- Good restaurant management features
- Easy-to-build menus
- Simple pricing structure
- Not compatible with iOS or Android
- No add-ons or integrations
- Not as many features as some competitors
BrewPOS Review
Table of Contents
My BrewPOS review will explore the various features on offer at this popular point of sale system. If you’re looking for critical information that can help you decide if this is the right platform for your bar and restaurant, make sure to consider all the information provided in this review. It’s time to unearth the different benefits available at BrewPOS — is it right for you and your business?
Overview of BrewPOS
BrewPOS is a point of sale company that first started business in 2015. BrewPOS is a Windows-based platform providing users with POS software, hardware, and the option of integrated payment processing systems. BrewPOS can work for various niches, but it’s built specifically for the bar and restaurant industry.
You can use BrewPOS on various Windows tablets and “conventional” POS terminals, but Android and iOS devices are not currently supported. You also have the option to purchase BrewPOS hardware directly from the company. BrewPOS is a cloud-based POS system that provides you with remote storage and offsite access to reporting data.
This particular platform focuses on providing restaurant and bar owners with access to easy-to-use and affordable POS software. You’re able to build menus and add modifications easily — shortcuts are also available via the software.
We like BrewPOS as an enterprise solution for restaurants and bars. It’s capable of handling simple counter service to large restaurants and bars with multiple locations. You get a level of control with revenue and employee tracking that exceeds some of the simpler tablet apps.
While BrewPOS doesn’t have any complex integrations or add-ons, it does provide users with a wide range of bar and restaurant-specific features that can help you manage your restaurant and transactions.
In my review of BrewPOS below, you’ll find more in-depth information on its various features, pricing, and components.
Pros vs Cons
- A restaurant-specific platform that comes packed with features
- Restaurant management features that help you manage your entire business
- Remote access to reporting
- Easy-to-build menus
- Easy navigation and a simple platform
- Range of hardware devices
- Strong pricing structure — especially if you need a lot of stations
- Positive customer feedback
- Flexible payment processing
- Phone and email support
- Complaints about liquor inventory inadequacies
- No iOS or Android hardware available
- No add-ons or integrations
- Not as many features as some competitors
Pricing
BrewPOS pricing starts at $69 per station (per month). Fortunately, BrewPOS is exceptionally straightforward about its pricing structure — I always find that this is a good sign. Far too many POS companies make you seek quotes or consultations before you can find out if it’s affordable. Below, let’s take an in-depth look at the pricing structure on offer:
Software Prices Only
- One Station: $69 per month
- Two Stations: $129 per month
- Three Stations: $169 per month
- Four Stations: $199 per month
- Five Stations: $249 per month
- Six Stations: $299 per month
- Seven Stations: $349 per month
- Unlimited: $399 per month
As you can see, the average monthly cost slightly decreases as you add more stations (in some cases). If you have a large restaurant or restaurant chain, you can take advantage of BrewPOS’s unlimited option. This is an excellent option if you need access to tons of terminals.
Overall, BrewPOS’s pricing structure is definitely an upside. Keep in mind: these prices are only for the software. You can also add hardware at an additional cost.
Demo Video
Key Features
If you’re going to choose a restaurant POS system, it’s essential to know what features you’ll have access to via your subscription. Below, let’s explore the different restaurant-based POS features available at BrewPOS:
- Customize menus and add variations via a centralized portal — choose menus for certain times of the day or year
- Add shortcuts and automatic modifiers to your menu to help save staff time — you can also set up courses and make variations depending on customer requests
- Build tabs and split tickets with ease, as well as modify order items based on individual tickets
- Track the progress of to-go orders to provide customers with solid time frames
- Restaurant management features such as table timers, tab preauthorization, kitchen printer options, customer discounts, and more
- Delivery order management platforms that help you recognize numbers, view order histories, and track delivery distance
- Give servers a wide range of customer permissions and abilities
- Track voided items or promotional discounts to help ensure all servers are acting ethically
- Access reports on specific servers and their performances, as well as sales data, etc.
- Provide customers with pre-set tip options — it’s easy to track tips and divide shares between staff
- Inventory tracker that helps you avoid running out of essential ingredients and menu items — all in real-time
- In-depth data reporting that allows you to access data from an offsite location
- Touch screen hardware options
- Customer support is available via phone and email
Data Reporting
If you’re going to invest in a modern POS platform, you need to make sure that it offers you access to advanced reporting features. At BrewPOS, you can view data reports on any computer — you don’t need to be onsite to access information.
You can also access data on inventory and divide these reports into different categories or items. All reports can be broken down into different periods of time (days, weeks, months, etc.).
BrewPOS also allows you to remotely monitor staff, times sheets, wages, and more. Lastly, you can have reports automatically printed at the end of each business day.
Unfortunately, BrewPOS doesn’t appear to have a data reporting app that allows you to access your reporting from your phone. While this isn’t a huge deal, you can find this feature with some of the other leading providers in the industry.
Deployment Type
BrewPOS claims that it is a cloud-based system, and this is true for the most part. Still, you’ll need a hardware system to install the software and retain a small amount of information. The vast bulk of the platform is cloud-based, which provides you with a range of excellent benefits.
Industries Served
BrewPOS is definitely geared towards the hospitality industry. While the company doesn’t offer any niche specifications, its restaurant-specific POS platform can be utilized across a broad range of restaurants, cafés, and bars. There are plenty of important features built into this platform.
As with many modern POS platforms, I recommend BrewPOS for small and mid-sized businesses. While this platform has plenty of features, it doesn’t have some things that a large restaurant may require — such as built-in online ordering.
Still, accessing multiple locations’ reporting data from a central location makes it suitable for restaurant chains. The unlimited station pricing structure means that you can have a large restaurant or chain without incurring additional software costs.
Ease of Use
BrewPOS is definitely easy to use. The software’s interface is basic — you’ll find navigating through the menu pretty straightforward. You can also customize your menu with shortcuts if you want to improve how fast you and your staff can take orders.
Also, you’ll be able to benefit from the touch screen nature of this platform. Many modern POS systems are going touch screen for a reason — it helps you speed up taking orders and performing transactions. There are definitely systems with better user interfaces, but the platform’s ease of use is still beneficial at BrewPOS.
Hardware
Unfortunately, there’s not much flexibility when it comes to hardware options at BrewPOS. BrewPOS offers a variety of touchscreen enterprise systems, stations, and tablets. In fact, you can even use consumer-grade Windows tablets.
While all the hardware systems available via BrewPOS are reliable options, it’s slightly disappointing that you can’t bring your own iPad or Android tablet to the table. If this is something you had planned on doing, you may want to consider working with another provider.
I recommend obtaining all your hardware and software from your vendor always to get the latest equipment compatible with the software. If you try to piece equipment together to save a few bucks, you risk spending time troubleshooting issues when everything doesn’t work together.
Integrations
Unfortunately, you won’t find any serious add-ons or integrations at BrewPOS. Personally, this is a bit of a letdown — most of the top POS providers have extensive integrations and add-ons available to people who are trying to get more from their point of sale systems.
You can export financial information into spreadsheets and other formats to automatically upload to your accounting or financial software. While this isn’t as good as direct integration, it still means you’ll be able to use third-party financial tools.
Payment Processing
At BrewPOS, you can add your own credit card processor to the platform if you want to take advantage of a particular processor’s rates. This is a great feature that you don’t find with many modern POS platforms. This also gives you the flexibility to bring your current credit card processor to BrewPOS if you’re already using a specific provider.
If you want a full list of compatible providers, you’ll need to contact BrewPOS directly — they do not publicize this information. Also, BrewPOS guarantees to match any processing rate if you decide to work with their in-house processing platform. This is another useful processing feature on offer via this platform.
Customer Service
BrewPOS doesn’t advertise its customer support hours, which may mean they only operate during specific business hours. If this is the case, it might not be a suitable option for people running late-night eateries and establishments. Still, I was able to find information from third-party sources that indicate they keep their phone line open 24/7.
You can contact BrewPOS customer support via phone or email. At present, there is no live chat function available for clients. Fortunately, a client login portal on their website can give you access to some additional resources.
In terms of customer satisfaction, there isn’t a large amount of customer feedback available online. Most clients have positive experiences with BrewPOS. The only negative feedback I’ve been able to find is that there isn’t reliable inventory tracking for liquor and other alcoholic beverages.
Compared to other competitors in the industry, it appears BrewPOS is a strong performer in terms of customer satisfaction.
Our Verdict
BrewPOS has a lot to offer if you’re looking for a basic POS platform with an affordable, straightforward pricing structure. If you want an affordable point of sale system for multiple locations, the ‘unlimited stations’ option is definitely a good value. BrewPOS is a reliable cloud-based system that offers robust data reporting, useful restaurant management system tools, and plenty of customization for menus and promotions.
The primary downside at BrewPOS is that it simply isn’t as advanced as some of the other competitors in the market. Without any integrations and add-ons available, you don’t have the same number of features and benefits at your disposal.
Still, BrewPOS does appear to have a positive reputation with the people that use it. If you’d like to request a free demo, get in touch with BrewPOS for more information, or find a local POS reseller here.
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