Restaurant POS Software in Austin
Billing, kitchen tickets, inventory and multi-outlet reports for Austin food businesses, on the devices you already own, with one flat annual price and no processor lock-in.
Short answer
TasteIQ is a restaurant POS system for Austin cafés, restaurants, bars and cloud kitchens. It handles billing, kitchen tickets by station, split bills, inventory and multi-outlet reports on devices you already own. It costs $108 per outlet per year after a 14-day free trial with no card, and it does not process payments, so you keep your own terminal and processor.
TasteIQ in Austin at a glance
| Price | $108 per outlet per year |
|---|---|
| Free trial | 14-day free trial, no card |
| Setup | Remote, about 15 minutes, on devices you already own |
| Sales tax | Texas Comptroller: Texas sales tax on restaurant meals is registered and filed with the Comptroller. Rates include local components, so use the Comptroller's lookup. |
| Licensing bodies | Austin Public Health permit; Texas Comptroller; TABC for alcohol |
| Support | Monday–Saturday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM IST, which is roughly 12:30 AM – 8:30 AM Eastern or 9:30 PM – 5:30 AM Pacific in daylight time, by phone and WhatsApp |
How Austin food businesses run, and what that means for a POS
Austin's food trade is built on small independent concepts: food trailers and pods, coffee shops, breakfast-taco counters, bars with kitchens and a steady stream of new openings. A POS here has to be quick to set up, cheap enough for a first-time owner, and flexible enough that a concept can change its menu without a vendor call.
Festival weeks such as SXSW and Austin City Limits, plus football weekends, produce demand spikes that can double a normal day and then vanish. Item-level reports let you see which dishes carried a festival weekend, so the next one's prep and staffing are based on your own numbers.
A large share of kitchen and front-of-house staff are students and seasonal workers, so a screen that a new hire can learn in a shift matters. TasteIQ's setup is built to be live in about 15 minutes, with a short learning curve at the counter.
Who permits and taxes an Austin restaurant
An Austin restaurant is permitted by Austin Public Health, but where you submit plans depends on whether your address is inside the city or in the county or a contracted municipality.
| Where | Who | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Food enterprise permit and inspection | Austin Public Health, Environmental Health Services | A Food Enterprise Operating Permit is required in Austin and Travis County. Most fixed food establishments go through plan review for new builds and remodels, a pre-opening inspection, and an annual operating permit. |
| Plan review route | Austin Development Services (City of Austin) or Austin Public Health (county and contracted municipalities) | Plans for addresses inside the City of Austin are submitted through Austin Development Services; unincorporated Travis County and inter-local municipalities submit through Austin Public Health. Use the jurisdiction map to confirm. |
| Sales tax | Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts | Register for a sales tax permit and file with the Comptroller. |
| Alcohol | Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) | Alcohol service needs a separate permit from the food permit. |
Plan review asks for scaled drawings, an equipment list, equipment specification sheets, a site plan and your proposed menu, so assemble those before you sign a lease.
Permits follow the premises and the activity, and city, county and state each have a part, so confirm with the issuing office before you sign a lease. Sales-tax rates are set by state, county and city and change; we do not quote them here. Serving alcohol needs a separate state licence.
Comparing options? See how TasteIQ compares with Toast · Square.
Texas food manager and TABC certificates
A certified food protection manager is expected on site in Texas food establishments, and Austin Public Health staff can answer questions about manager certification and food handler registration. Confirm the requirement against the state's own rule text, because training vendors do not always describe it precisely.
Alcohol seller-server training is a separate matter. Providers disagree on whether it is strictly required for every employee, but most employers expect it for anyone who sells or serves alcohol, so check TABC directly and keep staff certificates current.
Pick the route that matches your Austin outlet
Restaurants and cafés
The full guide: billing, KOT by station, split bills, inventory and multi-outlet reporting.
Comparing with Toast
A fair side-by-side, including where Toast may suit a full-service operation better.
Comparing with Square
A fair side-by-side for small counters and pop-ups, including where Square is the easier start.
What you get for $108/yr per outlet
One plan, the same in every city: $108 per outlet per year, after a 14-day free trial, no card. There is no setup fee and no AMC, and no hardware you are required to buy. It runs on Android and iOS phones and tablets, plus Windows and Mac, with standard receipt and kitchen printers.
- Sales-tax rates configurable per outlet, with tax-inclusive or tax-exclusive menu pricing
- Service charge or auto-gratuity as a percentage, set per outlet
- Kitchen order tickets (KOT) by station
- Split bills, modifiers, discounts and table transfers
- Inventory deduction with low-stock alerts
- Daily sales, item and payment-mode reports
- Multi-outlet dashboard with menu sync
- Branded online ordering
- AI menu setup from photos
How setup works
- Start the free trial. Create your outlet in the app. No card, no setup fee.
- Add your menu. Upload photos of your menu or type items in. AI reads items and prices; you confirm them.
- Connect printers and test. Pair the receipt and kitchen printers you already have and print a test bill and KOT.
- Go live. Train staff on real orders during the trial. Most outlets are billing in about 15 minutes.
Where TasteIQ may not be the right fit
TasteIQ does not process card payments or integrate with payment terminals yet. You keep your existing processor and terminal and record the payment mode on each bill, which also means no processor lock-in and no processing markup. If you need tips adjusted on the terminal and settled to the bill automatically, confirm that workflow in the free trial before you decide.
Orders from DoorDash, Uber Eats and similar apps are entered under the delivery or other order type rather than imported automatically. If automatic import is essential, ask us for the current status and test the exact workflow in the free trial first.
Support hours follow India time, which falls overnight to early morning across US time zones. Setup is remote and the app is self-serve, but if you need live help during evening service, ask us what is possible before you sign up.
TasteIQ's hardware partner network supplies hardware in India; elsewhere, plan to use devices and printers you already have or buy locally.
Restaurant POS in Austin: common questions
A Food Enterprise Operating Permit from Austin Public Health, after plan review for new construction or remodels and a pre-opening inspection, renewed annually. You also need a Texas sales tax permit from the Comptroller, and a separate TABC permit if you serve alcohol.
About this page
Published by TasteIQ (MPYG Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore). We sell restaurant POS software, so read this as a vendor's guide rather than independent advice.
Facts and links last checked on . Tax, licensing and e-invoicing rules change by notification: this page points you to the right office and does not replace its advice or legal advice. If something is out of date, email founders@tasteiq.in and we will correct it.
Sources
Start billing in Austin this week
14-day free trial, no card. Live in about 15 minutes. Keep the hardware you already own.
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