Cake POS

Cake POS Review

Updated as of June, 2023

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 Unfortunately, many outdated POS systems on the market can do more harm than good.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. Our Cake POS review will look at how this POS platform can help empower and grow your business. Throughout this review, we’ll also explore its pros vs. cons and features in-depth, so you have an overview of Cake is 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, 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

• Hardware Bundle – Starts at $69/mo*
• Software & Service – Starts at $69/mo*
• Each Additional Terminal – $49/mo

*$69/mo lease pricing requires a 3-year contract. +$69/mo software subscription pricing requires a 2-year contract.

One of the significant downsides of Cake POS is that the company doesn’t provide transparent pricing information. Instead, they direct you to fill out a quote form – this can be a pain if you’re trying to make a quick price comparison across a broad range of POS platforms.

Overall, Cake POS offers prices for both software and hardware as a service. Coupling your software fee with Cake POS’s hardware will cost you more. The company states that its most popular platform costs around $138 per month. For a small business, this might seem like a pretty expensive investment.

Also, if you want additional add-ons, you’ll need to pay. Credit card processing costs money, too, but this is comparable with other top industry competitors.

The other downside to Cake POS’s pricing model is that it encourages its users to sign long-term contracts. You’ll need to sign up for a three-year commitment to take advantage of the most affordable pricing. These types of obligations can put you in a tough position if you can no longer afford the services of Cake POS.

If you’re interested in Cake POS’s guest management platform, it will cost you $79 per month — you’ll also need to pay $199 upfront. Again, while this platform is pervasive, the price points might be well outside of your budget.

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 we 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 use 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.

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.

Our 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 ensure that your business operates in the hospitality industry – otherwise, this platform 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.

Before you decide, compare 2023‘s best POS systems fast & save

Compare POS Systems