Starter software stack for a small restaurant
One location, a small team: POS with online ordering, scheduling, reservations only if you take them.
These are starting points picked from tools we list, not paid placements. Prices are what vendors published when we checked (Oct 2026); confirm on their pages. How we make money.
POS & online ordering: Toast
Why: Restaurant POS with online ordering and handhelds; the Starter Kit is listed from $0/mo for 1 location and up to 2 terminals.
Cloud restaurant POS with online ordering, handhelds, payroll and kitchen display.
Pros & cons
- Restaurant POS with online ordering and handhelds
- Starter Kit from $0/mo (1 location, up to 2 terminals)
- Build Your Own plans are custom-quoted
- Listed pricing applies to new customers and single locations
Scheduling & time clock: Homebase
Why: Free Basic plan for 1 location and up to 10 employees; paid tiers are published per location.
Free scheduling, time clock and team messaging for small hospitality teams.
Pros & cons
- Free Basic plan: 1 location, up to 10 employees
- Scheduling, time clock, payroll, hiring and team messaging
- Built for general hourly small businesses, not restaurant-specific
Reservations (optional): Resy
Why: No per-cover fees per Resy’s FAQ, from $289/mo. Compare with OpenTable, which charges per network cover.
Restaurant reservation and table management platform, owned by American Express.
Pros & cons
- No per-cover fees (per Resy FAQ)
- Reservations, waitlist and guest CRM
- From $289/mo (Platform)
- No online ordering
Food safety: FoodDocs
Why: Digital monitoring tasks and a HACCP plan builder; published prices from $99 per site/mo, 14-day trial.
Food safety management software: digital monitoring tasks, HACCP plan builder, allergen overview and traceability, priced per site.
Free calculator and matching templates
Free calculator · Prime Cost Weekly Dashboard ($24) · Kitchen Inventory & Prep Par ($17) · Opening/Closing SOP Pack ($15)
Other stacks: Small barSmall hotel