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Inventory and food cost software review

MarketMan

Inventory and purchasing software with published plans from $249 a month: Starter includes inventory counts, recipe costing, actual vs. theoretical reporting and 50 invoice scans a month. The subscription agreement sets a 12-month commitment that renews unless you give 60 days' notice.

By MarketManParent company: MarketMan, Inc.

RTC SCORE

8.0

#1 of 11 with enough data

Our verdict

Full food costing from $249 a month, with POS integrations and onboarding included. Before you sign, read the 12-month commitment and the 60-day renewal notice.

What we like

  • Published plans: Starter at $249 a month already includes inventory counts, transfers, recipe costing, actual vs. theoretical reporting and purchase orders.
  • Connects with Toast, Square, Clover, Shift4 POS, Lightspeed and TouchBistro, among others, with no MarketMan fee to integrate.
  • Phone support seven days a week, plus chat, email and WhatsApp, and onboarding included in every plan.
  • HQ view for groups, transfers between locations and a commissary add-on.

What to watch

  • The subscription agreement sets a 12-month commitment even on monthly billing, renews for the same term and needs 60 days' notice to stop the renewal.
  • If you leave early, the rest of the 12 months is still due.
  • Starter caps invoice scanning at 50 a month; unlimited scanning starts on the higher Growth plan.
  • MarketMan's own site shows two different prices for Starter ($249 on the pricing page, $199 on the partners page) and does not say whether prices are per location.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score8.0out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness97%

We could verify 97% of the scoring data

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

Score by criterion

  • 12-month software cost (reference restaurant)Weight 24%StrongestWeakest6.7 out of 10

    $2,988 over 12 months

  • POS integrationsWeight 8%7.1 out of 10
  • Inventory countsWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Recipe costingWeight 7%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Actual vs. theoretical food costWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Supplier invoice captureWeight 7%7.0 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 6%6.0 out of 10
  • Sells to a single locationWeight 4%10.0 out of 10
  • Live support channelsWeight 4%10.0 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%2.5 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%5.0 out of 10
  • Paying suppliers (AP)Weight 2%No data
  • Setup help includedWeight 2%10.0 out of 10
  • Bar inventory by weight or pourWeight 1%No data

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)$249/moSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Starter. MarketMan's partners page still shows Starter at $199; we use the pricing page. The page does not say whether the price is per location.
Charged perUnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on the pricing page and in the subscription agreement; neither says whether plans are priced per location or per account.
Billing optionsMonthly or annualSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Monthly billing still comes with a 12-month commitment.
Invoice-only planN/ASource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Every MarketMan plan includes inventory and recipe costing; there is no invoice-only plan.
Published pricingPublishedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Starter and Growth have prices; Enterprise is shown as from $449.
Setup or onboarding feeUnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on the pricing page and in the subscription agreement; MarketMan mentions expert-guided implementation and ancillary services in the order summary, with no published setup fee.
POS connection fee$0/moSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Your POS company may charge its own fee. The $25 a month API add-on is optional and not needed to connect a POS.
Other chargesOptional add-ons: read-only API access from $25 a month (1 to 3 locations; $59, $99 and $199 for more locations) and commissary at $499 a month ($749 to sell to outside businesses). Email invoice scanning and advanced reports are add-ons on Starter and Growth, without a published price.Source: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
What it does
Data pointValue
Main jobInventory, recipes and invoicesSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Inventory countsIncludedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Included in Starter and every higher plan, per the comparison table.
Recipe costingIncludedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Actual vs. theoretical food costIncludedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Supplier invoice captureScanning with a monthly capSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Starter includes 50 scans a month; Growth ($299) and Enterprise have unlimited scanning. MarketMan does not publish what happens past 50 on Starter.
Paying suppliers (AP)UnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on the pricing and partners pages: invoices sync with your accounting software and credit memos are tracked, but paying suppliers from MarketMan is not described.
Purchase orders to suppliersIncludedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Included in Starter. Smart ordering and ordering by recipe start on Growth.
Bar inventory by weight or pourUnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on the pricing and partners pages; MarketMan names bars among its customers but does not document counting bottles by weight or pour (Barventory appears as a partner).
POS and accounting
Data pointValue
Works withSeveral POS systemsSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
POS integrationsToast, Square, Clover, Shift4 POS, Lightspeed, TouchBistro, OthersSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Read from MarketMan's partners page, which also lists Aloha, Micros, Revel, Lavu, SumUp and others.
Accounting integrationsXero, OthersSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)The partners page lists QuickBooks (without saying Online or Desktop) and Xero.
Size and users
Data pointValue
Minimum locations1Source: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Users on the planUnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on the pricing page and in the subscription agreement; the agreement refers to users 'for whom subscriptions have been purchased', but no number is published.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial term12 monthsSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)At least 12 months, even when billed monthly; the order summary can set a longer term.
Automatic renewal12 monthsSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)It renews for the same term as the first one: 12 months on the standard commitment.
Notice to avoid renewal60 daysSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Leaving earlyFees left in the termSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Early termination clauseIf you stop paying before the end of the 12-month commitment, everything left for those 12 months becomes due at once. You cannot cancel month to month during the first term, and cancelling does not reduce or refund its fees (agreement, Commitment and Term sections).Source: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesMarketMan may reasonably raise fees to its then-current rates when a renewal term starts, and may update the agreement at any time, effective when posted.Source: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Your data when you leaveOn requestSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)You ask in writing within 30 days after the end; after that MarketMan may delete your data.
Setup and support
Data pointValue
Setup help includedIncludedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)
Live support channelsPhone, Chat, Email or ticketsSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Live chat, email, phone and WhatsApp.
Live support hours a week105Source: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)Phone, 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, seven days a week. The same page also says support is available 24 hours a day; we use the phone hours it publishes.
Language
Data pointValue
App or dashboard in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on MarketMan's English and Spanish sites; MarketMan does not document the app in Spanish. A POS company's help article says it supports Spanish, which is not MarketMan's own documentation.
Help center in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on MarketMan's Spanish site; it does not link to a Spanish help center.
Support in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)We looked on the partners page and the Spanish site; MarketMan does not say it offers support in Spanish.
Website in Spanish for the USYesSource: MarketMan (opens in a new tab)es.marketman.com is in Spanish with US dollar prices and a North America phone number, written in Spain's Spanish.

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