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restaurant pos system

Arryved vs Toast

Arryved and Toast are both point-of-sale systems, but they are built for different rooms. Arryved is a mobile-first POS designed around beverage service: native open tabs, offline mode, QR self-ordering, and inventory that thinks in tap rotation, depletion rates, and ounces. It is the register breweries, taprooms, cideries, and bars reach for when bar, table, self, and event service all have to run through one system. Toast is the restaurant all-in-one, purpose-built for food service of every size, and it runs at real scale (156,000 locations / $2.0B ARR, $51.5 billion GPV).

For a 3-5% net margin business the honest framing is not 'which POS is better' but 'which room are you running.' If your revenue is poured rather than plated, Arryved's beverage-native workflows are hard to match with a general register. If you run a full-service or quick-service kitchen that leans on online ordering, delivery, and payroll in one place, Toast is the deeper all-in-one and the more AI-forward of the two. Both share the category catch, though: the smart features you unlock are wired to that register, so the AI and guest tools are only yours as long as you stay.

Arryved compared with Toast, dimension by dimension
Best fitArryvedBreweries, taprooms, cideries, and bars that run bar, table, self, and event service through one system and want a register that understands beverage service natively.ToastFull-service and quick-service restaurants of any size, especially operators who lean on online ordering, delivery, and payroll bundled into the register.
Beverage workflowsArryvedThis is the whole point: native open tabs, ounce-level tracking, tap rotation, and depletion rates are built in, so a busy bar or taproom is not bending a food-first POS to fit.ToastA capable general menu with modifiers, but not beverage-native. Tap rotation and ounce-level depletion are not the design center, so a heavy bar program works around it.
Service modesArryvedBar, table, self, and event service in one mobile-first system, with offline mode and QR self-ordering for high-volume floors and festival or event pours.ToastDine-in, counter, online ordering, and delivery, with a deep off-premises stack (first-party ordering, delivery, and marketing) built into the register.
AI and smart featuresArryvedAnalytics and automation rather than marketed AI: sales forecasting from live POS data for staffing and production, plus depletion and margin reporting. Teams can layer third-party AI forecasting through integrations.ToastThe most AI-forward mainstream register, with menu and sales analytics, an AI 'Sous Chef' assistant, and predictive tools, backed by its published AI-in-restaurants surveys. Operator comfort with its AI runs high (86% comfortable / 81% will increase).
Pricing and processingArryvedCustom, quote-based software subscription plus payment processing (an effective rate near 2.24% plus $0.15 is cited); confirm current numbers with the vendor.ToastTiered plans from a free starter tier up to custom enterprise pricing, plus processing fees and hardware, so the entry point is low and the all-in-one grows as you add modules.
Where it strainsArryvedA food-heavy, off-premises operation will find a beverage-first system does less of the online-ordering and delivery lifting out of the box.ToastA high-volume bar or taproom will feel the absence of native open-tab and ounce-level workflows and end up forcing the register to behave.
Arryved profile Toast profile POS systems buyer guide

The verdict

Which one, and the catch either way.

Bottom line

Pick Arryved if your business is poured: a brewery, taproom, cidery, or bar where open tabs, offline service, and ounce-level inventory are the daily reality, and a beverage-native register saves you from bending a food-first system to fit. Pick Toast if you run a full-service or quick-service kitchen that wants one deep all-in-one, heavy online ordering and delivery, and the most built-in AI of the mainstream registers. Neither 'wins'; they serve different rooms, and since nine in ten restaurants are small businesses (9 in 10 under 50 employees), total cost including processing usually decides it. Both carry the same catch, though: the AI, loyalty, and guest tools you unlock are locked to that register.
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Questions

What buyers ask.

Can Arryved run a restaurant, not just a bar or taproom?
It can handle food service, but its design center is beverage: open tabs, tap rotation, and ounce-level tracking. A food-forward, off-premises-heavy operation sits closer to Toast's strengths, while a bar or taproom that also serves food is squarely Arryved's home.
Which one has better AI?
Toast markets AI directly (menu and sales analytics, its 'Sous Chef' assistant, predictive tools, and annual industry surveys), while Arryved leans on analytics and forecasting rather than branded AI and lets you layer third-party AI through integrations. If a built-in assistant matters, Toast is more forward; if you would rather choose your own analytics layer, Arryved leaves that open.
Do I lose my online ordering and loyalty if I switch between them later?
Start with the register and workflows that already work for your team. Check the exact product, plan, region, and account permissions before assuming a connection is supported. Confirm what data can be exported and what would need to be reconfigured if you switch providers. A separate website or workflow may be enough; replacing the POS is not the default.

Keep comparing

Other POS systems matchups.

Square for Restaurants vs ToastToast vs Lightspeed RestaurantToast vs TouchBistroToast vs CloverSquare for Restaurants vs CloverClover vs Lightspeed RestaurantToast vs SpotOnSquare for Restaurants vs SpotOnClover vs SpotOnToast vs Revel SystemsLightspeed Restaurant vs Revel SystemsToast vs NCR AlohaNCR Aloha vs Oracle MICROS SimphonyToast vs Oracle MICROS SimphonySquare for Restaurants vs TouchBistroLightspeed Restaurant vs TouchBistroSquare for Restaurants vs Lightspeed RestaurantClover vs TouchBistroToast vs Shift4Epos Now vs Square for RestaurantsLavu vs ToastSpotOn vs Lightspeed Restaurant

References

Every figure on this page drills down.

5 sourced statistics cited here across 4 publications. Each number links to the research hub, and each entry there links out to its primary source.

  1. 01Toast, Inc. (via Yahoo Finance / Business Wire), Toast Announces Third Quarter 2025 Financial Results (2025)
  2. 02Restaurant365, What Is the Average Profit Margin for a Restaurant? (2024)
  3. 03Blue Book Services (reporting Toast survey), The Toast 2025 Voice of the Restaurant Industry Survey Shows Operator Resilience (2025)
  4. 04National Restaurant Association, National Statistics (2024)
Term First-party orderingTerm Demand forecastingTool ArryvedTool Toast

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Arryved vs Toast for restaurants (2026): which POS fits your room | TableMagic