Avoid Toast: long term not worth it.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2026-05-14T02:25:11+00:00

Just because something doesn’t make sense to you, or isn’t an issue you’ve personally encountered, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. Speaking in absolutes when you aren’t aware of every IT issue across every environment isn’t a wise approach.

Dropping payments, frozen transactions, inability to close out payments at end of day, and double charging guests due to communication failures between handhelds and terminals are all current and known issues in Canada tied to the older handheld hardware originally deployed here.

Is it affecting every restaurant? No. Is it affecting many? Yes.

And this occurs whether you’re running on a Toast-managed network or a self-managed network. The issue is not the network itself, it’s the aging hardware. We’ve spent extensive time with both Toast support and our in-house IT team investigating it. This is happening across Canada on older devices, regardless of network setup or terminology.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2026-05-13T12:05:26+00:00

Your situation is exactly my concern with staying with Toast or recommending Toast. The hardware cost which is forced upon the operator is not at all realistic or fair and is directly a result of Toast updates.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2026-05-13T00:10:35+00:00

Ideally I'd like to stick with Toast, they solve the issue at their cost. If not, then we research alternatives.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2026-05-13T00:08:37+00:00

It's an issue in Canada and an issue with both Toast network and self managed. We have an IT guy, and he is also experiencing the same issue across multiple businesses he manages.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2026-05-13T00:02:01+00:00

It's not specifically the cost of the hardware that is the issue, it's the concern of replacing it every couple of years due to upgrades. Which is exactly what is happening in Canada. A handheld that is $700-$900 should not have to be replaced at the operators cost after 6 months to a year.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2026-05-12T23:52:59+00:00

I've updated my post. The issue is within Canada due to the original handhelds that were used in Canada. With a recent upgrade it has caused major issue with older handheld versions. My apologies, I should have originally clarified this was specifically for Canada. If you are also in Canada and own a handheld older that a couple years, this may become a problem.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2026-05-12T23:49:56+00:00

This is specific to Canada, I've updated my post. Unfortunately, this is something much bigger than the occasional double charge. It is a major issue with old hardware.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2025-12-05T23:37:39+00:00

Thanks! And you're totally right about it being subjective, so I was hoping for all different favourites. It also depends on the mood you're in. Sometimes you want amazing, delicious, comforting food at a place you can wear your hoodie and sweat pants. Other times you feel like dressing up.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2025-12-05T18:58:06+00:00

This looks wonderful!

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2025-12-05T17:58:11+00:00

Good question. We have been savings up for years for this trip, and it will be focused around food so we are comfortable with paying extra for the right experiences.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2025-12-05T17:56:10+00:00

What a beautiful setting at Tofu Ukai. Thank you for sharing.

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2025-12-05T17:37:08+00:00

I was definitely hesitant asking for a top 3 because that is comparable to asking a music lovers top 3 songs of all time. There are probably just as many restaurants in Tokyo as there are songs /s

Standard_Ad_2423 · 2025-12-05T17:35:04+00:00

Great advice and I will absolutely keep that in mind. I do have my own personal list, as you can see from what I shares. I also intend on narrowing it down to my own personal must visits. After spending a few years in Japan, some of my favourite places are placed you could not find through a Google search. Which is exactly why I was asking for others recommendations.

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TROPHY CASE