Yelp vs Toast Tab: Why your contactless restaurant should use both

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A contactless restaurant keen to grow will most likely already have a point of sale system in place. Even systems with their dedicated hardware can still benefit from third-party add-ons. There are now many companies to choose from who are dedicated to maximizing covers per day, whether that be through modern reservation systems or by utilizing their own networks of millions of interested and hungry restaurant goers.

In this article, we will take an in-depth look at the pros and cons of the Toast POS and Yelp Guest Manager. Both systems can offer restaurant managers different functionalities such as dedicated POS system hardware and software-based kiosks that save your staff time so they have more energy for customer interaction.

We may be making comparisons, but it doesn’t mean these two software/hardware providers can’t work together to bring new business to your contactless restaurant. We’ll take a look at how Yelp Guest Manager and Toast Tab can work alongside each other to help restaurants run more smoothly.

Yelp Guest Manager

Yelp Guest Manager allows restaurant owners to manage every aspect of their front-of-house operations without investing in new equipment.

Key features

As long as you have a router and an iPad, the Guest Manager software is good to go. There’s not too much to learn, and setup takes little time. Yelp Guest Manager doesn’t just take care of one problem such as POS software or takeout; it’s an all-in-one system that covers the following:

• Reservations and Waitlist: These features work very well in the post-COVID era where many people still feel anxious about being in crowds for long periods of time. Your customers can book a table or “get in line” through your Yelp page and website. They’ll get notifications about where they are in the line, and they can see accurate seating times. This means less chance of people leaving your line or pestering the host for yet another update.
• Kiosk: You may suddenly find yourself short-staffed with a slammed restaurant. Kiosk allows you to swap your host for your iPad, freeing up another staff member for front-of-house duties. Diners can check themselves in upon arrival. Kiosk marries up nicely with Waitlist, letting your staff know who has arrived and giving Yelp users live wait times.
• Takeout: There’s not many restaurants left that haven’t crossed over to takeout in recent years. With millions of users using the Yelp app every day, customers can use online ordering on the platform they’re already using to pick a restaurant. You’ll be able to notify guests via text when their food is ready.
• Table management and POS features: This feature gives hosts and servers what they need for smooth front-of-house operations including custom floor maps and sections, as well as integrations with POS and other systems.
• Connect: This is a game-changing product that helps restaurants get the right content in front of the right people. Restaurateurs can build connections with potential and returning customers by showcasing content around featured menu items, special events, and engaging stories that reach people already primed to dine with them. Yelp Connect delivers this content via your business page, email, and the Yelp mobile app.

The pricing for Yelp Guest Manager is set at a flat rate, no matter the size of your establishment. There’s no setup fee or cover charges, just a monthly fee of $249. Yelp’s biggest advantage is its huge user base, access to sales reports, and online reviews.

Drawbacks

Yelp for Restaurants works best for restaurants that have a strong customer base. Where Yelp’s network of diners is an important tool for introducing new or less busy restaurants to high-intent consumers, there is no guarantee that the front-of-house software will make you busier overnight. It takes time to build a recognizable brand and offering. Many new restaurants start early on Yelp, but shouldn’t expect to be swamped with Yelp diners immediately.

Toast Tab

Toast offers a different service than Yelp. With Toast Tab, one of the many popular FOH platforms, restaurateurs can see the full span of in-house interactions from tableside payment processing to inputting menu items, all in real time. Their systems work well for customer bases of all sizes, from small businesses to multi-location operations.

Key features

Toast Tab differs from Yelp in that it is a software and hardware solution with greater startup costs. With Toast Tab, you don’t need an iPad, you simply choose the hardware you need when you sign up to their service. Here are some of the features:

• All hardware provided: Toast Tab is a great solution if you are completely new to POS systems, online ordering, and so on. They have also designed handheld technology for tableside service with built-in card readers. Toast customers running small businesses such as cafes who purchase a starter kit get a Toast Flex POS terminal, a Toast Tap payment device, and even a router.
• Complete solutions: For an additional cost, subscribers can get their hands on a kitchen display system. They also offer kitchen printers and cash drawers. All of their digital hardware runs on Android and is IP54 spill-proof in case of inevitable accidents.
• Menu management: Busy managers can make cloud-based changes to menu items anywhere using a mobile app. There’s less chance of customer disappointment and inventory management issues, you can set menu item countdowns. Menu items updated in-house will also be displayed on your online menus.
• Offline mode: Toast Tab’s offline mode means that your restaurant can still function, even with no internet. You can still open cash drawers, print customer receipts, send orders to the kitchen, and even take payments. You may lose access to the cloud and use of the separate Toast mobile app, but your restaurant will keep on running.

Drawbacks

Toast Tab’s pricing is much more complex than Yelp. Restaurateurs can expect to pay $799 upfront for a starter kit and then $69 per month after that. Toast also takes 2.49% + $0.15 of every transaction, and you’re tied in for two years. This does all include dedicated customer support, just like Yelp.

How existing Toast Tab users can benefit from Yelp Guest Manager features

If you are already a Toast Tab user, their systems will probably have served your contactless restaurant (and your customers) very well. However, Toast Tab does have its limitations, so it’s best used in tandem with Yelp Guest Manager to get customers in your doors.

Marketing is easier than ever these days, but the competition is also fiercer than any time in history. The millions of user reviews on Yelp have the power to put your restaurant on the map.

Picture this: A couple peruses Yelp to find the most exciting restaurants in their area, and they find your establishment. They get on the waitlist and arrive right on time thanks to the app notifying them that it’s their turn.

They arrive and check in using Kiosk, and then once they’re sat, Toast Tab can take over. Their server takes their order using a handheld device and it’s instantly sent to the kitchen display system. When the customer is ready to leave they can pay instantly by credit card or cash.

Hopefully you now have another satisfied customer who will be encouraged to leave a review on Yelp. Another good review leads to increased business, and so the cycle continues.

It’s less a case of Yelp vs Toast Tab and more of a collaboration of different technologies that both help the restaurant industry. Try a demo of the Yelp Guest Manager software today to see how a user base of 95 million per month could benefit you.