Best POS for a restaurant in Los Angeles
Last reviewed 2026-08-05 · by the RetailPOS team
A taco counter in East LA, a full-service spot in Santa Monica and a two-location group have different needs. Here are the criteria that matter for a real restaurant POS in Los Angeles, then where RetailPOS lands.
What an LA restaurant POS must do
1. Kitchen tickets / KDS. Orders reach the line clearly with modifiers attached — printed chits or a screen.
2. Food-cost tracking. Recipe inventory ties each dish to its ingredients so you see true margin and waste.
3. Tips & split checks. Server tips, tip-out reporting, and splitting a check by seat or evenly.
4. Correct tax. Apply the LA County combined sales-tax rate automatically and report it for filing.
5. Own your hardware. No mandatory leased terminal — run on tablets and printers you buy once, with your own processor.
How the options compare
| RetailPOS | Toast | Square | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware | Use your own, buy once | Toast-supplied, often leased | Buy Square hardware |
| Card processing | Bring your own | Toast Payments (locked) | Bundled ~2.6% + 10¢ |
| Monthly pricing | $29–69/shop, all features | Core ~$69 + add-ons | Free; paid tiers |
| Kitchen tickets / KDS | Yes | Yes | Yes (Square for Restaurants) |
| Recipe / food-cost | Every plan | Higher tier / add-on | Limited |
| Multi-location on base plan | Yes | Per location | Higher tier |
Where RetailPOS fits — and where it doesn’t
Pick RetailPOS if you want kitchen tickets, food-cost tracking and flat pricing without a hardware lease or locked processing.
Stay on Toast ifyou want one vendor for handhelds, online ordering, delivery integrations and payroll and don't mind the lease and locked payments. RetailPOS is the lighter, flatter option; Toast's deep restaurant ecosystem goes further on bundled add-ons.
Frequently asked
- Does it print to a kitchen printer or KDS?
- Yes — orders route to the kitchen as printed tickets or an on-screen display, with modifiers attached.
- Do I have to sign a hardware lease?
- No. RetailPOS has no hardware lease; you run it on tablets and printers you own. Any existing lease you hold is with your current vendor, not RetailPOS.
- Can it handle server tips and split checks?
- Yes — card tips, per-employee tip totals for tip-out, and splitting a check by seat or evenly.
Open your shop in 30 seconds.
No card. Free until your first 100 sales. Bring your own Stripe; keep your hardware.