Welcome to The Prep! You’re officially part of a community of restaurant owners and operators in pursuit of making their restaurants a success.
Every Wednesday, we deliver the freshest restaurant stories straight to your inbox:
- In-depth analysis on what’s working (and what’s not)
- Practical insights you can use this week
- Expert advice from operators who’ve been there
- Systems and tools worth your time
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About The Prep: The Prep is a Tech.co newsletter bringing you restaurant-focused insights backed by over 10 years of software research. Now that you’re part of our community, we want to connect you with tools that can actually move the needle for your business.
As a new subscriber, we’ve partnered with Toast to give you exclusive access to their restaurant management system. Here’s why we think it’s worth exploring:
Reader Perk: Limited-Time Access to Toast POS
As a new Prep subscriber, we’ve secured exclusive pricing access to Toast—a restaurant management platform built specifically for the challenges you face daily. Toast isn’t just another POS system; it’s designed to help multi-location operators and growing restaurants manage complexity without adding headcount.
Restaurant Tech That’s Actually Worth Your Time
By the Tech.co Research Team
We know you don’t have time to demo every POS system on the market. That’s why we’ve done the research for you—evaluating pricing, performance, and real operator experiences using the same methodology Tech.co applies across thousands of business software products. Here’s what we recommend:
SumUp
Tech.co’s take: SumUp’s value proposition is straightforward—keep more of every transaction. Processing fees starting at 0% isn’t a promotional rate; it’s their actual structure. For operators where processing fees eat into already thin margins, the cost structure is compelling.
Worth noting: SumUp is newer to the US market than Square or Toast, so third-party integrations are still catching up. Best fit for counter-service operations; less ideal for full-service restaurants needing tableside ordering.
- No monthly fees for basic service
- Industry-specific features for restaurants & salons
- AI marketing connects you to local customers
- Built-in loyalty with customer insights
- Single system for in-store & online sales
Square
Tech.co’s take: Square’s strength is consolidation. Instead of stitching together separate tools for payments, inventory, payroll, and staff scheduling, you get one ecosystem that actually talks to itself. They won’t wow you with cutting-edge features, but it won’t surprise you with hidden fees or require a week of training either. It’s the system that just works.
- Full-service restaurants & food trucks
- Transparent pricing you can actually budget around
- One platform handles POS, inventory, payroll, online ordering
- Staff onboarding: under 30 minutes average
- Scales from solo food truck to multi-location
Worth noting: If you need advanced table management with complex coursing, Toast is better suited. But for straightforward operations prioritizing reliability and cost predictability, Square delivers.