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Tell us about your experience with TouchBistro in the comment section below.
TouchBistro Point of Sale For Restaurants
Launched in 2011, TouchBistro is an iPad-based point-of-sale (POS) system designed specifically for the merchant accounts in the restaurant industry. TouchBistro operates on a local wireless network and can run on either a single iPad or on multiple iPads connected to a local server, which can be an iMac or a MacBook. TouchBistro is partnered with Moneris, Chase Paymentech, Square, Worldpay , iZettle, Tyro, Premier Payments, PayPal Here, and RBC Caribbean as its preferred payment processors, so it appears that merchants will need to open a merchant account through one of these companies in order to use TouchBistro at this time.
The TouchBistro systems include the following: Tabletop systems, digital menu boards, customer-facing displays, self-serve kiosks, kitchen display systems, online ordering and reservations, and gift and loyalty programs.
Location & Ownership
The company is headquartered at 85 Richmond St W Suite 1100, Toronto, ON M5H 2C9, Canada, and also maintains offices in Vancouver, LA, New York, and Chicago. Alex Barrotti is listed as the founder and CEO of TouchBistro.
TouchBistro Review Video Summary
Review Table of Contents
- Costs & Contract: Offers variable contract terms through…
- Complaints & Service: Has received more than 10 public negative reviews regarding…
- BBB Rating: Has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau on one profile and an “F” on another, and it has received 14 complaints about…
- Sales & Marketing: Does not appear to hire independent sales representatives and has not received any merchant complaints about its…
TouchBistro FAQ
Employee reviews are generally positive and customers of TouchBistro appear to be satisfied with the company’s employees. It appears that it is a good company to work for.
Yes, TouchBistro has a full gift card program that allows customers to purchase gift cards directly from your restaurant for later redemption by a customer.
Yes, the company claims to integrate with Quickbooks. However, exact details regarding which versions of Quickbooks can be integrated and how such integrations take place have not been published openly by TouchBistro
Yes, most of POS System functionality is handled in the cloud. This means that a reliable internet connection will be necessary to use TouchBistro.
No, currently TouchBistro is privately owned and has not announced any plans to go public.
Should You Trust TouchBistro?
Lawsuits, Reviews & Complaints
Complaint Summary
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Total Online Complaints
10+
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Live Customer Support
Yes
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Most Common Complaint
Product Malfunctions
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Low-to-Moderate Complaint Volume
We’ve located more than 10 negative TouchBistro reviews, some of which could be important during POS System research. The POS app has an overall rating of 2.6 out of 5 stars in the iTunes App Store (down from 2.8 at the time of our last review), with the negative comments citing hardware and software malfunctions, limited features, poor customer support, and issues with syncing and updates. The app has more positive testimonials than complaints, however, with most reviewers noting its ease of use, low cost, and stellar customer support.
TouchBistro Lawsuits
We have not found any outstanding class-action lawsuits or FTC complaints filed against TouchBistro. Dissatisfied merchants who wish to pursue a non-litigious course of action against the company should consider reporting it to the relevant supervisory organizations.
TouchBistro Customer Service Options
As noted above, the system also provides 24/7 phone support to all of its users, which is an uncommon level of customer support for an iPad-based POS system and meets our expectations for great merchant services customer support.
We have located multiple TouchBistro customer service numbers:
- (888) 342-0131 – North America Toll-Free General Customer Service
- +44 0800-051-3311 – UK Support
- +1 416-363-5252 – Rest of the World
- (855) 363-5252 – Sales
TouchBistro offers a dedicated email support address at [email protected], and it also offers live chat support through its website.
Is the BBB Rating for TouchBistro Accurate?
Better Business Bureau Profile
BBB Summary
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Product & Service Complaints
9
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Billing & Collection Complaints
3
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Advertising & Sales Complaints
0
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Guarantee & Warranty Complaints
0
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Delivery Complaints
2
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One BBB Complaint
TouchBistro currently has an “A+” rating with the Better Business Bureau on one profile and an “F” on another, and it has not received BBB accreditation. 9 of the complaints were due to a problem with a product or service, 3 were billing or collections issues, and 2 were issues with delivery. Only 8 of these 14 complaints were resolved by the company to the satisfaction of the merchant. The remaining 6 were resolved to the dissatisfaction of the merchant or received no final response.
What Business Owners Say
TouchBistro has also received 4 negative informal reviews on its BBB profile. The negative review describes issues with customer service:
BEWARE!!!! HORRIBLE AND INSENSITIVE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!! Stay away from TouchBistro, from my last dealings with them have been horrible! We are in a pandemic and my store has been down since March. They have been extremely reluctant to place my subscription, which I can’t use, on hold due to my store closing because of Covid -19. After explaining this to them several times, they still tried to charge my account. After several discussions with them they last tell me they waive 2 prior months and can do just one more waive. They threatened to suspend my license if I don’t pay (which was what I was asking for in March) Nonetheless, I’m still NOT open and the city I’m in may be closing again. TouchBistro only cares about you paying them their subscription, not your business And if you use aren’t actively using they’re product. Feel free to email me and I’ll forward anyone the emails for proof. ******** ** ***** **** ******* ****** ***** *******
Excellent customer service can help users better understand how to effectively integrate their merchant account services into their business. This is especially true for POS systems which require often include expensive setup fees.
An “A” Performance
In light of this information, we agree with the BBB’s rating for the purposes of this review, but merchants should be aware that there are valid reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s reviews.
How Expensive is TouchBistro Service?
Rates, Fees, and Contract Terms
Cost Summary
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Swiped Rate
2.99% + $0.15
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Keyed-in Rate
2.90% + $0.25
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Solo Plan
$69 - $105
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Dual Plan
$129 - $209
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Team Plan
$249 - $359
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Unlimited Plan
$399 - $539
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Set Up Fee
$200
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Early Termination Fee
$0
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PCI Compliance Fee
$0
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Equipment Lease Terms
None
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TouchBistro Pricing Plans
TouchBistro’s pricing starts at $69/month, with customized flat monthly pricing, billed annually with distinct fees for software or a bundled plan including hardware.
The flat cost of the TouchBistro software license does not include the costs of credit card processing through TouchBistro Payments, or one of its affiliated processors. TouchBistro Payments offers customized rates.
It is likely that fees and terms will vary depending on the provider’s partner offering the contract, so merchants should be sure to inquire about all associated costs. Although Worldpay and Moneris are not particularly cheap merchant account providers and have been known to charge early termination fees, it is possible that these companies extend special terms to merchants who are signed up through TouchBistro. The company does assess a $200 setup fee for new accounts. At this time, there are no specific complaints about the contracts enforced by TouchBistro’s processing partners, so we will assume that most merchants find their rates and pricing acceptable. TouchBistro advertises Chase PaymenTech, TSYS, and WorldPay among its partners. The rates in this review reference Chase PaymenTech which the company lists as its first partner.
Part of the TouchBistro rates structure
Does TouchBistro Use Deceptive Marketing?
Advertising & Sales Strategy
Key Points
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Employs Independent Resellers
No
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Advertises Deceptive Rates
No
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Discloses All Important Terms
Yes
|
|
Uses Telemarketing
No
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No Sales Complaints
TouchBistro primarily relies on conventional advertising and a network of resellers to market its services. The company hands over most of its credit card processing pricing to its payment partners and does not employ a team of independent sales agents. As a result, there is a very low likelihood of encountering unethical sales tactics from TouchBistro. This is confirmed by the overall lack of negative TouchBistro reviews related to the company’s salesforce.
No Misleading Advertising
We also have not found any misleading rate quotes or guarantees on the TouchBistro website or in its ads. It prominently displays its pricing on its website and offers transparency that compares TouchBistro favorably to top-rated iPad POS systems. We therefore will assign the company an “A” rating in this category.
Does TouchBistro Deserve Your Business?
Review Summary & Our Thoughts
A Capable Restaurant POS Option
TouchBistro rates as a solid iPad POS option for small- to medium-sized restaurants according to all available information. The service is available for a reasonable monthly cost and offers a number of useful functions for the day-to-day front-end operation of a restaurant. The service is not recommended for larger businesses at this time, mostly due to its limited feature offering for administrative purposes. It is also possible that contract terms through the company’s partner processors may vary, so merchants should be sure to read their agreements carefully. Restaurant owners considering TouchBistro should compare the service to highly-rated payment processors that come packaged with restaurant POS software to get the best fit for their needs.
Ariela Lyttle
They breached their contract and I had the same issues with their hardware/software as another person mentioned. They didn’t do anything to fix it and I had to close for the day to switch back. Since then, the communication has been awful.
Jocelyn
Stay away from Touch Bistro and of the offers that they would give you. They would just as quickly make you repay your discounts once you are under contract if you dont sign up to their add ons not originally in your contract and push you to pay more monthly fees!. I regret signing up in July 2021. We were blown away on this POS by their extremely generous offer to discount the cost of hardware for a Solo plan ($1100) that we needed to set a new Mom &Pop type takeaway restaurant. We were told the discount was a limited time offer for signing up for a 2 year contract and using Online Ordering with Online Payments by Chase. So great! And the sales person GUARANTEED to me that we would not be paying anymore than what was agreed to be the quarterly payments! Wow, i thought… ok! That was in July… during the onboarding process 1 month down the line … I asked them about in-venue payments They yold me I would get a call from Chase but they said the hardware for the payment processor was an extra rental fee monthly. I waited… no one called. so I bought a Square terminal just in case we needed an invenue card payment which is inter
grated with Touch Bistro Payments and no added rental fee. As soon as the Onboarding Specialist found this out they said…oh if I dont pay additionally for Chase Payment Processor they would take away the duscount. Suddenly just like that and long after the agreement was signed! I was still fighting with them 2 month after signing, arguing that what they are doing os against their agreement with me. An additional 40 dollars a month for the processor is nothing but in principle they should not be allowed to bully anyone using their payment processor or any add on if its not part of the original agreement and the discount being conditional to this not disclosed in the agreement or by the sales person even when asked “what’s the catch?”. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN DEALING WITH THESE PEOPLE! You dont need this extra headache when you busy trying to set up a new restaurant! They will call you endlessly even you say NO and practically threaten with paying back the $1100 discount.And in their contract terms they can just freeze your Ipad and deny you access to the software at any time! I ended up deciding to just pay back the discount. The software is great! Its the unprincipled and unethical way they are doing this that made me just want to scream! You dont need the aggravation and you dont have the time when you are newly setting up!
Kenny
They broke there contract you should not have to pay anything and switch to square.
Nichola W
They do not rock – they suck. $$$$ LOST
Tammy Giuliani
I regret signing up with Touch Bistro! I have three restaurants using the TB system and 50 employees signing in/out to track hours for payroll. The TB system is riddled with problems. Reports are inaccurate making it impossible to rely on them for tracking hours for payroll, etc.. TB is aware of the problem and every time I call, they assure me the problem will be fixed, but it never is. Over the past 10 weeks I’ve had to call support 8 times, spending on average, 45 minutes to 1 hour on hold each time. I’m always told my problem has the “highest priority” only to find out the next day that is still wrong, having to start from scratch waiting on hold again. Small business owners don’t have hours to waste trying to track down accurate reports. Do yourself a flavour and look elsewhere for a POS. I’d have been better served by a pad and pencil.
This post will help: Best Restaurant Merchant Accounts
-Phillip
Karen
We wanted to put a POS system in our fairstand. Checked it out and liked that TouchBistro specifically mentioned fairstand and small businesses. The person who answered the phone told us they weren’t interested and said he would send us the name of another company that we may want to call. Really!!! And he didn’t even do that! The real test of a company is how they treat the smallest of customers, and apparently they do not value their customers enough to even sell them the tools needed, not to mention the program.