Toast is a solid POS — but it locks you into Toast Payments, Toast inventory, and Toast everything. RPS works with any POS, gives you actionable insights (not just dashboards), and grows with you from free tools to franchise consulting.
The Core Difference
Same numbers. Completely different outcomes.
"Your food cost is 34.2% this period."
"Labor is at 31.8% of sales."
"Add xtraCHEF for $200/mo to get invoice processing and deeper analytics."
"Your food cost is 34.2%. Your burger bun vendor switched — that's costing you $847/month. Switch back or renegotiate. Priority #1."
"Labor is 31.8%. You're overstaffed Tuesday lunch by 2.4 hours. Cut one prep shift — saves $312/week. Priority #2."
"This week: Call vendor, adjust Tuesday schedule. Projected impact: +$1,400/month."
Toast is a great POS — but once you're in, you're locked in. Toast Payments is mandatory (no bringing your own processor). Toast inventory is limited. And their analytics show you what's broken, not how to fix it. RPS works alongside any POS — including Toast — and tells you exactly what to do with dollar impact and priority actions.
Full Stack Comparison
We complement your POS — we don't replace it
| Your Need | Toast + Add-Ons | RPS (Works With Any POS) |
|---|---|---|
| Just Starting Need to diagnose the problem |
$0 Starter → $69+ Growth basic dashboards only |
10-Minute Tuneup™ FREE |
| Learning the Fundamentals Need SOPs & systems training |
❌ Not offered help articles only |
Stop the Bleed E-Book $9.99 one-time |
| Menu Costing Live food & alcohol costs + AVT pricing |
xtraCHEF add-on $200+/month |
Live Menu Engine™ $299 + $10/mo |
| Full Operations Menu + Sales + Inventory + Labor + Banking |
Multiple add-ons stacked $300–$500+/month |
Restaurant Machine™ $50/mo or $599 |
| Need Expert Help Audits, training, hands-on support |
❌ Not offered "contact support" |
Consulting Services Menu, Labor, Supplier audits |
| Scaling / Franchising 1 → 10 locations |
Per-location pricing costs multiply fast |
Expansion Consulting Financing, legal, buildout |
RPS isn't competing with Toast's POS — it complements it. Keep Toast for payments and order management. Add RPS for the insights Toast doesn't give you: actionable Priority Actions, contribution margin engineering, labor optimization with dollar impact, and human consulting when you're stuck.
Our Product Ladder
No contracts. No lock-in. Just solutions that grow with you.
Guided prime cost audit using our free calculators. Find your biggest profit leak in one session — no credit card required.
Start Free500+ page operator's manual with SOPs, templates, and systems. Build your profit machine step-by-step.
Get the E-BookLive food & alcohol costing, contribution margins, menu engineering matrix, AVT pricing. Your menu, optimized.
See Menu EngineFull suite: Menu + Sales Mix + Inventory + Labor + Banking + Command Center with Priority Actions.
Explore MachineRight Fit
Different tools for different needs — or use both
Many operators use Toast as their POS and RPS for profit optimization. Toast handles payments and order flow. RPS tells you exactly where you're bleeding money and how to fix it. They're complementary, not competitive.
What Toast Can't Do
When you need a human who's been in your shoes
We review your P&L, invoices, and schedules to find every profit leak — then deliver a Priority Actions report with exact dollar impact.
Full recipe costing, contribution margin analysis, and menu redesign. We tell you what to kill, what to promote, and what to reprice.
Schedule analysis, SPLH benchmarking, and shift-by-shift recommendations. We show you exactly where to cut without hurting service.
We analyze your invoices, find the creep, and either negotiate for you or give you the scripts to do it yourself. Average savings: 8-15%.
Going from 1 to 10 locations? We help with financing, legal structure, leaseholds, brand systems, and operational playbooks for scale.
Just need advice? Book time with an operator who's been in your shoes. No contracts, no minimums — just answers when you need them.
Toast is software. Period. When you're stuck, you get a help article. RPS gives you a human who's run restaurants — someone who can look at your P&L, walk your line, and tell you exactly what to fix. That's the difference between a vendor and a partner.
Common Questions
What operators want to know
Explore More
More tools and resources to help you decide
Start with our free 10-Minute Tuneup. Find your biggest profit leak in one session — no credit card, no commitment. Or talk to a consultant who's been in your shoes.