Focus POS Reviews

“below-average interface”

Pros

The platform offers decent customer support at times and the interface has some customization options that can be useful. That's the extent of my positive experience.

Cons

Support can be okay sometimes but most of the time they come across as rude and aren't very helpful when I actually need assistance. My experience with the UI has also been disappointing as it feels below average compared with other options I've used. The biggest issue though is the way they seem to hold your data ransom. That has been a major concern for me and has made the overall experience much more frustrating than it should be.

“Multiple ordering options”

Pros

Running a restaurant with this feels very simple. It still gives me enough flexibility to handle order entry in a way that fits how the operation works so I don't have to change the way we work just to use the system. The overall ecosystem also covers a lot of practical options that are especially useful for modern restaurant operations, including QR Order and Pay, handheld devices, online ordering and cloud-based management. Having those different tools available in one place gave us a lot of flexibility in how we manage the restaurant.

Cons

There is very little to complain about.

“Essential features locked behind paywalls”

Pros

It's simple for bartenders to work with. That's really the only strength I can point to.

Cons

For a system that costs around 5k, too many features that should already be included end up costing extra. Reports should let you click on a number and jump straight to the related details and the same should apply across other areas that need review. Everything ought to be connected instead of forcing you to back out and dig around manually. Click it and go right there. It should also allow negative tab accounts if that's what the owner wants rather than the system deciding that for you.

“Easy to learn and program”

Pros

Getting it programmed was very simple. Didn't take me long to understand how the system works.

Cons

It does have some limitations when it comes to certain things you may want it to do.

“no ongoing fees, free upgrades”

Pros

Using Focus has been very simple especially because we've been supported by a fantastic support team. Whenever we have a question, we get an answer right away. It really feels like they care about our business and want to help us succeed. The digital signage feature is a nice bonus and being able to check reports from my phone is really convenient.

Cons

We really have not come across any negatives. Of course, paying less is always welcome but Focus does not charge ongoing fees and includes free upgrades so it fits our budget very well.

“No learning curve”

Pros

The interface is really simple. Our staff were able to walk up to the screen and start using it right away without any training at all. No time wasted!

Cons

There are a few limits when it comes to integrations.

“automated daily reports”

Pros

Focus stood out to me for how customizable it is. The customer support team was incredibly helpful in training me and showing me how to tailor the POS to fit our operation. They've also been very responsive whenever we've needed help, whether it was during the day or late at night. The reporting is excellent as well. We set up daily sales reports, labor reports and pmix reports that get emailed automatically to me and the owners every morning. The reporting can even be customized to match whatever our business needs. Our pub sells a lot of merchandise so being able to create different canvases for different departments without much hassle has been a big advantage.

Cons

So far I haven't come across any downsides with this POS.

“Impossible to reach anyone for help”

Pros

Nothing positive to say. We want a full or at least partial refund and would gladly return the system.

Cons

It depends heavily on a sales rep to train us and explain something as basic as entering items. Once the product was sold, that sales rep became impossible to reach. Getting him to come back and finish the setup or properly show us how the system works has been extremely difficult. We even contacted corporate and still got no help. There's no real support at any level and all the phone numbers on the website lead to the same place so there's no way to reach anyone else. If we had known it would turn into this much of a headache we never would have spent money on it.

“sluggish support”

Pros

There isn't a lot that stands out to me but it's fairly simple to use and includes a few features that are nice to have.

Cons

The support is really terrible. Things just don't get handled on time and everything seems to take far longer than it should.

“Glitchy and rigid”

Pros

It's simple to use but that's it.

Cons

There haven't been any meaningful updates and it lacks the deeper programming flexibility needed to build an extensive menu with modifications for larger restaurants. The system glitches all the time. It won't accept dates properly, randomly changes them when I'm trying to run reports, pulls up old screens that weren't requested and sometimes even programmed items disappear.

“accessible system”

Pros

Navigating this software is very simple. Everything is arranged accessibly and clearly so learning how to use it doesn't take much effort at all.

Cons

The layout is great in general but the one for pulling sales reports could be improved in my opinion. It's not very organized right now.

“Charges extra for basic add-on features”

Pros

There's honestly not much to praise here. When the system is actually functioning the way it should, it can process high-volume transactions without much trouble. That said, most basic POS platforms can manage that so it's not exactly a standout strength.

Cons

This software feels incredibly outdated, like it was designed sometime around 1988 and never meaningfully improved. We were promised free updates and enhancements but in the last four years nothing substantial has really been delivered. We ended up paying extra for support, added features, remote access, loyalty tools and more. It seems like every useful function is treated as an add-on. The company itself also gives the impression that it may not be around much longer. Training is another major issue since it can take 50 to 100 hours just to learn something as basic as pulling a report. Features are buried under multiple layers inside overly complicated screens. The whole platform feels like it never even tried to modernize. At this point I'd say it's been overtaken by almost every major POS system, especially cloud-based options.

“affordable”

Pros

Affordability is the biggest advantage of this system. It handles all the essential functions you'd expect from a point of sale system.

Cons

Compared with other systems I've used before, this one isn't as user-friendly. Some tasks also take several steps to complete and that frustrates me a little.

“cost me my customers”

Pros

At least one useful thing is that I no longer have to drive to the restaurant on a day we're closed just to run a ticket for payroll.

Cons

My 20-year-old RapidFire system is more user friendly than this. It can't even handle a half-and-half pizza the right way. And orders cash out automatically. That has cost me customers.

“customizable workflows”

Pros

Being able to create quick tabs for the items that sell the most is really helpful. I also like that the system can be customized to fit whatever setup works best for my restaurant.

Cons

Bartenders use a different screen from servers. If you're working both roles or trying to train someone, it can make it harder for them to understand how the system functions.

“Extensive POS integrations”

Pros

I needed something simple and reasonably priced and this company really came through. They went above and beyond to get my menu and digital menu boards built in just three days. Focus POS also offers far more features and integrations than I expected. They even connected the POS to my security cameras. Sometimes they do not even bill me for support calls when the issue is simple and can be fixed quickly.

Cons

No complaints!