Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Toast VS Upstart

Compare Toast VS Upstart and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Toast logo Toast

Built to make restaurants better. Toast gives your restaurant the technology you need to succeed in today's fast-paced environment.

Upstart logo Upstart

Upstart is an event-based replacement for the /sbin/init daemon which handles starting of tasks and...
  • Toast Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-17
  • Upstart Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-26

Toast

Release Date
2011 January
Startup details
Country
United States
City
Boston
Founder(s)
Aman Narang
Employees
1,000 - 1,999

Toast features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Toast offers an intuitive and easy-to-use interface, which simplifies the training process for staff and minimizes operational errors.
  • Comprehensive Features
    The platform includes a wide range of features such as table management, online ordering, and inventory tracking, providing a complete solution for restaurant operations.
  • Integrated Payment Processing
    Toast includes its own payment processing, making transactions seamless and secure, and offering transparent pricing without the need for third-party processors.
  • Cloud-Based System
    Being cloud-based, Toast allows real-time access to data from any device with an internet connection, facilitating remote management and decision-making.
  • Regular Updates and Support
    Toast regularly updates its software to include new features and improvements, and it offers robust customer support to assist users with any issues.

Possible disadvantages of Toast

  • High Initial Cost
    The upfront cost of setting up Toast can be significant, which may be a barrier for small or budget-conscious restaurants.
  • Long-Term Contracts
    Toast often requires long-term contracts, which can limit flexibility and pose a risk if the system doesn't meet the restaurant's needs over time.
  • Dependency on Internet
    As a cloud-based system, Toast relies on a stable internet connection. Any disruption can affect the functionality and accessibility of the system.
  • Limited Customization
    Some users may find that the customization options in Toast are limited compared to other POS systems, which could restrict tailored experiences for specific restaurant needs.
  • Potential Overwhelming Features
    The wide array of features might be overwhelming for smaller operations that don’t need extensive functionalities, potentially making the system complex to navigate.

Upstart features and specs

  • Event-based Architecture
    Upstart uses events for starting and stopping services, enabling services to be more responsive to system events and changes.
  • Parallel Execution
    It allows for parallel starting of system services, which can lead to faster boot times.
  • Dynamic Services Management
    Services can be started or stopped based on dependencies like hardware availability, making it flexible for dynamic environments.
  • Backward Compatibility
    Upstart is designed to be backward compatible with existing sysvinit scripts, easing the transition for users and administrators.

Possible disadvantages of Upstart

  • Complexity
    The event-driven model can be more complex to configure and troubleshoot, especially for those unfamiliar with it.
  • Limited Adoption
    Upstart has been largely replaced by systemd in many Linux distributions, leading to less community support and updates.
  • Documentation
    Some users find the documentation to be less comprehensive compared to other init systems, making it harder to master.
  • Legacy System
    As many systems transition to systemd, Upstart is increasingly considered a legacy system, reducing its long-term viability.

Analysis of Toast

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Toast is considered a strong POS solution for restaurants of various sizes due to its robust capabilities, industry focus, and ease of use. However, whether it is the best choice depends on the specific needs and budget of the restaurant.

Why this product is good

  • Toast is a popular point-of-sale (POS) system designed specifically for restaurants and the foodservice industry. It is praised for its user-friendly interface, comprehensive feature set, and industry-specific solutions that help streamline restaurant operations. Toast offers features such as menu management, inventory tracking, online ordering, delivery integration, and real-time analytics. Its cloud-based system allows for easy updates and remote access, making it a reliable choice for restaurant owners looking to improve efficiency and customer service.

Recommended for

    Toast is particularly recommended for small to medium-sized restaurants, quick-service restaurants, cafes, and bars that are looking for a comprehensive POS system with built-in features for managing different aspects of restaurant operations. It is also suitable for restaurant owners who value a cloud-based system with the flexibility to grow with their business.

Toast videos

Eating Toast For The First Time. A REVIEW 🍞 (A Spoof)

More videos:

  • Review - Greg Doucette's Anabolic French Toast | Review
  • Review - JANJI JIWA JUAL ROTI BAKAR ? SUKSES / GAGAL TOTAL ? - REVIEW JIWA TOAST - Makanan Kekinian

Upstart videos

Upstart Personal Loan Review: Is It The Right Loan For You?

More videos:

  • Review - Upstart Loans Personal Review & Info - 850 Club Credit Consultation
  • Review - Good Credit News | Upstart Loan Review My Pre-Approval Offer

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Toast and Upstart)
Payments Processing
100 100%
0% 0
Fintech
0 0%
100% 100
Payment Platform
100 100%
0% 0
Finance
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Toast and Upstart

Toast Reviews

Top Restaurant Loyalty Software Options for 2023
Toast is a convenient restaurant management platform that includes a wide range of features. There’s a POS system, online ordering tools, marketing features, and more. Of course, the platform includes Toast loyalty tools.
POS: Best Point of Sale System Software for Small businesses
A software business called Toast is situated in Boston. The customer is promised ease of use by the Toast POS system. It creates point of sale and administration systems for restaurants. The architecture of Toast POS is cloud-based. The company also offers round-the-clock assistance.
Source: qpe.co.in
Best Restaurant POS Systems For 2019
Toast may have the most electronic and socially-distanced ordering/payment options of any of the restaurant POS systems on our list. Dine-in features for COVID-19 include a self-ordering kiosk, NFC-friendly card readers, reservation management, and a QR code payment option that customers use to pay for their meal on their phone. For customers who want to stay home, Toast...

Upstart Reviews

We have no reviews of Upstart yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Toast seems to be a lot more popular than Upstart. While we know about 11 links to Toast, we've tracked only 1 mention of Upstart. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Toast mentions (11)

  • Problems with Grubhub?
    Toast is the point of sale system that many restaurants use - it integrates a lots of aspects of the restaurant https://pos.toasttab.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What is the best CRM for a small business?
    Hey! I'm not as familiar with the restaurant space but I've heard good things about Toast. You may need to use their point-of-sale system to get the full benefits, but they do have a CRM, ERP tools, and some marketing capabilities built into their software. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Waitstaff, do you prefer separate checks for parties of 10-15 or waiting for them to figure out how to split the check?
    For others who are confused: Toast is a point-of-sale (POS) app used by restaurants to charge customers. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Japan: Depopulation a surefire formula for national ruin
    Even without robots, services like Toast can cut down the number of waiters needed by moving ordering & table service to smartphones. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Data science for small businesses / restaurants
    I think toast https://pos.toasttab.com/ does this for restaurants. They sell point of sale systems, but also back office software too. That enables them to collect all the data, then they provide analytics that is supposed to help the restaurant be more profitable. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

Upstart mentions (1)

  • X12
    The problem is that systemd vs sysv-init is a false dichotomy. Systemd took over a ton of important non-init functionality, like DNS, logging, and interactive sessions. That could be fine if systemd did so in a nice and rock-solid way, but it was unpleasantly bug-ridden for years after being thrust on mainstream distros via a hard Gnome dependency. SysV-init sucks in many ways, it's well known, and I can... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Toast and Upstart, you can also consider the following products

Square - Square helps millions of sellers run their business-from secure credit card processing to point of sale solutions. Get paid faster with Square. Sign up today!

runit - runit is a cross-platform Unix init scheme with service supervision, a replacement for sysvinit...

Lightspeed - retail and restaurant point-of-sale, ecommerce, and omnichannel solution

sysvinit - Savannah is a central point for development, distribution and maintenance of free software, both GNU and non-GNU.

TouchBistro - iPad based Point of Sale solution for restaurants

systemd - systemd is a replacement for the init daemon for Linux (either System V or BSD-style).