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Opening a Restaurant in 2026? Your POS Choice can Make or Break It

Picture of Sabrina Weyandt

Every January, a wave of new restaurants open their doors. In 2025 alone, the U.S. restaurant and foodservice industry is projected to reach $1.5 trillion in sales (National Restaurant Association), with roughly 50,000 new openings each year (Oysterlink, 2025).

The opportunity is huge — but so are the costs. One overlooked area that can quietly drain your budget is your POS system.

🍽 Why Your POS Should Be One of Your First Decisions

Most first-time restaurant owners delay choosing a POS until the last minute. That’s a mistake.

A good Point of Sale system runs your entire front-of-house and links with your payment processing. It keeps your staff efficient and your guests happy. But a bad or overpriced POS can mean long contracts, hidden fees, and wasted capital before you’ve even served your first table.

“Our first POS cost us nearly $300 a month — we didn’t even realize we were paying for features we never used.”
— Owner, Independent Bistro, Nashville (Restaurant Owner Roundtable, 2024)

⚙️ The Real Cost of POS Systems

According to G2, most POS systems charge between $50–$200 per month, plus $300–$1,200 for hardware setup.
ExpertMarket confirms those numbers, estimating total startup costs at $700–$2,000 for basic setups.
For full restaurant integrations, 7Shifts reports totals as high as $20,000 when you factor in proprietary hardware and paid add-ons.

That’s a steep price before you even start making sales.

📊 Annual POS Cost Comparison

POS Provider Monthly Software Fee Setup / Hardware Other Fees (Add-Ons, Support) Estimated 1-Year Total
Toast $165–$272 $500–$1,000 $500+ $2,500–$4,500
Clover $100–$400 $600–$1,200 $300–$800 $2,100–$6,000
Square $60–$150 $0–$800 $300+ $1,020–$2,600
Cake $70–$200 $600–$1,000 $400+ $1,900–$3,800
TABL $0 BYO device or TABL-provided hardware Processing fees only $0 + processing

(Sources: G2, ExpertMarket, 7Shifts, Toast, Clover, Square, Cake pricing pages — all verified October 2025.)

Takeaway: most POS systems cost restaurants $2,000–$5,000 per year — money that could be reinvested in marketing, hiring, or better ingredients.

TABL: $0 setup. $0 monthly. Stripe-powered payments.
TABL adds a  .15¢ -$1 convenience fee per order to the guest — so you keep every dollar of your sale.

💡 Why New Restaurants Choose TABL

TABL was designed for new and growing restaurants that don’t need the bulk — or the bill — of traditional systems.

Feature TABL Benefit
💵 Free POS No software subscription, no software contract
⚡ Fast Setup Create your account in minutes.
📱 QR & Card Payments Customers can order or pay from their phones
🧾 Menu Management Edit or update items instantly
📊 Reports Dashboard See sales and trends in real time
👋 U.S.-based support Real people, ready to help anytime

With TABL, your startup costs stay lean — and your operations stay modern from day one.

🧭 When to Set Up Your POS

Timeline What to Do Why It Matters
4 months before opening Research POS systems Avoid last-minute mistakes
2 months before opening Choose your POS and set up menus Start training staff early
1 months before opening Run mock services Test ticket flow and payment process
Launch week Go live with real transactions Use reports to optimize quickly

📈 The Bottom Line

POS fees shouldn’t eat your profits before you ever open your doors.
Choose a system that’s built for restaurants — not retailers, with no monthly POS fee and no software contracts.

TABL gives you everything you need to open, operate, and grow — for free.

👉 Book a free demo of TABL today and see how much you can save.
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