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(888) 342-0131
Company Overview
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.
TouchBistro POS System
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.
TouchBistro is a point-of-sale (POS) system designed specifically for restaurants, bars, and cafes. It combines iPad-based software with a suite of features aimed at streamlining operations, enhancing customer service, and improving the overall guest experience. TouchBistro’s credit card processing services integrate seamlessly with the POS system.
Integration with Multiple Payment Processors
TouchBistro is compatible with various payment processors, giving merchants the flexibility to choose a provider that meets their specific requirements. The integration enables merchants to process credit card transactions directly through the TouchBistro POS system.
Mobile Payments and Tableside Ordering
The TouchBistro POS system supports mobile payments and tableside ordering. Using the iPad-based system, servers can take orders and process payments directly at the table, reducing wait times and enhancing the guest experience. The software is compatible with popular mobile wallets and contactless payment methods, making it easy for customers to pay using their preferred method.
Customizable Payment Settings
TouchBistro’s credit card processing services can be tailored to suit the unique needs of each business. Merchants can customize settings such as tip suggestions, receipts, and tax calculations to align with their specific operational requirements. This flexibility allows businesses to optimize their payment processing and streamline their financial management.
Secure and Compliant Payment Processing
TouchBistro prioritizes security and compliance by adhering to industry standards, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). The system employs end-to-end encryption and tokenization to protect sensitive customer data and minimize the risk of fraud.
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 Samir Zabaneth is the CEO of TouchBistro.
TouchBistro Review Video Summary
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 “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau on one profile and an “F” on another, and it has received 23 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.
TouchBistro Reviews and Complaints
Here's What Their Clients Say
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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Recent Lawsuits
No
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Low-to-Moderate Complaint Volume
We’ve located many negative TouchBistro reviews, some of which could be important during POS System research. The POS app has an overall rating of 2.4 out of 5 stars in the iTunes App Store (down from 2.8 at the time of a recent 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. If you have a TouchBistro review to make, please do so in the comments below.
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 Support 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.
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
Other Support Options
- Live chat support
- Email support address at [email protected]
TouchBistro BBB Rating and Report
Our Better Business Bureau Profile Assessment
BBB Summary
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BBB Reports
23
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One BBB Complaint
TouchBistro currently has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau on one profile and an “F” on another, and it has not received BBB accreditation. Across the 2 profiles, there are 23 complaints.
What Business Owners Say
TouchBistro has also received 5 negative informal reviews on its BBB profile. The negative review describes issues with charges and customer service:
We signed up to use Touch Bistro beginning April of 2020 then the pandemic hit and we were forced to close. We attempted on multiple occasions to put a hold on the charges and the representatives kept telling us they would but never did and ended up charging us $9,000 in a little over a year. We have still not reopened and we ended up having to close our card that they were charging the fee to just to get them to stop. Good luck ever actually speaking to anyone at this company who can help you with anything. This company should be investigated.
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 business owners should be aware that there are valid reasons to be skeptical of the BBB’s reviews.
TouchBistro Fees and Rates
A Closer Look at the Contract
Cost Summary
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Cancellation Penalties
No
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Monthly & Annual Fees
Yes
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Processing Rates
Variable
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Equipment Leasing
Yes
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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 business owners 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 clients 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 businesses 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
TouchBistro Jobs and Employment
Hiring Standards and Ethical Marketing Assessment
Key Points
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Uses Independent Resellers
No
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Telemarketing
No
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Misleading Marketing
No
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Discloses All Important Terms
Yes
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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.
TouchBistro Review Summary
Our Final Thoughts and Opinions
TouchBistro rates as a solid iPad POS credit card processing 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.
If you found this article helpful, please share it!
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.