Skip to content

Inventory and food cost software review

xtraCHEF by Toast

Toast's back-office add-on for Toast restaurants: the Pro plan at $279 a month per location adds inventory and recipe costing to invoice automation; the $179 Essentials plan covers invoices and accounting sync only.

By ToastParent company: Toast, Inc.

RTC SCORE

6.4

#9 of 11 with enough data

Toast also offers: POS systems, Card processing, Online ordering, and 5 more

Our verdict

A published per-location price for food costing inside Toast. It only makes sense if your POS is Toast, and you should ask Toast for the term before you sign.

What we like

  • Published price per location: Pro at $279 a month with inventory and recipe costing, or Essentials at $179 for invoices only.
  • Built into Toast: sales come from your Toast account and recipes connect to your Toast menu without a separate connector.
  • Invoice scanning in both plans with no monthly cap published, plus ordering from your vendors.
  • QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync automatically.

What to watch

  • Works only with Toast POS; if you use another POS, it is not an option.
  • Inventory and recipe costing are only in Pro; Essentials does not count inventory or cost recipes.
  • The term is not published, and the only published terms (from 2020) make you pay through the end of the term with no refunds.
  • Accounting systems other than QuickBooks connect only through CSV files you move yourself.

How the score breaks down

RTC Score6.4out of 10

Methodology v1.0.0

Data completeness82%

We could verify 82% 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%StrongestWeakest5.9 out of 10

    $3,348 over 12 months

  • POS integrationsWeight 8%1.4 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%No data
  • Supplier invoice captureWeight 7%10.0 out of 10
  • Published pricingWeight 6%10.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 6%No data
  • 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%3.0 out of 10
  • Accounting integrationsWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Leaving earlyWeight 3%2.5 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 3%10.0 out of 10
  • Paying suppliers (AP)Weight 2%No data
  • Setup help includedWeight 2%No data
  • 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)$279/moSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)Pro is the cheapest plan with inventory and recipe costing. It is added to a Toast account; the Toast POS subscription is separate.
Charged perLocationSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)
Billing optionsUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's support center and xtraCHEF's terms; Toast prices it per month but does not publish whether it is billed monthly or annually, or the term.
Invoice-only plan$179/moSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)Essentials also has food cost reporting from invoices, the ingredient price tracker and vendor ordering, but no inventory or recipe costing.
Published pricingPublishedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)Published in Toast's support center; to buy it you request a demo in the Toast Shop.
Setup or onboarding feeUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's support center: setup and onboarding are handled by a Toast sales agent and an onboarding consultant, with no published fee. xtraCHEF's 2020 terms mention a possible one-time set-up fee.
POS connection feeN/ASource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)xtraCHEF pulls sales from Toast inside the same account; there is no separate connector. You need a Toast POS, whose subscription is not included.
Other chargesUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's support center and xtraCHEF's terms. Toast publishes no other xtraCHEF charges; the 2020 terms mention fees for usage beyond the subscription without amounts.
What it does
Data pointValue
Main jobInventory, recipes and invoicesSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)
Inventory countsIncludedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)Included in Pro, the plan compared here; not in Essentials.
Recipe costingIncludedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)Included in Pro, the plan compared here; not in Essentials.
Actual vs. theoretical food costUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in xtraCHEF 101 and the inventory guide; Toast mentions waste, shrinkage and inventory depletion reports in Pro but does not describe an actual vs. theoretical comparison.
Supplier invoice captureScanning included without a published capSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)Included in both plans, with no monthly cap published.
Paying suppliers (AP)UnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's xtraCHEF articles: invoices are sent to your accounting system and Bill.com is listed as a data exchange, but Toast does not document paying suppliers from xtraCHEF.
Purchase orders to suppliersIncludedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)
Bar inventory by weight or pourUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in the inventory guide: a Liquor area can be set up, but counting open bottles by weight or pour is not documented.
POS and accounting
Data pointValue
Works withOnly its own POSSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)xtraCHEF is added from a Toast Web account through the Toast Shop and pulls its sales from Toast.
POS integrationsToastSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)
Accounting integrationsQuickBooks Online, NetSuite, Restaurant365, Sage Intacct, OthersSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync automatically; NetSuite, Restaurant365, Sage Intacct, Compeat, Microsoft Dynamics and others work through CSV files you move yourself.
Size and users
Data pointValue
Minimum locations1Source: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)
Users on the planUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's xtraCHEF articles; Toast does not say how many users a location includes.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial termQuote onlySource: xtraCHEF (opens in a new tab)The term is the one of the subscription you sign up for with Toast; it is not published.
Automatic renewalUnconfirmedSource: xtraCHEF (opens in a new tab)The 2020 terms say the subscription may renew for successive periods without saying how long.
Notice to avoid renewal30 daysSource: xtraCHEF (opens in a new tab)From xtraCHEF's 2020 terms; Toast's current agreement for xtraCHEF may differ.
Leaving earlyFees left in the termSource: xtraCHEF (opens in a new tab)From xtraCHEF's 2020 terms, still published; Toast's current agreement for xtraCHEF may set different terms.
Early termination clauseUnder xtraCHEF's 2020 terms, if the service ends you still pay in full through the last day of the current term, and there are no refunds for cancellation (sections 4.2 and 5.3). The term itself is set when you subscribe through Toast.Source: xtraCHEF (opens in a new tab)
Right to raise pricesxtraCHEF may add or change fees at any time; a pricing change takes effect in the billing cycle after you are notified (2020 terms, section 4.1).Source: xtraCHEF (opens in a new tab)
Your data when you leaveLimited or lost access after you leaveSource: xtraCHEF (opens in a new tab)From the 2020 terms: access ends when the service ends and no export period is promised. Toast does not publish an exit export process for xtraCHEF.
Setup and support
Data pointValue
Setup help includedUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)Toast says onboarding starts with an onboarding consultant and offers free live Toast Classroom sessions, but does not say whether onboarding is included in the price.
Live support channelsEmail or ticketsSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)The xtraCHEF articles point to email; Toast's pages also list a general Toast customer care phone number.
Live support hours a weekUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's xtraCHEF articles; support hours for xtraCHEF are not published there.
Language
Data pointValue
App or dashboard in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's support center in English and Spanish; Toast does not say whether the xtraCHEF app or dashboard can be used in Spanish.
Help center in SpanishYesSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)xtraCHEF articles are published in Spanish (United States) in Toast's support center, as courtesy translations.
Support in SpanishUnconfirmedSource: Toast Support (opens in a new tab)We looked in Toast's xtraCHEF articles in English and Spanish; Spanish-language support for xtraCHEF is not published.
Website in Spanish for the USUnconfirmedSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)The xtraCHEF product page could not be loaded for this review, so we could not check for a Spanish version.

More about xtraCHEF by Toast

How we score