Getting started with a new POS system can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re also managing staff, customers, and day-to-day operations.
The good news is that Toast POS is designed to be straightforward once it’s properly set up. Before you begin taking orders or processing payments, it’s important to configure your system so it reflects how your restaurant operates.
This guide walks through both setup and daily use, including order entry, payments, and daily management, so you can get up and running with confidence.
Set up and configure Toast POS
Before you start using Toast during service, take time to configure your system correctly. You’ll need to set up:
- Your menu and pricing
- Employee logins and permissions
- Payment processing enabled
- Devices connected (terminals, handhelds, or kitchen displays)
Taking the extra time to configure your system helps prevent errors and keeps your team running smoothly from day one.
Set up your menu
Your menu is the foundation of your POS.
Add your menu items, categories, and pricing. Make sure to include modifiers for things like add-ons, substitutions, or cooking preferences. This ensures orders are entered correctly and sent to the kitchen with all the details.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to get started:
- Log in to Toast POS using your credentials.
- If you have multiple locations, select the correct restaurant from the location menu at the top of the page.
- In the left menu, select Menus, then choose Menu builder.
- Select +Create menu.
- Enter a name in the Menu name field.
- Add details like kitchen prep settings, sales categories, and item availability.
- Save your menu once everything is set.
After creating your menu, you can continue building it out by adding groups, items, and modifiers based on how your restaurant operates.
For more detailed guidance, you can review Toast’s menu hierarchy documentation to better understand how menus, groups, and items work together.
Configure taxes and pricing
Set up your sales tax rates based on your location and the types of items you sell.
Toast allows you to apply tax rates to specific menu items or categories. This is important because not all items may be taxed the same way, depending on your state or local rules.
Take time to review your setup to make sure taxes are applied correctly before going live.
For more guidance, visit Toast’s webpage on assigning tax rates and configuring tax behavior. This will help ensure your settings align with how your business needs to collect tax.
Set up employee roles and permissions
Create logins for your team and assign roles based on responsibilities. This helps control access and keeps your operations consistent.
In Toast POS, you typically don’t assign permissions to each employee one by one. Instead, you group permissions into a job and assign that job to employees who need access to those features.
For example, a server role might include order entry and payments, while a manager role may include reporting and overrides.
To set this up:
- You need access to Employee Jobs & Wages and access to Toast Web
- To assign permissions directly to an employee, you need User Permissions access
- You must already have a permission yourself to assign it to others
Toast offers a wide range of access controls so you can match permissions to each role. These can include:
- Service modes like table service or quick order
- Kitchen display system access
- Payment terminal access
- Orders hub or pending orders access
- Cash drawer permissions
- Access to view or edit other employees’ orders
- Ability to add or update service charges
- Access to shift review and sales data
And many more, depending on how your restaurant is set up. You don’t need to configure everything at once. Start with the roles your team needs today, then adjust as your operations grow. For more detailed guidance, visit Toast’s help section on access and permissions. This can help you understand how to structure roles based on your team and workflows.
Connect your devices
Make sure all devices are connected and ready before your first service. This helps avoid delays and keeps orders flowing smoothly from the start.
Because Toast POS is a cloud-based system, you must have a stable internet connection. Without it, your devices won’t be able to sync orders, payments, or reporting data.
Depending on your setup, different devices may require different connections. Some devices connect over Wi-Fi, while others require an Ethernet connection for stability.
Your setup may include:
- POS terminals for order entry and payments
- Handheld devices for tableside service
- Kitchen display systems to manage orders in real time
- Receipt and kitchen printers
Each device also needs to be configured based on its role. For example, a kitchen display system should be set up to receive the correct orders, while a handheld device should be configured for order entry and payments.
Once everything is connected, test how orders move through your system:
- Enter a sample order on a terminal or handheld device
- Send the order to the kitchen
- Confirm it appears on the kitchen display system or prints correctly
- Complete a test payment
This quick test helps you catch any issues before service begins.
For more detailed instructions, visit Toast’s knowledge base on how to configure your devices, whether you are setting up handhelds, terminals, or kitchen systems.
What you need to get started
Once your configuration is complete, your team can begin using Toast during service. Most daily tasks in Toast fall into a few key areas. Understanding these will help your team feel more confident from the start.
You’ll use Toast to:
- Take and send orders to the kitchen
- Process payments and close checks
- Manage orders during service, including updates and adjustments
- View basic sales and shift activity
These actions make up the core of your daily workflow. You’ll also want to ensure your team understands the basics, including:
- How to log in
- How to take and send orders
- How to process payments
- Who to ask for help if something goes wrong
A short walkthrough before your first shift can make a big difference.
How to take orders in Toast POS
Taking orders is one of the most common tasks you and your staff will perform.
Start a new order
To begin, select a table or create a new order from the home screen. For quick service, you can start an order without assigning a table.
Add menu items
Tap items directly from your menu. If the item includes modifiers, Toast will prompt you to select options like:
- Add-ons or extras
- Cooking preferences
- Substitutions
This helps ensure orders are accurate before they reach the kitchen.
Send orders to the kitchen
Once the order is ready, send it to the kitchen. The order will appear on the kitchen display system or print at the appropriate station.
This keeps communication clear between the front and back of the house. For more detailed instructions and updates, visit Toast’s documentation on order entry and management. This ensures you’re following the most current steps based on your system setup.
Make your sales tax less taxing with DAVO.
How to manage orders during service
As service continues, you may need to adjust or manage orders.
You can:
- Add items to an existing check
- Modify or remove items if needed
- Split checks for multiple guests
- Move orders between tables
Toast updates everything in real time, so your team always sees the latest information.
How to process payments in Toast POS
When guests are ready to pay, closing out the check in Toast POS is quick and straightforward. Toast supports multiple payment options, including:
- Credit and debit cards
- Contactless payments
- Mobile wallets
- Gift cards
Here’s a step-by-step guide to get started on taking payments.
- Navigate to the check you want to close.
- Review the total and confirm accuracy.
- Select Pay ($) to begin the payment process.
- Choose the type of payment (cash, credit, gift cards, etc.).
- Enter or process the payment details.
- Confirm the payment.
- Capture a tip and signature if required.
For more detailed guidance, including how to split checks or handle different payment scenarios, visit Toast’s article on taking payments.
Daily management features in Toast
Beyond orders and payments, Toast includes tools to help manage daily operations.
Reporting
Toast tracks sales, transactions, and trends throughout the day. You can view reports to understand:
- Total sales
- Top-selling items
- Staff performance
Employee management
Managers can track hours, manage permissions, and monitor staff activity within the system.
Menu updates
You can update menu items, pricing, and availability as needed. Changes sync across all devices.
These tools help you stay in control of operations without needing multiple systems.
Tips to use Toast effectively and improve operations
If you’re new to Toast, keep things simple at first.
Focus on:
- Training your team on order entry and payments
- Testing your menu and modifiers
- Running through a full service flow before going live
As your team becomes more comfortable, you can explore more advanced features. Tools like reservations, waitlist management, email marketing, and gift cards can help restaurants improve guest communication, encourage repeat visits, and create a more connected customer experience over time.
As your business grows, simplify what happens behind the scenes
As you process more orders, your POS becomes the source of truth for your sales data. That includes the sales tax you collect with each transaction.
While Toast POS tracks your sales and payments, you are still responsible for:
- Knowing how much sales tax you owe
- Setting that money aside
- Filing returns on time
- Paying the correct amount to the state
This is where DAVO by Avalara can help.
DAVO connects to Toast and works in the background to:
- Pull your sales tax data automatically
- Set aside the exact amount of tax you collect each day
- File your returns
- Pay your sales tax on time
This helps reduce manual work and gives you more confidence that your taxes are handled correctly.
Build confidence with your POS
Learning how to use Toast POS is the first step toward running a more efficient restaurant.
Start with the basics. Focus on your daily workflow. Then build from there.
As your operations grow, adding tools that reduce manual work, like DAVO, can help you stay organized and focused on what matters most: your customers and your business.
