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Inventory and food cost software review

MarginEdge

Food cost software at one published price of $350 a month per location, with inventory, recipe costing, unlimited invoice processing and bill pay included, month to month unless you choose annual billing. With Toast you also pay Toast's own fees.

By MarginEdgeParent company: MarginEdge, Co.

RTC SCORE

7.9

#2 of 11 with enough data

Our verdict

A published all-in price per location for full food costing and invoices, month to month. If you use Toast, add Toast's own fees before you compare.

What we like

  • One published price, $350 a month per location, with inventory, recipe costing, theoretical usage reports, unlimited invoice processing and bill pay in the same plan.
  • Month to month on monthly billing, with no cancellation fee, and 12 months of access to your account after you cancel.
  • Connects with a long list of POS systems, including Toast, Square, Clover, Shift4 POS, Lightspeed and SpotOn, with no MarginEdge fee to connect them.
  • Bar inventory by weight with the Freepour scale, and transfers and commissary kitchens for groups.

What to watch

  • With Toast you also pay Toast $50 a month per location for its Restaurant Management Suite, plus a Toast API fee whose amount is not published.
  • Onboarding packages are sold separately and their price is not published.
  • Support is by email or ticket on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern; there is no phone line you can call.
  • Annual billing saves 10% but locks you in for 12 months with no refund.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score7.9out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness97%

We could verify 97% of the scoring data

Strongest points
12-month software cost (reference restaurant), POS integrations, Inventory counts
Weakest point
12-month software cost (reference restaurant)

Score by criterion

  • 12-month software cost (reference restaurant)Weight 24%StrongestWeakest4.0 out of 10

    $4,200 over 12 months

  • POS integrationsWeight 8%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Inventory countsWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Recipe costingWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Actual vs. theoretical food costWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Supplier invoice captureWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Sells to a single locationWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
  • Live support channelsWeight 4%2.0 out of 10
  • Purchase orders to suppliersWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Works with more than one POSWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Accounting integrationsWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Leaving earlyWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%No data
  • Paying suppliers (AP)Weight 2%10.0 out of 10
  • Setup help includedWeight 2%3.0 out of 10
  • Bar inventory by weight or pourWeight 1%10.0 out of 10

All the data, with sources

Each value links to its source. "Not published" means the vendor doesn't disclose it; "Unconfirmed" means we looked and couldn't confirm it. Data points we have for fewer than four vendors are left out until we can compare them.

Pricing
Data pointValue
Monthly price (full food cost)$350/moSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)One plan with everything included. With the Freepour bar scale it is $500 a month per location.
Charged perLocationSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Billing optionsMonthly or annualSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Annual billing is 10% cheaper but commits you to 12 months.
Invoice-only planN/ASource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)MarginEdge sells a single plan with invoices, inventory and recipes; there is no invoice-only plan.
Published pricingPublishedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Groups and high-growth companies get custom pricing; onboarding packages have no published price.
Setup or onboarding feeNot publishedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)There is no setup fee as such, but MarginEdge sells onboarding packages (three options for 1 to 4 locations) and does not publish what they cost.
POS connection fee$0/moSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)MarginEdge does not charge to connect your POS. Toast is the exception: Toast charges $50 a month per location for its Restaurant Management Suite, plus a per-location API fee that MarginEdge passes on to you.
Other chargesWith Toast: Toast's Restaurant Management Suite at $50 a month per location and a pass-through Toast API fee per location (amount not published). Freepour bar scale bundle: $150 more a month per location. SmartScale not returned: $500. Onboarding packages and Bill Pay payment service fees are priced inside the platform, not published. Sales tax applies in some states.Source: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
What it does
Data pointValue
Main jobInventory, recipes and invoicesSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Inventory countsIncludedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Recipe costingIncludedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Actual vs. theoretical food costIncludedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)It needs your recipes mapped to POS menu items.
Supplier invoice captureScanning included without a published capSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Paying suppliers (AP)IncludedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Some payment methods carry payment service fees shown in the platform before you send a payment.
Purchase orders to suppliersIncludedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Bar inventory by weight or pourYesSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Bottles are weighed with the Freepour scale, sold as a bundle at $500 a month per location.
POS and accounting
Data pointValue
Works withSeveral POS systemsSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
POS integrationsToast, Square, Clover, Shift4 POS, Lightspeed, SpotOn, Heartland (Genius), TouchBistro, PAR, OthersSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Read from the logo directory on MarginEdge's POS page, which also lists Aloha, Revel, Simphony and dozens more. Its Shift4 POS guide says modifier sets, nested modifiers, cash tips and weights do not come through.
Accounting integrationsQuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Restaurant365, OthersSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Read from the logo directory (QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, NetSuite, Restaurant365, Compeat, Microsoft Dynamics GP and others); the help center has QuickBooks Online setup guides.
Size and users
Data pointValue
Minimum locations1Source: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Users on the planUnconfirmedSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)We looked on its pricing page and in the help center's user articles; MarginEdge does not say how many users a location includes.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termMonth to monthSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Month to month on monthly billing. Annual billing commits you to 12 months.
Automatic renewalMonth to monthSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)Month to month, with no renewal term.
Notice to avoid renewalUnconfirmedSource: MarginEdge Help Center (opens in a new tab)We looked in the Terms of Use and the help center: no notice period is published. You cancel with a form for each location; if you are charged before you submit it, there is no refund and the account stays active through that billing period.
Leaving earlyNothing more to paySource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)On monthly billing. If you choose annual billing, the rest of the 12 months is still due.
Early termination clauseNo cancellation fee on monthly billing. If you choose annual billing (10% off), you commit to 12 months and the rest of that term is still due if you leave early; fees paid in advance are non-cancelable and non-refundable (Terms of Use, section 3(i)). Unreturned SmartScale: $500.Source: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesMarginEdge may change the agreement at any time by updating the date at the top; changes take effect when posted, and using the service means you accept them (Terms of Use, section 11). Bill Pay service fees can change without notice.Source: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)
Your data when you leaveYou can download them yourselfSource: MarginEdge Help Center (opens in a new tab)MarginEdge recommends exporting your products, purchase reports and recipes; after you cancel it stops processing invoices and exporting to accounting.
Setup and support
Data pointValue
Setup help includedPaid separatelySource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)One-on-one software training is included; implementation comes in onboarding packages whose price is not published.
Live support channelsEmail or ticketsSource: MarginEdge Help Center (opens in a new tab)Email or ticket; a phone or video call can be scheduled on request.
Live support hours a week55Source: MarginEdge Help Center (opens in a new tab)
Language
Data pointValue
App or dashboard in SpanishDocumented in SpanishSource: MarginEdge Help Center (opens in a new tab)You choose Spanish (United States) in your settings. Your own data (recipes, products) is not translated, invoices are processed only in English and the terms are in English.
Help center in SpanishYesSource: MarginEdge Help Center (opens in a new tab)The help center has a Spanish (United States) edition at help.marginedge.com/hc/es-us.
Support in SpanishSays it serves you in SpanishSource: MarginEdge Help Center (opens in a new tab)MarginEdge says this next to its Professional Services and training; it does not publish a Spanish phone line or a separate Spanish team for day-to-day support.
Website in Spanish for the USNoSource: MarginEdge (opens in a new tab)The sitemap has no Spanish-language pages and marginedge.com/es/ does not exist; only the help center is in Spanish.

More about MarginEdge

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