Upserve POS Review

Upserve prides itself on being a POS system created by industry veterans. These veterans recognized the problems with other systems, and decided to try and fix them. As such, with Upserve, you get a POS system that’s heavily focused on making servers’ lives easier.

It has dedicated training modes, for example, which allow new staff to be onboarded with the existing menu for genuinely useful dry-runs. It also has inventory countdowns to keep track of stock, table plans that can be adjusted on-the-fly, and the capability to work with online orders.

But there has to be a catch, right? This is it: Upserve has a free demo, but no free version or free trial, and its pricing plans start from $59 per month – plus extra to add terminals. However, this shouldn't be a dealbreaker. Particularly if you already have tablets (iPad or Android) to run it on, Upserve would be a shrewd investment.

Limited time offer: Get a free virtual POS system with no sales commission for 12 months, to help your restaurant move to online ordering during the ongoing pandemic.

In this Upserve POS review

• Upserve POS Core Features
• Upserve Setup and Customer Service
• Upserve POS Pricing
• Upserve POS Review: The Verdict

Upserve POS Core Features

Upserve has a veritable boatload of features that will help make any restaurateur’s life easier. Here, we look at some of its main highlights – including its unique ‘reputation management’ feature.

Upserve POS sales reporting and analytics

Upserve captures upwards of 25 data points from each transaction to give you a true deep dive into your restaurant’s sales performance. For example, you’ll be able to look at live sales figures, so you can see exactly how much cash is flowing in and out of your pockets at any given time.

You can also track labor costs, the reasons for void or complimentary orders, payment types and amounts, and which mixes of products are selling best. All these tools can help make your business more efficient, which can make you more money.

Upserve POS reputation management

Keeping an eye on the litany of review sites can be tricky – and not always the best use of your time. Upserve, however, simplifies the process by collecting customer reviews from Yelp, OpenTable, TripAdvisor and the like, and presenting them in one easily digestible view.

This means you can thank happy customers for their good reviews, as well as easily weed out the bad reviews and send personalised replies to help limit their damage..

Upserve POS training modes

Onboarding staff can be a pain. However, Upserve features a dedicated training mode that will let staff learn how to use the system, featuring your own menu, tables, and all the rest — without disrupting service.

This will eliminate the gap between theory and practice, reducing the chance of new staff making errors – saving everyone time, and ensuring guests have a better experience.

Upserve POS menu management

Upserve prides itself on giving you full control over your menu and making servers’ lives as easy as possible.

You can bulk edit items on the menu – helpful when a certain item is out of stock – and change the way your menu looks based on what is or isn’t selling, thanks to real-time sales analysis. There’s also a menu search function built in, which can be a godsend for servers – if you have a long drinks list, for example.

Upserve POS labor management

Want to know how much you’re spending on wages? Or when your employees are clocking in and out? Upserve makes this easy with its dedicated labor reporting section, Upserve Workforce. Each employee gets a virtual timecard to manage their hours, and you can check how much you’re paying for staff at any given time – all from within the app.

Managers also get a calendar view for building their schedules, sharing the final schedule with employees via email or text. A requirement for manager approval can be set up for early clock-ins as well.

Upserve POS campaigns

Let’s say you’ve got a new special on the dinner menu, or you’re trialing two-for-one cocktails between 5-7pm. With Upserve, you can create one-off campaigns to track and analyse these initiatives, and see if they’re helping or hindering your business.

Upserve POS hardware support

Upserve offers support for a wide range of hardware peripherals, including iPads and printers. This means you can kit out your restaurant with easy-to-use iPads, giving them to servers to take orders, and using them as payment terminals with Upserve’s proprietary Lightning Port credit card swiper.

Upserve works with both iOS and Android equipment.

Upserve POS KDS

Upserve has a Kitchen Display System (KDS) built in, making it super easy to keep track of orders and simplify communication between the front and back of house. Whether it’s being used alongside table service, bar tabs, or online takeout orders, the KDS system is simple and easy to understand, helping you save time and money.

(Free!) Virtual POS

Upserve's Virtual POS is designed to help restaurants set up online ordering, so customers can buy items for delivery from their phone, tablet or laptop. It also includes an artificially intelligent menus feature.

For a limited time, Upserve is offering their Virtual POS for free, complete with its Online Ordering add-on. This is in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic's impact on restaurants.

The service will be free for the first 12 months, and the software will take zero commissions on sales, although transaction fees will still be charged.

Once the year-long $0 contract runs out, businesses will pay the regular price of $99/month. Customers only wishing to use the service temporarily must be careful to cancel via email at least 60 days prior to avoid paying the renewal fee.

How does Upserve fare against the competition? Check out the 10 Best Restaurant POS Systems

Hardware Highlight: EMV kit by Upserve

EMV, or Europay Mastercard Visa, is the new card standard for preventing fraud. It’s becoming increasingly popular with consumers, so your restaurant will need to start accepting these cards soon.

With Upserve, you’ll get access to their EMV terminal for free when you sign up, so you can be prepared for the future of restaurant payments.

Upserve POS Setup and Customer Support

Upserve offers a variety of ways to get help and support. It has year-round, 24/7 customer support from an office in Denver, Colorado – useful if you have a problem at your late-night bar.

Upserve offers its support through phone, live chat, and email, with the company claiming to answer 84% of phone calls within 30 seconds. It also has a large support center, which gives you step-by-step guides for fixing routine issues.

What’s more, anyone can access the same high quality support regardless of the plan they’re on. This makes a nice change compared to some companies, which often reserve higher quality support for their more expensive plans. As we mentioned above, Upserve also has a dedicated training mode to help simplify setup and onboarding of new staff.

Upserve POS Plans and Pricing

Rather than pricing its service per user, per month like most restaurant POS providers, Upserve offers pricing per month, per terminal. It has three main pricing plans to choose from: Core, Pro, and Pro Plus, plus a new Virtual POS service option.

For example, if you choose the cheapest Core plan, it’ll cost $59 per month. Every additional terminal will cost you another $60 per month.

You’d also need to pay slightly more to gain access to some features on the Core plan. For example, inventory tracking costs $99 per month, while online ordering is an additional $59 per month.

Opt for the pricier plans, however, and you actually start to make some savings. For example, the cost of additional terminals drops from $60 to $50 on the Pro plan, and then to $40 on Pro Plus. What’s more, inventory tracking and online ordering is included with both Pro and Pro Plus. With the Pro Plus plan, you get access to custom reporting features, as well as the Data API, which allows you to build your own tools – handy if you’re a seriously large business.

All told, the Pro plan likely has all the right features for most medium-sized restaurants and small chains.

Finally, Upserve's Virtual POS offers online ordering for $99/month, although that's after the free 12 months that users are currently eligible for, as part of the company's pandemic response. Whether it's free or paid, transaction fees will still apply to each sale. Sales commission won't apply to online orders.

Upserve POS Rivals

None of the above POS systems will be a bad fit for your restaurant. However, it's worth considering which features you need most. Upserve and TouchBistro have loads of restaurant-specific features, such as Upserve's kitchen display system.

Squares and Lightspeed, on the other hand, are capable of working in much broader businesses, so they might be a better for businesses that do more than just sell food.

Upserve POS: The Verdict

Upserve is one of the best restaurant POS systems on the market, with a range of useful and innovative features which are sure to help grow your business. Upserve’s system is easy to set up and use – even for new staff. Plus, as its pricing doesn’t depend on the number of users, it won't stop you from scaling.