Aloha Cloud Reviews

“Built to scale”

Pros

The main reason we chose this software was because of how well it connects with a wide range of third-party platforms. That mattered a lot to us because we expect to grow fairly quickly over the next few years and we didn't want to end up with a system we'd outgrow.

Cons

We really don't have any complaints at this point and have been happy with the software overall.

“all-in-one back office”

Pros

Everything related to back office management is brought together in one well-integrated platform.

Cons

There can occassionally be noticeable delays when moving between screens.

“total shutdowns for minor updates”

Pros

Running it across Windows workstations is a good idea. That's all I can really say.

Cons

We still can't push updates to terminals without doing a full system refresh which takes the entire FOH down for more than three minutes. A lot of the time we catch a pricing mistake or an item issue while we're open and then we're stuck bringing the whole FOH offline just to change a modifier or make a small fix. Another downside is the lack of compatible tablets that support chip and pin for line busting and speeding up drive-thru service. That seems more like a hardware limitation but it still leaves a bad impression for us. On top of that the IBER process feels pretty delicate when it's connected to third-party services like Omnivore or even higher-level store reporting tools. We deal with an IBER crash at least once a week and usually during a busy shift.

“outdated infrastructure”

Pros

Our management team can keep making programming changes on their own without needing extra support.

Cons

After about seven years both the software and hardware felt outdated and replacing them was quite expensive. I understand how quickly technology moves but it's still frustrating to invest that much for something with a fairly limited lifespan. NCR really should offer a trade-in program to make the transition more manageable.

“valuable back-office insights”

Pros

Running a franchise operation, the back-of-house reporting and overall capabilities have been really valuable.

Cons

Adding and programming new items into the software can take quite a bit of time.

“great integrated multi-location system”

Pros

We use a large portion of the product including takeout and delivery. It's really helpful that everything works within one integrated system. Upgrading from Secure Access to Command Center to manage our 7 locations was a very good move. Having terminal access to each location is especially useful for testing and training. Our management team really enjoys using the Pulse app.

Cons

Takeout and delivery through AO could definitely be programmed better. The lag between the POS database and ATO makes the process tiresome. Support from the help desk also hasn't been as strong lately since COVID. A lot of problems end up needing a level 3 technician. It's often hard to get someone when we actually need them. There's too much waiting around for callbacks and in many cases we have to contact our local support team just to get the issue fully resolved. That's been very frustrating for our restaurant teams.

“Overwhelming”

Pros

Even if it can do as many things as it claims, I wouldn't know. The system is too complicated for me to explore.

Cons

I find it complicated and not very user-friendly. It takes a long time to learn.

“great multi-unit reporting”

Pros

In my experience it made the move into multi-unit operations very smooth. The reporting setup is best in class and keeping unit-level metrics front and center is a major advantage.

Cons

It sits on the more expensive side and it really only makes the most sense for businesses running multiple locations. For a typical small mom-and-pop shop it can feel overly complicated.

“Best fit for multi-site teams”

Pros

After using several POS platforms across our properties NCR has been the most easy and user-friendly option for both front-of-house and back-of-house teams. I trained my staff on it without a hitch. Once you're operating across multiple locations deployment is pretty simple too. We've tested plenty of other POS vendors but NCR has consistently been responsive and quick to resolve issues or answer questions whenever something comes up.

Cons

The built-in reporting is still behind what some other providers offer. Their online reporting tool is decent but it still has a long way to go if you compare it to Avero.

“a simple and reliable system”

Pros

Simple to work with. Updates are easy to handle and the system has been consistently stable.

Cons

I'd really like to see Aloha partnering with major delivery companies to create a smoother add-on for incoming orders. It would also be helpful if Configuration Center included a live screen view option while building out menus.

“upgrade issues keep piling up”

Pros

It's user-friendly only when the system is actually working properly.

Cons

Since the new upgrade I've faced a lot of problems and it doesn't seem like anyone really knows how to resolve them. Too much time gets wasted dealing with constant issues. When one thing gets fixed something else breaks.

“versatile reports and quick setup”

Pros

Setting this product up and running was very quick. I really liked being able to run category-based reports too. It's also a nice bonus that it can double as a time clock system.

Cons

More flexibility when customizing each category would be preferred. Since I sell cupcakes it would help to have more detailed category choices and more specific options.

“excellent for restaurant payroll”

Pros

It works really well for the restaurant business. We used it at Fatburger across all of our store locations and pulling payroll hours and exporting them into ADP was very easy.

Cons

There honestly isn't much I can point to as a downside since I only used it for payroll tasks. From what I saw though it seemed to offer a lot of useful features overall.

“learning this POS system is basically effortless”

Pros

I used this POS system for the past four years. It was pretty easy to understand how everything works.

Cons

Every now and then the software glitches when certain command buttons are pressed.

“Complicated and time-consuming”

Pros

It has a more up-to-date feel. I enjoy that the table layouts are well done and the hardware looks newer and more modern.

Cons

Their customer support is actually so bad, using comps in casino settings is overly complicated and takes too much time. This POS just doesn't perform well for high-volume businesses.

“bad order presets and syncing”

Pros

The tools for updating prices and adding menu items to tickets are nice.

Cons

Things get frustrating for me when an item's preset options haven't been programmed because customizing the order becomes unnecessarily complicated. Removing or voiding items or combining tickets is also not very easy. On top of that sales entered through Aloha don't always appear in the main accounting software our company relies on.

“gives you lots of customization options”

Pros

Gave me plenty of practical options for configuring menus, choices and variables.

Cons

Sadly it doesn't support credit card chips as of yet which is a pretty minor issue and definitely not anything that would stop me from using it.

“glitches all the time”

Pros

The compact setup is okay.

Cons

We've dealt with ongoing glitches and malfunctions. In just the first 6 months of using it I've had to submit a lot of support tickets to NCR customer care. For a small cafe it just hasn't been reliable or efficient enough.

“simple navigation”

Pros

Bouncing around the different pages and sections of the software feels effortless because of the layout. Everything is laid out clearly and is pretty self-explanatory so training someone to use it doesn't take much effort at all.

Cons

I found it so frustrating that the software froze several times during the week. When it starts acting up on one tablet the same issue usually affects all of them.

“goes offline every now and then”

Pros

I trained some new hires on this and it surprised me how quick and effective the process was

Cons

Not a deal breaker but it tends to print more receipts than necessary. Also it will randomly go offline.