Cake POS System Review

Is Cake POS a good restaurant POS solution to consider for your business? At POS USA, we’ve researched and reviewed many different POS systems. We go out on the internet, scan all the reviews, and talk to and survey consumers. Our research and review of Cake POS found that Cake is a strong contender for a complete software and hardware package with great support at reasonable prices.

No matter what type of restaurant you own or manage, your point of sale system is one of the most critical components of your operation. You must have a POS system that can help you easily facilitate complex transactions. Unfortunately, many outdated POS systems on the market can do more harm than good.

Cake POS is a relatively new POS provider but still offers restaurant owners a wide range of features and benefits. My Cake POS review will look at how this POS platform can help empower and grow your business. Throughout my review, I’ll also explore its pros vs. cons and features in-depth, so you have an overview of Cake as a POS to consider for your business.

Overview of Cake POS

Cake POS is a point-of-sale product powered by Mad Mobile. Cake POS provides users access to world-class hardware and software for point-of-sale transactions and management.

Unlike many POS providers, which direct you to purchase equipment, Cake POS also provides access to a proprietary hardware system via its service. Its hardware is a touchscreen, which I find extremely intuitive, and built to handle the potentially treacherous conditions found in quick-service and full-service restaurants.

Cake is a restaurant management system with benefits specifically geared toward the hospitality industry. It offers a range of additional features, including restaurant management, payment processing, offline payments, and more. We’ll take a more in-depth look at its features throughout our Cake POS review!

Pros vs Cons

Pricing

Before looking at all the features that Cake POS offers, it’s essential to consider the pricing structure. There’s no point reading about a POS system you can’t afford!

How much does Cake POS cost? Here is the pricing:

Cake POS Cost

As of last check, there are three price tiers available depending on your needs:

• Essentials – $69/month; this package includes all the basics a restaurant will need, including a POS system, a POS station and tableside kit, as well as basic features such as cloud-based reporting or QR code payment.
• Plus – $125/month; this is a more advanced option. It has everything the previous one offers, with an addition of commission-free online ordering and gift card management.
• Pro – $295/month; this is their most comprehensive package, offering all the features of the previous two, with an addition of a number of marketing and guests management tools, such as email marketing or loyalty programs.

The more extensive feature package you need, the more you can expect to pay. For a small business that is just starting out, the cheapest option should be more than enough – as your restaurant grows, you can scale it and adjust it to your current needs.

For bigger businesses, an enterprise solution is also available, although you will have to get in touch with Cake POS’s sales team.

There’s also a free demo available if you wish to try the system out before making a significant commitment to it.

*Pricing requires contract commitments (terms vary by plan).
+Software subscription requires a 2-year contract.

Promo Video

Cake POS for Restaurants – Promo Video

Key Features

Cake is a relative newcomer to the market, but the company still has many key features you’d expect from a modern cloud-based POS system. Here are some of the main features I like about the Cake POS software and hardware platform:

Deployment Type

Technically, Cake POS is a cloud-based POS platform, but this answer isn’t as straightforward as it may seem. Cake POS offers the best of both worlds regarding cloud technology. Unlike outdated POS platforms, Cake POS follows a new trend of being both cloud-based and locally installed, aka a hybrid.

While installing the software on your hardware, all your data and information will be stored in the cloud. As you can imagine, this helps prevent costly data losses if something goes wrong with your hardware. You can also view reporting data offsite and export it to accounting software platforms.

Cake point of sale does offer an offline mode to keep your restaurant in business when your internet goes down.

Industries Served

Cake POS is specifically geared toward the hospitality industry, unlike some POS systems. While this might rule out specific industries, it provides unique advantages to those who run restaurants, bars, food trucks, or other hospitality venues.

Cake POS can serve businesses of almost any size. They have unique features that can help you gear your POS layout towards full-service restaurants, quick-service restaurants, bars, pubs, or food trucks; this being said, it’s not necessarily as powerful as some of the other competitors on our list.

I’d say that Cake point of sale is perfect for small to medium-sized establishments. While it does have the features that larger restaurants will need, it’s not quite as extensive of a software application as you might find with some of the more “aged” POS programs.

Ease of Use

As with most modern POS systems, one of the primary goals that Cake POS set out to achieve is making your point of sale experience easier. Many outdated systems are counterintuitive, which can slow down the learning curve. If you’re looking to train staff quickly, you need to use a POS system that makes sense.

One of the best parts about Cake POS is that it’s easy to navigate and customize. I highly recommend this platform if ease of use is one of your primary concerns.

Hardware

Cake POS is one of the few modern POS providers that pushes you towards using their hardware setups. While many competitors let you run their software on iPads, iPhones, or other tablets, Cake POS has its preferred hardware.

What’s included with the starter hardware bundle:

• 1 POS terminal
• 1 Payment Cube
• 1 Thermal Printer
• 1 Cash Drawer

The starter bundle can be purchased individually or leased at $69/mo.

Still, there are advantages to working with Cake POS hardware. Its hardware is sleek and intuitive — it’s also entirely touchscreen. The hardware system is resistant to water and other substances you may encounter inside your restaurant. If you’re looking for a sleek and practical hardware system that isn’t intrusive, Cake POS has you covered.

Cake POS is also willing to let you pay for the hardware monthly, so you won’t have to make the same upfront investment you might find if you need to purchase third-party equipment independently.

They do have an option to use an iPad (The POS Orderpad) with an app that mirrors the terminal software you can use for line busting and tableside ordering.

Integrations

Cake POS offers a range of integrations and add-ons, but its list isn’t as extensive as some competitors. With Cake POS, most add-ons are related to integrating accounting software with your POS reporting system. You can integrate your POS platform with QuickBooks and Xero.

Other integrations and apps include Orca, 7Shifts, and more. These applications can help you manage your staff, keep track of stock, and order more inventory when you’re running low on supplies.

In terms of add-ons, you can add Guest Manager if you want a service that allows you to manage your floor space better; this helps you manage restaurant seating, ordering, and payment processing to increase your workplace efficiency.

For those looking for additional features, there’s also the option to add online ordering, which can help you manage orders from external customers – this is an excellent package if you rely heavily on takeout orders.

Payment Processing

Cake POS offers clear terms for its credit card processing platform. You pay 2.5% + 10c per transaction. You won’t have to pay any monthly fees for processing, which means you only have to pay for what you process. Its credit card processing platform accepts all major credit cards.

While this is undoubtedly a useful feature, it doesn’t leave you with the same flexibility you find with other POS platforms. Some point-of-sale providers allow you to integrate with hundreds of credit card processing partners.

Cake Security Features

I’m big on security, so I always make sure to check out what the POS systems I’m reviewing have to offer in this regard.

Cake POS features PCI-compliant payment processing, ensuring your customers’ payment data is kept secure and minimizes the risk of someone stealing it. SSL protocols and data tokenization are also present. Plus, since it is a cloud-based system, new updates are released regularly directly to your POS.

With this POS system, you also have the option to offer your customers contactless payment methods, including QR codes and mobile payments.

Cake POS System Training

Learning a completely new POS system is no joke, which is why I always appreciate when a provider does something to make the transition easier – and thanks to their training mode, used to learn how to input orders without it affecting the reporting, Cake POS definitely earned some brownie points. While it could’ve been more extensive, it definitely helps to introduce the system in your restaurant.

That’s not all, however, as Cake POS system actually also offers additional educational materials, ensuring that both you and your employees can get the hang of it pretty quickly and easily. After all, let’s be honest – a POS system is only as good as the people who use it.

Customer Service

If you’re running a busy restaurant or starting a new restaurant, your POS provider must have a strong customer support team. Fortunately, you’ll find 24/7 customer support with Cake POS. Surprisingly, this isn’t a feature you see with all significant POS providers. Cake POS’s customer support team is undoubtedly one of its upsides.

It’s also important to consider what other customers think of this platform. If tons of customers are running into similar problems with a platform, there’s a high chance you will too. So, what do Cake POS customers think of this point-of-sale product?

Many online testimonials praise the Cake POS platform and its ability to improve operations and cash flow. Unfortunately, Cake POS doesn’t have a significant presence in many of the top consumer watchdog groups, so it’s hard to gauge the company’s volume of complaints. Check back regularly to see if there is an update on this matter.

Cake POS User Reviews

Now that I’ve told you what I think about the system, let’s take a look at some of the things other people, especially those using the Cake POS system have to say about it. As far as I can tell, most responses have been positive. However, nothing is perfect, and some customers also found certain drawbacks.

The Good

According to one review published on GetApp:

Simple and covers all the bases. Cake has actually impressed customers! How often does a customer look at a cash register and think it’s cool? Well, cake has, especially 4 years ago before everyone had an iPad. But we still get comments.

Another one said:

Very easy to set up the menu; customer service has always been top notch; online reports include the information you need to run a business effectively; POS terminal is attractive and customer friendly.

The Bad

When I was reviewing what customers have to say about Cake POS, one thing that stood out was the terrible customer support they received. However, other reviews mentioned a positive experience with the customer service.

One negative review said:

Customer service has been horrible. Bad attitudes, lack of help, and terrible at resolving issues. Tripled charged me for additional POS system. TERRIBLE installation strategy. Self-Installation with no assistance if it doesn’t work. WHAT? Fabio blamed ME for the installation not working. It is a simple plug and play but what happens when that doesn’t work. They shrug and say it is your fault.

Cake Case Studies

Pacific Sushi & Grill

Pacific Sushi & Grill is a restaurant serving hundreds of people every day, with a number of stations for the guests to choose from. While this gives them a rich list of menu items, it also means that without a streamlined system, staying on top of things becomes difficult for the staff.

The owner, Mr Horgan, understood this, and he also realized he needed a system that would be able to print out the order tickets in multiple locations so that the staff doesn’t have to wait long for their turn, which is why he decided to try the Cake POS system.

After the changes, order tickets are sent directly to the appropriate station so that the staff doesn’t have to run around as much and can instead focus on the customers.

The combination of Cake POS and tableside ordering solution resulted in increased order processing speed, which translated to an increase in overall revenue of 25%, with an increase at particular times as high as 50% and an increased number of transactions.

The Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden has a rich history, having been operating for more than 120 years. However, its systems have not been updated in a while. Before the transition, the restaurant was still using a cash register-type POS system, which limited how much information the owner, Tak, could see. Having to reconcile bills due to the possibility of human error was also a huge challenge.

The transition started simply, with Tak first trying out the demo version. After seeing it for himself, he decided to add it to his restaurant, along with an upgraded customer-facing screen where the customer could sign their electronic check or pick the tip amount.

What were the results?

• Lines reduced by 30 to 50 percent due to streamlined ordering.
• Tips for the staff increased by 50%.
• Significant decrease in human errors.

As for the owner, the transition allowed him to save about 1 to 2 hours of work a day that he would usually spend on reconciliation. Additionally, he can now also access live data without being physically in the restaurant.

How Does Cake Compare to Other POS Systems?

My Verdict

There’s no doubt that there’s plenty to like about Cake. This will feel like a real upgrade if you haven’t changed your POS system or cash register for many years. Its ease of use, feature list, and hardware make your restaurant much more manageable. Just keep in mind that this platform is suitable only for a business operating in the hospitality industry – otherwise, it won’t be useful.

The only downsides to Cake’s point of sale are related to pricing and contracts. If you’re operating on a budget, this might not be a great option. It would also be best if you were sure this is the right platform for your restaurant before purchasing it – Cake POS is known to prefer long-term contracts.

Make sure to request a free Cake demo before making any long-term commitments. It’s a great way to get a feel for the product before signing a lengthy contract and investing your hard-earned money.

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