Toast vs Par Brink: Which POS Is Better? (2025)

In the battle of Toast versus PAR Brink, both systems bring unique strengths to the table. Toast is particularly strong for Full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, bars, and cafes, while PAR Brink excels at Fast casual chains, growing restaurant brands, multi-location operators. Whether you prioritize Restaurant-specific features or API-first with 250+ integrations, this comparison covers everything you need to know.

Quick Comparison: Toast vs PAR Brink

Feature	Toast	PAR Brink
Category	Restaurant	Restaurant
Starting Price	$0/month (Starter kit) to $165+/month	$90/month
Rating	4.5/5	4.1/5
Target Business	Small Business	Mid-Market
Pricing Model	Subscription	Subscription
Free Trial	Yes	No
Free Version	Yes	No
Best For	Full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, bars, and cafes	Fast casual chains, growing restaurant brands, multi-location operators

Toast Overview

Toast is a restaurant-specific point-of-sale and management system built exclusively for the food service industry. It offers hardware and software solutions for dine-in, takeout, and delivery operations.

Toast is offered by Toast, Inc. (founded 2012) based in Boston, MA. The system focuses on Full-service restaurants, Quick service, Bars, Cafes, Food trucks.

Key Features:

• Tableside ordering
• Kitchen display system
• Online ordering
• Delivery management
• Menu management
• Payroll integration

PAR Brink Overview

PAR Brink POS is a cloud-first enterprise POS for restaurants serious about scaling. Features API-first approach with 250+ integration partners, 150+ reports, pay-at-table, and PCI/P2PE security certifications.

PAR Brink is offered by PAR Technology (founded 1968) based in New Hartford, New York, USA. The system focuses on Fast Casual, Quick Service, Restaurant Chains.

Key Features:

• Online ordering
• Loyalty programs
• Kitchen display systems
• Mobile payments
• Real-time reporting
• Multi-unit administration

Feature Comparison

Toast Features:

• Tableside ordering
• Kitchen display system
• Online ordering
• Delivery management
• Menu management

PAR Brink Features:

• Online ordering
• Loyalty programs
• Kitchen display systems
• Mobile payments
• Real-time reporting

When comparing features, Toast stands out with Restaurant-specific features, while PAR Brink differentiates itself with API-first with 250+ integrations. Your choice should depend on which features align better with your specific business requirements.

Pricing Comparison

Pricing Aspect	Toast	PAR Brink
Starting Price	$0/month (Starter kit) to $165+/month	$90/month
Pricing Model	Subscription	Subscription
Price Range	Mid-range	Premium
Free Trial	Available	Not available
Free Version	Yes	No

Toast offers a free version, which is great for testing or small operations. Consider the total cost of ownership including hardware, processing fees, and add-on modules when making your decision.

Pros and Cons

Toast

Pros:

• Built specifically for restaurants
• Robust reporting
• Excellent kitchen management
• Strong online ordering
• Good hardware durability

Cons:

• 2-year contracts typical
• Can be expensive with add-ons
• Limited to restaurant industry

PAR Brink

Pros:

• 250+ integration partners
• API-first design
• Enterprise scalability
• 24/7/365 support
• PCI and P2PE certified

Cons:

• Tiered support issues
• Slow feature development
• May be overkill for small operators

Who Should Choose Toast?

Toast is ideal for Full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, bars, and cafes. The system is particularly well-suited for Full-service restaurants, Quick service, Bars, Cafes, Food trucks.

However, Toast may not be the best fit for Non-restaurant businesses.

Who Should Choose PAR Brink?

PAR Brink is ideal for Fast casual chains, growing restaurant brands, multi-location operators. The system is particularly well-suited for Fast Casual, Quick Service, Restaurant Chains.

However, PAR Brink may not be the best fit for Single-location restaurants, very small operations.

Our Recommendation

Both Toast and PAR Brink are solid POS solutions, but they excel in different areas. Choose Toast if you’re Full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, bars, and cafes. Choose PAR Brink if you’re Fast casual chains, growing restaurant brands, multi-location operators. Toast has a higher user rating (4.5 vs 4.1). Also, choose Toast if you want to start with a free version. We recommend trying demos or free trials of both systems before making your final decision.

[posadvice_lead_form title=”Get Custom POS Quotes” description=”Compare pricing from top POS providers for your business”]