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Restaurant POS review

PAR POS

Cloud POS from PAR Technology (formerly Brink) for enterprise quick-service chains. Pricing and card rates are only available through sales; PAR publishes its standard subscription terms.

By PAR TechnologyParent company: PAR Technology Corporation (NYSE: PAR)
Not enough data to score

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Not enough verified data yet

We've verified 6 of 10 key facts for this POS. Until we reach 80%, this page shows what we have, with sources, and it isn't a full review.

What we like

  • Built for enterprise quick-service chains.
  • You can pick your card processor.

What to watch

  • Price and card rates are only available through sales.
  • Standard terms: a 36-month term that renews for 12 months at a time unless you give 30 days' notice, with fees rising at each renewal.

How the score breaks down

RTC ScoreNot enough data

Methodology v0.5.0

We could verify less than 60% of what we score, so we don't rank it.

Data completeness53%

We could verify 53% of the scoring data

Strongest points
Own online ordering, Support 24/7 (as the vendor publishes it), Hardware warranty included
Weakest point
Switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant)

Score by criterion

  • Cost to get started (reference restaurant)Weight 25%No data
  • Switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant)Weight 25%Weakest0.0 out of 10

    $0 in promotions our reference restaurant qualifies for

  • 36-month total cost (reference restaurant)Weight 20%No data
  • Own online orderingWeight 11%Strongest5.0 out of 10
  • Hardware warranty includedWeight 8%Strongest3.0 out of 10
  • Support 24/7 (as the vendor publishes it)Weight 5%Strongest10.0 out of 10
  • Initial termWeight 2%3.0 out of 10
  • Early termination feeWeight 2%No data
  • Exclusive processing commitmentWeight 1%10.0 out of 10
  • Trial or money-back periodWeight 1%0.0 out of 10
  • Length of automatic renewalsWeight 1%7.0 out of 10
  • Notice to avoid renewalWeight 0%10.0 out of 10

Cost to get started

The cash your restaurant puts in before it opens on the new POS, in our reference scenario ($30k/month in card sales, $35 average ticket, 2 terminals, 1 location, 36 months): equipment you buy up front plus one-time setup or installation fees. Same rows for every POS.

25% of the RTC Score

Total to get startedCan't be calculated with published data

What's missing

  • Terminals: quote only.

Left out and why

  • Monthly and yearly charges (rent, software, yearly fees per device) are part of the 36-month cost, not of the entry cost.

Switching or signing bonus

What the vendor's current promotions are worth to our reference restaurant ($30k/month in card sales, $35 average ticket, 2 terminals, 1 location, 36 months), an established restaurant switching from another company's POS.

25% of the RTC Score

Counted in the RTC Score

$0

No current switching or signing promotion. It counts $0.

Promotions end and change, so we re-check them: one with no end date comes down if we can't re-check it within 30 days, and an expired one stops counting the day after it ends.

Hardware warranty

The same rows for every POS: how long the main terminal is covered against defects when you get it a standard way (buying, leasing, renting, a subscription or a loan), the conditions, including what it leaves out and what keeping it costs, and the price to replace that terminal outside the coverage.

Hardware warranty included1 yearSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)A 30-day out-of-box warranty and a one-year depot warranty on hardware you buy. Drive-thru hardware has its own period.
Warranty conditionsDepot warranty: you ship the unit to PAR at your own risk, and PAR repairs or replaces it and ships it back by ground at its expense. Claims must be made within the warranty period. Not covered, and the warranty is void for: misuse, neglect, negligence, accidents, vandalism, objects or liquids falling on or into the hardware, steam, power surges, disasters, and service by anyone other than PAR or its authorized partners; it is also void if the site preparation is not done before installation. Optional paid Advance Exchange Services run 1 or 3 years and include parts, labor and next-day replacement shipping, priced by quote; under them you return the faulty unit within 14 days or pay its full price plus a 20% restocking fee.Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Price to replace the main terminalQuote onlySee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR publishes no price for the PAR Wave terminal; its page asks you to contact sales for a quote.

The RTC Score only counts how long defects are covered. What the coverage leaves out (accidents, theft, loss) and what it costs to keep are in the conditions. A protection plan sold separately doesn't count; if the vendor offers one, it's in the conditions. The replacement price isn't added to the 36-month cost, because there's no public data on how often equipment fails.

Trial or money-back period

Whether you can try the POS and leave, and what it costs you if you do. Same rows for every POS.

Trial or money-back periodNone publishedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)We checked PAR's site, services, contact and support pages: no trial or money-back window is published.
Trial periodN/ASource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Charges during the trialN/ASource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR publishes no trial.
Trial conditionsNo trial or refund window is published; PAR sells through a demo and a quote.Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)

In the RTC Score the trial is part of the contract block, the lowest weight in the model: full points when you can try it with no software charges or get your money back, half when you can cancel without the early termination fee but the charges during the trial are yours.

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.

Software
Data pointValue
Software fromQuote onlySee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)The site asks you to book a demo; no price is published. PAR's subscription agreement says fees are set in your order or pricing schedule.
Software billed perLocationSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Kitchen display (KDS) feeUnconfirmedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR sells kitchen display hardware for PAR POS but publishes no price for the kitchen display software.
Payment processing
Data pointValue
Who processes your cardsYou can choose your processorSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR POS works with PAR Payment Services or another processor through the PAR Pay gateway or a third-party gateway.
Pricing model for card feesNot publishedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR doesn't publish how PAR Payment Services prices card fees; its public terms leave the fees to Schedule 1 of each merchant's application.
In-person card rateNot publishedSee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (PAR Payment Services LLC) (opens in a new tab)PAR Payment Services' public terms put the rates in Schedule 1 of each merchant's application, which is not published. The processor behind it is Worldpay.
In-person fee per transactionNot publishedSee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (PAR Payment Services LLC) (opens in a new tab)
Online card rateNot publishedSee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (PAR Payment Services LLC) (opens in a new tab)
Online fee per transactionNot publishedSee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (PAR Payment Services LLC) (opens in a new tab)
Keyed-in card rateNot publishedSee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (PAR Payment Services LLC) (opens in a new tab)
Keyed-in fee per transactionNot publishedSee my price for PAR POS (opens the provider's site in a new tab)Source: PAR Technology (PAR Payment Services LLC) (opens in a new tab)
Annual fees per deviceUnconfirmedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR's subscription agreement lists the kinds of fees (subscription, transaction, support, professional services, activation and licensing) but no yearly fee per device, and gives no amounts. PAR Payment Services charges PCI monitoring per merchant account each month, not per device (see other fees).
Dual pricing or surcharge programNoSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)We checked PAR's payments pages, its subscription agreement and its help pages and found no dual pricing, surcharge or cash discount program published for US restaurants. It is not counted until we can confirm one.
Cards the program coversN/ASource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR publishes no dual pricing, surcharge or cash discount program.
Other fees in the contractPer PAR's subscription agreement: late charges of 1.5% a month (or the legal maximum) plus collection costs; a reconnection fee if your service is suspended for nonpayment, with fees still charged during the suspension; a card processing fee if you pay your bill by credit card; and PAR can raise an order's total by up to $2,500 per location for configuration changes without further approval. Invoice disputes must be raised within 15 days. To stop paying for a location you close, you must give 30 days' notice. If you process with PAR Payment Services: $14.95 a month per merchant account (MID) for PCI compliance monitoring, $75 a month while you haven't validated PCI compliance, possible overdraft fees, and PAR or the bank can require a reserve account; PAR can change those fees with 30 days' notice.Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Hardware
Data pointValue
HardwareYou buy it()Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR sells its POS hardware under its terms of hardware sale.
Hardware works with another processorYesSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR POS works with the processor you choose, so changing processor doesn't mean changing the POS terminal. Card readers must be models your processor supports.
Contract and exit
Data pointValue
Initial term36 monthsSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR's standard subscription agreement for small and medium businesses; an order or pricing addendum can set another term. Under the PAR Master Agreement for enterprise customers the term is set in each order, and orders renew for one year unless either side gives 60 days' notice. PAR Payment Services, if you use it, has its own 36-month term.
Automatic renewal12 monthsSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Notice to avoid renewal30 daysSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
How the early termination fee is calculatedNot publishedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR's subscription agreement for the POS makes orders non-cancellable and gives no right to leave early for convenience, but publishes no early termination fee formula. Closing a location for good, with 30 days' notice, takes it off later bills. PAR's own card processing, which is optional, has its own published penalty (see the early termination fee).
Early termination feePAR's subscription agreement makes orders non-cancellable and gives no right to leave early for convenience; either side can end it only for an uncured material breach or insolvency, and your payment obligations survive termination. PAR publishes no early termination fee formula. If you close a location for good and give 30 days' notice, PAR drops it from the next bill (with a prorated refund or credit if you prepaid for the year). If you also process cards with PAR Payment Services (optional, 36-month term renewing for 12 months), leaving early costs your estimated monthly card volume times PAR's own processing fees (not interchange or network fees) for every month left, and the same fee applies if PAR ends it for your breach, if you don't start processing within 60 days, or if your volume drops below 75% of your estimate for two months in a row.Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Exclusive processing commitmentNoSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)The standard agreement doesn't require processing with PAR, but a pricing addendum can trade discounts for commitments such as exclusivity. If you choose PAR Payment Services, processing much less than your estimated volume counts as leaving early and triggers its fee.
Right to raise prices during the termUnless your order says otherwise, fees rise automatically at each yearly renewal by the change in the Consumer Price Index plus 2%. If you buy direct from PAR, PAR can raise them by more with 60 days' written notice before the renewal.Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Personal guarantee by the signerUnconfirmedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)Neither PAR's subscription agreement nor its PAR Payment Services terms has a personal guarantee clause, but the payment terms let PAR collect under 'any guaranty' if your account runs short, and the signed application isn't public, so we can't rule one out.
Online ordering and delivery
Data pointValue
Own online orderingPaid add-onSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR's own online ordering (PAR Ordering) is a separate subscription from PAR POS, with its own order and fees.
No per-order commission on own online orderingUnconfirmedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR doesn't publish PAR Ordering's pricing; its agreement allows fees per transaction, but we can't tell whether it charges per order.
Delivery app integrationsDoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubhubSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)The delivery integrations come through MENU Link, part of PAR's ordering platform (a separate subscription), which sends the orders into PAR POS.
Features
Data pointValue
Kitchen display system (KDS)UnconfirmedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR sells kitchen display hardware for PAR POS but doesn't publish whether the kitchen display software is included or sold apart.
Loyalty programPaid add-onSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)Loyalty is PAR Punchh, a separate subscription from PAR POS.
Support
Data pointValue
Support 24/7YesSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)
Language
Data pointValue
POS screen in SpanishNot availableSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR's 5.16 release notes, its latest published version (5.17 is marked coming soon), add French as the first language besides English for the register and customer screens ("French First", for Quebec's language law). The language menu offers only English (US) and Français (Canada). We searched all 164 PAR POS documentation pages and none mentions Spanish. If PAR adds Spanish, this changes.
Back office in SpanishUnconfirmed()Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)We found no PAR documentation of the PAR POS back office in Spanish.
Kitchen display in SpanishUnconfirmed()Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)We found no PAR documentation of its kitchen display in Spanish.
Language of kitchen ticketsUnconfirmed()Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)We found no PAR documentation on the language of kitchen tickets.
Language of customer receiptsUnconfirmed()Source: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)We found no PAR documentation on the language of customer receipts.
Support in Spanish (as declared by the vendor)UnconfirmedSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)PAR's technical support terms for PAR POS set hours and channels but don't say which languages support covers.
Website in Spanish for the USYesSource: PAR Technology (opens in a new tab)partech.com has a Spanish edition of its main site, including industry and product pages. It is general Spanish, not a US-specific edition, and the contracts and help pages are in English.

More about PAR POS

How we score