How we rate and rank

Where our facts come from

• Prices and fees come from each vendor's own pricing page, contract terms or help center. Each guide lists its sources at the bottom.
• License, permit and filing fees come from the state or city agency that charges them. When we can only find a secondary source, we say so in the table.
• Loan rules come from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the lender's own published terms.
• Every guide shows the month it was last checked. Prices change, so confirm the final number with the vendor or agency before you sign.

How we rank a "best for" list

We score each product on the jobs that matter for that kind of restaurant, in this order:

1. Fit for the job. Does it do what that restaurant needs on a busy night? A bar that runs tabs needs different things than a counter-service shop.
2. Total cost in year one. Software, hardware, processing, setup and add-ons, not just the headline price.
3. Contract and exit terms. Term length, early cancellation fees, and who owns the hardware.
4. Back-office fit. Reports, payroll, inventory and accounting connections.
5. Support and setup. Who installs it and how help works after go-live.

When two products are close, we say so and explain who should pick each.

How we make money

Some vendors, lenders and service providers pay us a referral fee when a reader becomes a customer through our link or introduction. It costs you nothing. A partner fee never moves a product up a list it does not fit, and we list products that pay us nothing when they are the better pick. The full list of partners is on our disclosure page.

What we do not do

• Vendors can not pay to change a rating or to be reviewed.
• We do not publish vendor-written reviews or sponsored articles.
• Calculators show their math, so you can check every number.

Corrections

If a price, fee or rule on this site is out of date, tell us. We check it against the source and update the page.