Toast is worth it when you run a busy dine-in restaurant and want one system for the counter, kitchen, payroll and floor plan, and you have the budget for hardware and processing. It is more than you need if you are a takeout-first, small or new place whose main goal is to take direct online orders and stop paying delivery-app commission. In that case a low fixed monthly tool with 0% commission keeps more of each order in your pocket.
Who this is a good fit for
- Small and takeout-first restaurants, cafés, bakeries and cloud kitchens that mainly want their own online orders without a hardware POS.
- Owners who want to stop losing 15–30% to delivery apps and keep direct orders at 0% commission.
- Places that want to launch this week from a photo of the menu, on a low fixed monthly price.
Who this is not for
- Busy full-service dine-in restaurants that need a complete hardware POS, kitchen display and payroll in one system: Toast or a similar POS suite fits better.
- Owners who specifically want card terminals and all-in-one hardware at the counter.
- Large chains needing deep franchise reporting and ERP.
Common follow-up questions
Does Toast charge commission on my online orders?
No, Toast does not take a percentage commission on your own online orders. You do pay for the online ordering module, card processing per order, and a per-order service fee (about $0.99 on online orders over a set amount). Compare the all-in total against a flat-fee tool.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Toast for online ordering?
Yes. If you mainly want your own commission-free online ordering rather than a hardware POS, Menuthere starts at $17 a month with 0% commission and no terminals. See the full Toast comparison.
Can I use Toast without buying hardware?
Toast is built around its own terminals and card readers, so most restaurants buy hardware to use it fully. If you want to take orders with no hardware at all, a browser-and-QR tool like Menuthere needs only a phone.
Is Toast good for a small café or bakery?
It can be, but it is often more system than a small café or bakery needs. For a counter that mainly wants a QR menu and direct online orders, a lighter tool is usually cheaper and faster to launch.
Read next
Sources (2)
- Toast pricing, Toast, read 25 October 2026
- Toast vs Square for restaurants: fees and fit (2026), Chowly, read 25 October 2026