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Bistro vs Toast

Toast is a full restaurant POS with terminals, handhelds, and KDS. Bistro is a menu and table OS that runs on phones and tablets you already own. Different categories, different price tags. Here's how to choose.

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CRITERIA
Bistro
Toast
Monthly software
$9 to $180
Starter Kit $0, Point of Sale $69/mo, Build Your Own on custom pricing. First terminal included, extra devices cost more.
Hardware required
None. Use your own phones and tablets.
Yes. Toast states its software may only be used on approved Toast hardware. A terminal is required, KDS and handhelds optional.
Payment processing
Stripe (≈ 2.9% + 30¢), published and flat. You connect your own Stripe account.
Custom quoted. Toast does not publish a rate and builds one per restaurant. Third parties commonly report ≈ 2.49% + 15¢ on Point of Sale and 3.09%-3.69% + 15¢ on Starter Kit.
Bistro per-transaction fee
No platform fee on pay at table. Reservation deposits carry 1% + $1.00, paid by the guest.
Not applicable. Toast keeps you on Toast Payments.
Menu management
Included on every plan. AI menu import on Pro and up.
Included.
Weekly menus and meal periods
Included on every plan, per day and per meal period.
Native menu availability schedules and service periods. Menu level only, and scheduled publishing sits in a paid Essentials tier.
QR per table
Included on every plan.
Toast Mobile Order & Pay add-on. Additional fees apply, no public price.
Pay at the table
Included on every plan.
Toast Mobile Order & Pay or Toast Go handhelds.
Phone reservations
AI voice agent answers 24/7 and books tables and events. Included on Full Bistro OS.
Toast Tables handles reservations and waitlist, with no phone AI. Toast's voice AI is drive-thru only, through partner integrations, for brands with 15+ locations.
Tip tracking per waiter
Included on Multi ($129) and Full Bistro OS ($180).
Per employee tips in shift reports. Tip pooling and sharing needs Toast Tips Manager in a paid Team Management tier.
Online ordering
Coming soon as a separate feature.
Bundled into Starter Kit, or Digital Storefront Essentials/Pro on paid tiers. Third parties report around $75/mo.
Multi-location
Up to 5 on Multi. Unlimited on Full Bistro OS.
Available, generally through Build Your Own custom pricing.
Time to launch
Same day. No hardware shipping.
Days to weeks, depends on hardware install.
Contract
Month to month. Cancel anytime.
Toast publishes 0% interest hardware financing by application. Multi-year terms with early termination fees are reported by third parties, not stated by Toast.

Toast plan pricing and features verified July 2026 against Toast's own pricing and support pages. Toast does not publish payment processing rates and quotes them per restaurant, so any percentage here is reported by third parties, not by Toast. Add-on prices marked as reported come from third-party sources. Get a written quote from Toast before signing.

PICK BISTRO IF

  • You don't want to replace your POS or add tablets to every table.
  • You want a digital menu, QR per table, and pay-at-table without a hardware rollout.
  • You run a food truck, café, taquería, or small independent restaurant.
  • You want to keep your Stripe account and route payouts to your bank.
  • You want a published, flat processing rate instead of a custom quote.
  • You want an AI agent answering your phone and booking tables and events.

PICK TOAST IF

  • You need a full POS replacement with cash drawers, KDS, and handhelds.
  • You want everything on one platform: payroll, scheduling, inventory, loyalty.
  • You're a full-service restaurant ready to commit to a multi-year hardware lease.
  • You're already running Toast Payments and processing volume justifies the platform.

READY?

Run your front of house on Bistro from $9 a month.

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