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Is your current food inventory system not making the grade? Try these top restaurant inventory management apps to save time and money.
Kymberlin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Pacific University in 2020 and resides in Portland, Oregon.
WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Kymberlin BushKymberlin earned her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from Pacific University in 2020 and resides in Portland, Oregon.
Expert Contributor
Last updated onUpdated
Matt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.
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Matt ShermanMatt has been helping small businesses make decisions since 2017. He has written reviews and articles across many different channels but specializes in the point of sale, payroll, and small business insurance categories and has been quoted in articles for Fox Business, Forbes, and other publications. Prior to joining Merchant Maverick, Matt was a journalist and editor for 14 years for a pair of weekly newspapers. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and currently resides in Gladstone, Oregon.
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In order to have a successful restaurant (or any form of foodservice business) you’re going to need solid, dependable, and easy-to-use restaurant inventory management software.
The best POS systems for small businesses come with this software built-in or have easy direct integrations with some of the most popular apps for restaurant inventory management.
Restaurant inventory management software helps restaurants automate inventory tasks, such as performing inventory counts, updating food inventories as menu items are sold, and reordering ingredients when supplies are low. Your restaurant POS system may include inventory features, or you might use a dedicated inventory app that integrates with your POS.
The 5 Best Restaurant Inventory Management Software Systems
Restaurant inventory management software should include features like ingredient tracking, vendor management, low-stock notifications, recipe costing, and more. A good restaurant inventory management system saves time and money by preventing food waste.
Can get expensive, depending on feature selection and hardware options
Why We Chose Toast As The Best Option For (Most) Restaurants
Toast is a popular Android POS system built specifically for restaurants that offers inventory management features like automatic syncing, menu engineering, and advanced reporting.
The price could be too high and the features too advanced for smaller scale restaurants like food trucks or cafes, so Toast might not be the perfect option for every restaurant.
Larger businesses looking to access the entirety of Toast’s features
Toast packages start at $0/month for one terminal and core features, but can rise north of $300/month depending on how many features, terminals, or hardware add-ons you want. (Note that the free plan has a higher payment processing fee.)
Toast Inventory Management Features
Toast POS Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Marketing Tools
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Some Toast POS features that help restaurants manage their inventory include:
Automatically syncs & updates your inventory as items are sold
Advanced reporting, including inventory value reports, COGS & variance reports, waste tracking reports
Menu engineering feature to improve profitability of inventory
Shelf layout feature that maps inventory count based on kitchen setup
Inventory software integrations for BevSpot, BrewLogix, Craftable, Marketman, & more
Toast Hardware Costs
Toast offers various custom-built restaurant-grade POS devices built with an Android OS. A standard Toast Flex countertop kit that includes a terminal, payment reader, and router, is $875. You can also purchase a kit that includes a handheld point of sale terminal for $627 (includes Toast Go 2, wireless access point, and router).
Another option is to pay $0 for your hardware upfront and pay Toast a higher payment processing fee.
Toast Payment Processing
Toast’s standard payment processing fee is 2.49% +$0.15 for in-person payments. Online payments are charged at a rate of 3.5% + $0.15
As mentioned, you can get free Toast software and hardware if you pay a higher payment processing fee (2.99% + $0.15). However, for most restaurants, it will make more sense to pay for your hardware and software outright.
What To Watch Out For
Toast requires that you use Toast Payments for credit card processing. The standard Toast contract is two years.
Toast Is Best For Restaurant Owners That:
Want built-in inventory management with no added fees
Need custom-built restaurant-grade POS hardware
Don’t need too many extra features or mind a long-term contract
Why TouchBistro Is The Best Choice For Payment Processing Options
TouchBistro is one of the most popular (and affordable) iPad POS systems for restaurants.
While TouchBistro lands on the more basic side in many respects, it does have the ability to integrate with outside payment processors and third-party inventory software.
If you have basic restaurant needs and are interested in purchasing add-ons
TouchBistro’s $69/month starter package includes basic inventory management and free integration with third-party inventory software apps. You can also purchase various add-ons, such as online ordering ($50/month) and reservation management ($229/month).
TouchBistro Inventory Management Features
TouchBistro Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Add-on
Customer Loyalty
Add-on
Marketing Tools
Add-on
Online Ordering
Add-on
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
Some TouchBistro features specific to restaurant inventory management include:
Manual ingredient entry with unit of measure, wholesale cost, retail price, and associated recipe(s)
System automatically tracks ingredients as menu items are sold
Provides staff with in-service low-stock alerts
Basic inventory reports
Includes software integrations for Bevcheck, MarketMan, Craftable, Wisk, FreePour, Optimum Control, & MarginEdge
TouchBistro Hardware Costs
TouchBistro uses iPad POS hardware. You will have to call TouchBistro for a hardware quote.
TouchBistro Payment Processing
TouchBistro is flexible in terms of what payment processor you can use. Some processing options include Square, TSYS, and Worldpay, as well as TouchBistro’s in-house processor, TouchBistro Payments powered by Chase. TouchBistro Payments offers cost-plus pricing (also known as interchange-plus), which is one of the more affordable and transparent payment processing models.
What To Watch Out For
TouchBistro does require a contract (usually one year). Your term length will be included in your contract.
TouchBistro Is Best For Restaurant Owners That:
Want the option to choose their payment processor
Need an affordable POS system with built-in inventory management features
Why We Chose Lightspeed Restaurant As The Best Option For Inventory Management Integrations
Lightspeed Restaurant is a fast, affordable restaurant inventory management system and iPad POS with digital ordering.
Though Lightspeed does have some built-in inventory management features, Lightspeed Restaurant really shines when it comes to its third-party restaurant inventory software integrations.
Comes with a free version of BevSpot, allowing restaurants to track variance and product loss by item
Integrates with inventory software including Craftable, Growzer, MarketMan, ORCA, RapidBar, Restaurant365, RESTOCK, BeerSAVER, Whistle, WISK, & other food inventory apps
Lightspeed Restaurant Hardware Costs
Lightspeed Restaurant POS hardware is iPad-based. You have the option to source your own components or buy a hardware kit from Lightspeed. For that, you will need to contact Lightspeed for a quote.
Lightspeed Restaurant Payment Processing
Lightspeed integrates with several payment processors and has its own Lightspeed Payments, which offers flat-rate processing at 2.6% + $0.10 or (for users on the Premium plan) a custom payment processing fee.
What To Watch Out For
Lightspeed Restaurant contracts have a standard term of 14 months, but your quote may differ. Your term length will be outlined in your contract.
Lightspeed Restaurant Is Best For Restaurant Owners That:
Want the option of built-in or third-party inventory features
Need integrated online ordering at no extra cost
Don’t mind a built-in payment processor, higher payments, and long-term contracts
Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.
Pros
Free and affordable plans available
Numerous integration options
Affordable hardware options
No contract
Cons
Not an advanced inventory management system (without integrations)
Can’t use with an outside payment processor
Why Square Is The Best Budget-Friendly Choice
Square POS is a great basic, free POS for quick-service and mobile food businesses.
Square for Restaurants includes restaurant inventory management and a kitchen display system. Square for Restaurants, available on iPad and Square Register, even has a free plan.
Besides the free plan, Square For Restaurants also has a $60/month “Plus” plan with a full suite of features. You also have the option to use the free Square For Restaurants plan with a $20/month Square KDS subscription. If you use a mobile POS kit for tableside ordering, you’ll be billed another $50/month.
Yet another option for restaurants who want to use Square is to use the free version of regular Square (Square Point of Sale) with a third-party restaurant inventory management system, such as BevSpot (which also offers a freemium account to Square users) or Shopventory. As mentioned, Square also integrates with TouchBistro.
Square For Restaurants Inventory Management Features
Square For Restaurants Features
Availability
Multi-Store Support
Contactless Payments
Multi-Channel Selling
Gift Cards
Customer Loyalty
Add-on
Marketing Tools
Add-on
Online Ordering
Inventory Management
Reporting
Menu Management
Delivery Management
EBT Acceptance
Employee Management
Text Messaging
The free version of Square for Restaurants has very basic inventory capabilities, but they can be enhanced with inventory integrations, including MarketMan,Peachworks, and Yellow Dog Inventory.
If you opt for Square for Restaurants Plus, you’ll get more advanced inventory features, such as auto-86ing and menu reports.
Square For Restaurants Hardware Costs
Square For Restaurants works best with a Square Stand for iPad ($149 without iPad) or Square Register ($799) setup.
You can also use a Square Terminal ($299) or Restaurant Mobile POS Kit ($259) for tableside payments and an Android Microtouch tablet ($599 to $699) for KDS purposes.
Square For Restaurants Payment Processing
Whether you use Square POS, Square for Restaurants Free, or Square for Restaurants Plus, you’ll get Square’s same flat processing rate of 2.6% + $0.10. None of Square’s POS systems integrate with outside payment processors, however.
What To Watch Out For
Square For Restaurants has no contract, which means you can use it on a month-to-month basis and quit at any time.
Square For Restaurants Is Best For Restaurant Owners That:
Are just starting their business or need to keep a tight budget
Want a month-to-month contract with no long-term commitments
Don’t need advanced built-in inventory management features
Integrates seamlessly with Square, Clover, Shopify, & Quickbooks Online
Cons
Only integrates with a few POS systems
Why We Chose Thrive By Shopventory For Best Advanced Inventory Management Features
Thrive by Shopventory (formerly Shopventory) is an advanced restaurant inventory management app that works in both retail and restaurant environments.
It's the only food inventory app on this list that's not a POS -- but that's OK because it is designed to integrate seamlessly with your POS like Square, Clover, and Shopify POS.
Thrive By Shopventory Pricing
Thrive by Shopventory’s Standard plan is reasonably priced at $79/month for up to two locations. If you have more locations or need a few more advanced features (such as daily QuickBooks syncing), you may be better served by the $199/month Professional plan. Especially when you consider that Shopventory can turn a free POS like Square into a food inventory management powerhouse, Shopventory provides a whole lot of bang for your buck.
Thrive By Shopventory Inventory Management Features
Shopventory has an extensive list of inventory features. Some of its notable functions include:
PO and vendor management
Modifier inventory tracking
Mobile barcode scanning
Expiration date notifications
Par-level email alerts
Lot COGS management
Thrive By Shopventory Hardware Costs
Thrive by Shopventory recommends using an Asus Convertible Touchscreen Notebook ($395) or iPad Pro ($970) with a SocketScan scanner and DYMO label printer. You can visit Thrive By Shopventory’s website to see the exact hardware recommendations.
Thrive By Shopventory Payment Processing
Thrive by Shopventory does not include payment processing. As mentioned, Thrive by Shopventory will sync with the POS system you use for payment processing (so long as you use Square, Clover, or Shopify POS).
What To Watch Out For
Thrive by Shopventory is a month-to-month service with no contract.
Thrive By Shopventory Is Best For Restaurant Owners That:
Need a reasonably-priced advanced food inventory management software
Already use (or are ok with using) Square, Clover, or Shopify POS to accept payments
Want to keep their POS and inventory management systems separate
Merchant Maverick has been researching and reviewing POS providers since 2012. Our writers have tested over 100 different point of sale systems, evaluating pricing, features, ease of use, customer service, and user reviewers. Read more about how we rate POS providers.
Weighted Rating Breakdown
Pricing 40%
Features 30%
Ease Of Use 15%
Customer Service 10%
User Reviews 5%
When comparing different POS software systems, we consider many data points, including relative pricing, the depth of niche features offered, the price of hardware, and any associated payment processing fees. Our lists of the best providers include only apps we’ve deemed worthwhile from multiple vantage points. The POS vendors we pick share qualities such as widespread availability, accessibility, user-friendliness, and reasonable pricing. We also look carefully at niche features, such as check-splitting, inventory management, eCommerce, loyalty programs, gift cards, and more.
We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure the providers included meet our internal standards for quality and reputation.
80+
Vendors evaluated
65+
Attributes assessed per vendor
20+
Features weighed
30+
Combined years of experience
How To Make The Most Out Of Your Restaurant Inventory App
While software can automate a lot of the inventory process, there are certain actions you must take to make your software really work for you.
1. Take Your Setup Seriously
Your inventory system’s initial setup can be tedious, but it’s important you do it properly to ensure your system works correctly and delivers the correct data. Make sure to be exact and consistent when entering your quantities, units of measure, etc. If the system lets you sync your food suppliers, you can automatically import your invoices after the initial sync. Once you’re all set up, many of your inventory tasks will start managing themselves. Of course, you’ll need to train your staff on the system as well.
2. Check Your Reports Regularly
Your POS data contains valuable inventory information, especially when coupled with inventory management software. Make sure you familiarize yourself with all of your inventory reports so that you can use the data to your advantage. If you check your reports regularly, you will gain a better understanding of your overall inventory situation as well as notice any significant changes or discrepancies.
3. Find Your COGS
When it comes to improving your restaurant’s inventory management, finding your COGS, or Cost of Goods, is an important first step. After setting up your inventory software and letting it do its magic, you may start to notice that your true COGS for a certain item is actually different from what you thought it was. Once you know your real COGS, you can consider ways to lower them, such as finding a different supplier for a certain ingredient.
4. Identify Problem Areas
Your software will start to show you patterns that point to problem areas in your inventory system. For example, you may be able to identify your top sources, or spillage or spoilage, or even which employees waste the most food (provided that your software also includes employee management). You can then use this information to make necessary changes in your inventory processes. In particular, variance reports can show discrepancies in your inventory due to waste, theft, or user error.
5. Rethink Your Menu
Most food inventory software products have a feature that helps you re-engineer your menu to make it more profitable. For example, the software can help you identify slow-moving menu items that cause ingredients to go bad before you get a chance to use them. Even if the program doesn’t have a specific feature that makes menu suggestions, standard inventory data collected by your software (for example, COGS) can still help guide your menu decisions.
How Do I Choose The Best App For Restaurant Inventory?
The best restaurant inventory software depends on whether you want inventory software that integrates with the POS system you use or if you’d rather switch to a POS with built-in inventory features.
If you’re not too familiar with restaurant inventory management and want to increase your general knowledge on the subject, read up on restaurant inventory management methods and terminology before you make your final decision.
Make sure you consider pricing, ease-of-use, and contract terms alongside the features you need when you’re making a decision!
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Easy-To-Use POS For Full-Service RestaurantsSleek & intuitive system that is popular in the restaurant industry.Run your entire restaurant on an iPad, including reservation management.Learn MoreStarting at $69/month
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The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
Easy-To-Use POS For Full-Service RestaurantsSleek & intuitive system that is popular in the restaurant industry.Run your entire restaurant on an iPad, including reservation management.Learn MoreStarting at $69/month
