◆ Technical guide

Restaurant POS integration — Toast, Lightspeed, Square, Clover, and the rest.

Name: Zay-OS
Address: 555 NE 8th St Apt 107, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33304, US
Telephone: +1-321-666-1102
Price range: $$

Quick answer

Restaurant POS integration with online ordering covers five sync surfaces: menu sync (POS → online), order sync (online → POS), item-availability sync (86-management across every channel), modifier mismatch translation, and payment + sales-tax handling. Zay-OS covers 25+ POS (Toast, Lightspeed U, Square, Clover, Revel, Aloha, Brink, HungerRush, Oracle Micros, NCR) via Otter as the connective tissue — modern cloud POS integrates in 1-3 days; legacy on-prem in 1-3 weeks.

The five sync surfaces

What bidirectional POS sync actually covers.

Menu sync (online ordering ← POS)

Item names, prices, modifier groups, modifier options, item availability, category hierarchy. When you change a price in the POS, the price should update on direct ordering, Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub within seconds. Reliability varies by POS — Toast, Lightspeed U, Square are fastest; Aloha and Micros are slower (polling-based).

Order sync (online ordering → POS)

When a diner places an online order, the ticket should print + post to the kitchen as if it were rung in-store. This includes the full order detail (items, modifiers, special instructions), customer name, order type (pickup / delivery / dine-in), and prep-time estimate. Without this, the kitchen has to manually re-enter the order — defeating the integration's purpose.

Item-availability sync (86-management)

When the kitchen 86s an item on the POS or kitchen tablet, the item should become unavailable on direct ordering, Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub within seconds. This is the #1 cause of selling items you do not have. Otter-routed setups handle this in 5-30 seconds; direct integrations without Otter sometimes lag 5-20 minutes.

Modifier mismatch translation

Different platforms have different modifier models (Toast uses modifier groups, Uber Eats uses option lists, Grubhub uses choice groups, DoorDash uses option sets). A good integration layer translates between them so the same dish appears correctly everywhere. Bad translation creates "Diet Coke" appearing as a separate menu item on one platform and as a modifier on another.

Payment + sales-tax sync

Direct online orders need to land in the POS with the right tax rate applied and the payment marked as already collected (via Stripe). Sales-tax compliance on direct orders is the restaurant's responsibility — Zay-OS bundles DAVO to handle this across all 50 states. Marketplace orders typically arrive in the POS with marketplace handling the tax.

The 10 major POS systems

How each POS integrates with online ordering.

Zay-OS uses Otter as the connective tissue across 25+ POS systems. These are the ten that cover ~95% of US restaurants.

Toast

Cloud POS, restaurant-native

Coverage

Deep, native API. Direct ordering platforms typically integrate via the Toast API directly. Otter integration covers menu push, order push, modifier sync, item availability.

Sync model

Bidirectional. Menu changes flow Toast → online ordering; orders flow online ordering → Toast as if they were rung in-store.

Gotcha

Modifier mismatch is the #1 gotcha — Toast modifier IDs do not always map cleanly to a marketplace's modifier model. Otter handles this with a translation layer; direct-only integrations sometimes do not.

Visual context

Toast POS terminal next to a kitchen tablet showing direct + marketplace orders unified via Otter

Lightspeed (U-Series, formerly Upserve)

Cloud POS, restaurant-native

Coverage

Strong API coverage. Otter integration covers menu push, order push, modifier sync. Lightspeed Restaurant K-Series and O-Series have separate integration profiles — verify which Lightspeed product you run before signing.

Sync model

Bidirectional on U-Series. Menu cascade is reliable; order push lands in Lightspeed as a standard ticket.

Gotcha

Multi-location Lightspeed setups require per-location integration mapping. Setup fee on Zay-OS for additional POS connections is $1,500 one-time each.

Visual context

Lightspeed U-Series tablet with online ordering integration showing live order flow

Square for Restaurants

Cloud POS, SMB-focused

Coverage

API-stable, broad Otter coverage. Square integration covers menu push, order push, item availability. Square Online Ordering competes natively, so Square has historically gated some integration depth — Otter routes around this.

Sync model

Bidirectional via Otter. Direct Square Online Ordering integration is deepest, but Otter-routed integration covers the operational surface for Zay-OS direct orders + marketplace ingestion.

Gotcha

Square POS hardware (Register, Terminal) is required to run Square for Restaurants — software-only is not supported. Square processing rate (2.6% + $0.10 in-store) applies only to Square-rung orders, not Zay-OS direct orders which run on Stripe.

Visual context

Square Terminal next to an iPad showing Zay-OS direct ordering layered via Otter

Clover

Cloud POS, payment-processor-owned

Coverage

Solid Otter integration covering menu push and order push. Clover's app marketplace also lists direct-integration apps for some ordering vendors.

Sync model

Bidirectional via Otter. Clover's modifier model is closer to legacy ECR than to a modern cloud POS, which sometimes creates translation work.

Gotcha

Clover hardware lock-in via the Clover Mini / Station / Flex devices. Acquirer-dependent contract terms — Clover-via-Fiserv has different terms than Clover-via-Bank-of-America, etc.

Visual context

Clover Station with online ordering ticket flowing through Otter

Revel

Cloud POS, restaurant-focused

Coverage

Otter integration covers menu push and order push. Revel is iPad-based and has a long-running restaurant POS product, common in mid-sized regional brands.

Sync model

Bidirectional via Otter. Item-availability lag is typical (3-5 min). Reliable for typical operations.

Gotcha

Revel pricing is enterprise-style (custom quote) and integration setup is more hands-on than Toast or Square. Worth a kickoff call before signing.

Visual context

Revel iPad POS with kitchen tablet showing unified channels

Aloha (NCR Aloha)

Legacy on-prem POS, enterprise

Coverage

Otter covers Aloha via NCR's integration layer. Common in casual-dining chains and long-running independents who upgraded from paper-and-pen 15+ years ago.

Sync model

Bidirectional via Otter. Lag profile is slightly worse than cloud POS (5-10 min for item availability) because Aloha syncs through a polling layer rather than push events.

Gotcha

On-prem hardware. Menu sync can be brittle if the restaurant has heavy menu customization. Recommend a discovery call before signing to confirm Aloha version compatibility.

Visual context

Aloha POS at the host station integrating with cloud ordering via NCR's sync layer

Brink (PAR Brink)

Cloud POS, QSR-focused

Coverage

Otter integration covers menu push and order push. Brink is common in QSR multi-unit brands and ghost kitchens.

Sync model

Bidirectional via Otter. Generally reliable; Brink's open API has matured over the last 3-4 years.

Gotcha

PAR Brink contracts are enterprise-style. Multi-location syncing requires careful menu-master-data management at the brand level.

Visual context

PAR Brink terminal in a QSR with online order ticket appearing on kitchen tablet

HungerRush (Revention)

Cloud POS, pizza-focused

Coverage

Otter integration covers core menu + order push. HungerRush is pizza-vertical and has deep modifier semantics for build-your-own pizza which require careful integration mapping.

Sync model

Bidirectional via Otter. Pizza modifier complexity is the main place attention is needed during setup.

Gotcha

Pizza-vertical-specific. If you are running HungerRush and a multi-cuisine concept, expect more integration setup time. Zay-OS Concierge supports the menu cleanup.

Visual context

HungerRush POS at a pizzeria with the kitchen tablet showing direct + Slice + UE + DD orders

Oracle Micros (Simphony)

Enterprise POS, hospitality-focused

Coverage

Otter integration covers Micros Simphony via Oracle's integration layer. Common in larger restaurants, hotels, and stadium concessions.

Sync model

Bidirectional via Otter. Enterprise-grade reliability; integration setup is more involved and usually requires Oracle's professional services for initial menu mapping.

Gotcha

Enterprise contract complexity. Most independents will not be on Micros. If you are, expect a longer setup window — 2-4 weeks instead of 1.

Visual context

Oracle Micros Simphony terminal in a hotel restaurant with online ordering channel integration

NCR (Aloha + Counterpoint + Silver)

Mixed legacy + cloud POS, enterprise

Coverage

NCR's portfolio includes Aloha (legacy on-prem), Counterpoint (retail), and Silver (cloud SMB). Otter integration covers the restaurant-relevant NCR products via NCR's integration layer.

Sync model

Bidirectional depending on product. Aloha sync is via polling; Silver is more modern API-driven.

Gotcha

NCR portfolio is fragmented. Confirm exactly which NCR product you run before quoting integration timeline.

Visual context

NCR Silver iPad POS with restaurant-side online ordering integration

Straight answers

POS integration questions.

What POS does Zay-OS work with?

25+ POS systems via Otter, including Toast, Lightspeed U-Series, Square for Restaurants, Clover, Revel, Aloha (NCR), Brink (PAR), HungerRush, Oracle Micros Simphony, and NCR Silver. The Operator tier ($499/mo) includes one POS integration; additional POS connections are $1,500 one-time each. If your POS is not on the list, ask in /contact before signing.

Why does Zay-OS use Otter as the connective tissue instead of building POS integrations directly?

Otter has spent 5+ years and tens of millions of dollars building POS integration depth across 25+ systems. Replicating that surface area would take Zay-OS years and would be worse than what Otter already ships. Building on top of Otter lets Zay-OS focus on the operator-side product (branded ordering, CRM, kitchen tablet UX, Florida SEO + GEO) instead of re-solving a problem Otter has already solved well. The trade-off: we cover the 25+ POS Otter covers; we do not cover the long-tail systems Otter does not.

How long does POS integration take to set up?

For modern cloud POS (Toast, Lightspeed U, Square, Clover, Revel, Brink): 1-3 business days. For legacy on-prem POS (Aloha, Micros): 1-3 weeks because Oracle / NCR's integration setup involves more hands-on configuration. Most Zay-OS Operator launches are POS-integrated within the first week.

What if my POS goes down — do I lose direct online orders?

No. The Zay-OS kitchen tablet runs as a standalone flow when the POS is unreachable — orders still land, print, and post to the kitchen. When the POS comes back online, the orders sync retroactively. The same is true for marketplace orders ingested via Otter.

Can I switch POS later without losing my Zay-OS setup?

Yes. Because Zay-OS sits on top of Otter, switching POS is a matter of re-wiring the Otter integration to the new POS, not rebuilding the Zay-OS direct-ordering site, CRM, or menu cascade. The integration cost is $1,500 one-time for the new POS connection; existing customer data, order history, and brand assets stay with Zay-OS.

Do I need a POS to use Zay-OS?

No — the Zay-OS kitchen tablet works as a standalone flow if you do not have a POS or if your POS is on a system Otter does not cover. The trade-off is no automatic write-back to a POS for reporting; the operator handles end-of-day reconciliation manually. Most Zay-OS operators have a POS; standalone is supported but not the default.

Keep reading

Otter integration guide →

How Otter sits between Zay-OS and your POS.

Zay-OS integrations →

Full integration list, what each surface covers.

Zay-OS vs Square →

Layered ordering vs full POS replacement.

Also: pricing · how it works · calculator · glossary