The restaurant industry has shifted towards online ordering systems in recent years, empowering eateries to cater to the evolving preferences of tech-savvy customers. Among the prominent players in the market, ToastTab, a widely-used online ordering platform, has been a go-to choice for countless restaurant owners seeking digital solutions to streamline their operations. However, recent developments have caused a stir in the industry, as news emerges that Toast Tab is testing out a controversial 0.99 cents fee on customers placing orders through the system directly on restaurant websites.
This unexpected fee imposition has left restaurant owners and proprietors reeling, prompting a wave of dissatisfaction among the very users who once embraced the platform for its efficiency and convenience. As the collective discontent continues to grow, a palpable search for alternatives is underway, with restaurant owners now on the lookout for a viable platform that can seamlessly replace Toast Tab's services without compromising on customer experience or burdening their own establishments.
In this article, we’ll explore which platform can be a great ToastTab alternative, in case you’re looking to switch.
Toasttab is an innovative online ordering system tailored specifically for the foodservice industry. Designed to simplify restaurant operations and enhance the customer experience, Toasttab offers a range of features and tools for managing orders seamlessly. With customizable ordering websites and mobile apps, customers can easily browse menus, personalize their selections, and make secure payments.
Key features:
Restolabs is a cloud-based online ordering and restaurant management platform designed to help restaurant owners streamline their operations and enhance the overall customer experience. Its user-friendly interface allows restaurants to set up their own branded online ordering system and enables customers to place orders directly through the restaurant's website or mobile app. It aims to simplify the process of online ordering for both restaurant owners and customers, making it a valuable tool for restaurants of all sizes.
Key features:
While placing an order, some online ordering systems charge a commission from either the customer or the restaurant. When you’re working on scaling your restaurant business, additional costs like these can be a burden. At the same time, you don’t want customers to pay extra only for using the online ordering platform.
Toasttab, for example, now charges a $0.99 fee from customers when they place an order with their online ordering system. This can be a dealbreaker, especially for customers who order food online frequently. Restolabs, on the other hand, doesn’t charge any additional fee for commissions, neither from the restaurant nor from customers.
Say yes to commision-free online ordering with Restolabs.
To make sure the restaurant online ordering system runs smoothly, you have to check which third party integrations are supported by the platform. With seamless integrations, you can run your operations smoothly.
Both Toasttab and Restolabs are designed as all-in-one restaurant management systems. Toasttab integrates with Hang, Shipday, Fishbowl, Spendgo, Cartwheel, Appfront, Cloudbeds, Marketing Vitals, Bloom Intelligence, and many more software, ensuring you can perform multiple tasks related to restaurant management without leaving the ToastTab platform. Restolabs also supports integration with leading POS systems, delivery partners, and payment gateways, such as Doordash, PayPal, Postmates, Moneris, Stripe, Como, Datafast, Tookan, and more.
The online ordering system has to be tailored to the needs of your restaurant. Everything from the user interface, menu design, delivery zones and store hours should be customizable. The designs and the visuals should align with your vision to solidify your restaurant’s digital presence.
Both Toasttab and Restolabs allow you to customize the online ordering experience. On Toasttab, you can choose your business type, whether it’s a quick service restaurant, cafe, fine dining place, or anything else, and choose a layout that works the best for you. Restolabs also offers a lot more customization options—be it your logo, menu items, food images, descriptions, to displaying time-sensitive offers, you can personalize everything on this platform.
Get a fully customized online ordering system Free for 90 Days.
Setting up the restaurant ordering system is not enough—you’ll need access to real-time analytics and reporting to evaluate how the business is performing and whether your marketing efforts are paying off. Restaurant management platforms generate reports to help you stay on top of business operations, without requiring you to manually analyze heaps of data.
Toasttab’s reporting tool analyzes the current trends and provides a summary of it to help you design your business strategy more articulately. Restolabs, with its built-in analytics tool, uses the existing data to create detailed reports and insights. You can download them anytime you need to check up on the delivery trends and the current status of your sales and operations.
ToastTab's pricing starts at $75 for the New Restaurant Basic Plan, which provides a limited set of features during the free trial. While it can give a basic idea of the platform's capabilities, it may not be sufficient for restaurants looking for a comprehensive solution. To access all the essential features, restaurants would have to opt for the Growth Plan, which costs a significant $272. This higher cost can be quite prohibitive, especially for new restaurant owners or small-scale stablishments.
On the other hand, Restolabs offers a free trial with full access to all features for the first 90 days, allowing restaurants to thoroughly explore the platform. The Basic plan, priced at $69 per month, already includes key features like unlimited orders, mobile ordering, online payments, reward program, and analytics. This makes it an attractive option for those seeking a cost-effective yet comprehensive solution.
Moreover, Restolabs' Premium plan, priced at $99 per month, provides access to almost all features, making it highly suitable for restaurants aiming to scale their business. The higher-tier plan offers tremendous value and includes features that are on par with the more expensive Growth Plan offered by ToastTab.
In conclusion, Restolabs emerges as the winner in terms of pricing plans. With a more budget-friendly Basic plan and a feature-rich Premium plan at a competitive price, Restolabs provides a well-rounded and cost-effective solution for restaurants of various sizes, making it the preferable choice between the two platforms.
As we analyzed in this article, Restolabs clearly has an upper hand when it comes to integrations, customization options, commission-free orders, and pricing structure. Besides offering a user-friendly interface, mobile responsiveness, and data security, Restolabs also offers 24X7 reliable chat support, which is available to all restaurant clients irrespective of the plan they choose.
With Restolabs, restaurateurs like you can streamline operations, attract more customers, and foster loyalty, ensuring long-term success and growth in today’s highly competitive restaurant industry.
