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The best restaurant management software, according to AI

We asked ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode 50 questions a restaurant owner would ask, three times each. These are the 120 products they named across 736 answers, ranked by how often each one comes up.

November 2026 edition Scanned 13 November 2026 Refreshed monthly
750questions asked: 50 questions × 5 engines × 3 runs
120products named at least once, out of 124 we track
51named by all five engines
83%the most any product gets: Toast
139 of 144Google searches that showed an AI Overview at all
146answers citing guideflow.com, the most-used source

The leaderboard

Products named at least once, ranked by AI share: the percentage of answers that name it. Filter by engine, by what the restaurant owner needs. Open a row to read what each engine actually said about the product.

Engine
Need
Based on 736 answers.  
# Product AI share By engine Avg pos #1 Google
1Toast 2.3248–
2Square for Restaurants 2.7126–
3Restaurant365 3.559–
4Lightspeed Restaurant 4.14–
57shifts 4.454–
6TouchBistro 3.96–
7Clover 4.24–
8MarginEdge 4.420–
9MarketMan 4.235–
10SpotOn 3.91–
11SevenRooms 4.620–
12OpenTable 5.422–
13Resy 4.213–
14xtraCHEF by Toast 4.51–
15Fourth 5.10–
16Aloha (NCR Voyix) 5.20–
17Oracle MICROS Simphony 4.112–
18Crunchtime 5.93–
19Homebase 3.50–
20ChowNow 2.917–
21Owner.com 2.89–
22Restroworks 4.08–
23QuickBooks Online 5.12–
24Craftable 5.10–
25Apicbase 6.40–

AI share = answers naming the product ÷ answers given, under the filters you pick. Google AI Overview answers count only when Google showed one. Position is where it appears in the answer's list (1 = first). Bars under "By engine" are scaled to the highest value in view; hover for the exact figure.

What moved since last month

This is the first edition. In December 2026 the same 50 questions go to the same five engines again, and this section will show who rose, who fell, which products entered or dropped out of the answers, and which pages started being cited.

Get the December 2026 movers by email

One email when the new edition is out, with who rose and who fell. Add your product and we'll tell you where it landed.

One email a month. Work email only. Reply to any of them and you won't get another.

Check your product

Search any of the 124 products we track. You'll see whether the AI engines recommend it, for which questions, what they say and which sources they read.

Your result shows here

For each product you'll get:

  • its AI share, rank and #1 picks
  • which engines name it, and which never do
  • the questions it wins and the ones it misses
  • what the engines actually say about it
  • wrong or dead links the engines attach to it

One question, five different answers

Pick a question. Above, the products each engine named, in the order it named them, with dots for which of the three runs included them. Below, the full first-run answer, with every product on the leaderboard highlighted.

Where the engines agree, and where they don't

The 20 most-named products. Each cell is the share of that engine's answers, or that need's answers, naming the product. The engines agree on a handful of names and split on the rest. Each named between 78 and 94 different products.

Who AI recommends for each need

Toast is in every POS and format answer, Square in every small-restaurant one. For back-office jobs the specialists lead: Restaurant365, MarketMan and MarginEdge for inventory, 7shifts for scheduling, SevenRooms and OpenTable for reservations. Toast still appears in half to three quarters of those answers.

Where the answers come from

The engines cite what they read, and mostly they read lists: 59% of their citations went to “best of” lists or comparisons. 42% of citations went to vendors' own websites, many of them to lists the vendors wrote themselves, and 5% to software review sites. guideflow.com was the most cited source, in 146 of the 736 answers.

Who the cited sites are

Share of 4,777 citations, by kind of site.

  • Other websites47%
  • Vendor websites42%
  • Software review sites5%
  • YouTube3%
  • Reddit1%
  • News & media1%
  • Blog platforms<1%
  • Everything else<1%

What the cited pages are

The same citations, by kind of page.

  • "Best / Top N" lists47%
  • Other pages24%
  • Comparisons & alternatives12%
  • Guides & how-tos3%
  • Videos3%
  • Blog posts & articles3%
  • Product & feature pages2%
  • Everything else5%

Vendors whose own lists the engines quote

46 vendors had a “best of” or comparison page on their own site cited, 717 times in all. The most cited:

  1. 12 Best Restaurant Management Software Tools (2026) - Chowly48 answersChowly · best-of list · named its own vendor in 4 of 48
  2. Top 10 restaurant management software for QSR teams (2026)31 answersYOOBIC · best-of list · named its own vendor in 12 of 31
  3. Best Restaurant POS Systems (2026): 10 Compared - Upserve22 answersLightspeed Restaurant · comparison · named its own vendor in 8 of 22
  4. 8 Best Restaurant Management Software Compared (2026)15 answersSevenRooms · comparison · named its own vendor in 10 of 15
  5. 12 Best Restaurant Franchise Software Platforms in 2026 - Delightree15 answersDelightree · best-of list · named its own vendor in 6 of 15
  6. 10 Best Restaurant POS Systems in 2026 (Hands-On Tested)15 answersUpMenu · best-of list · named its own vendor in 0 of 15
  7. The 7 Best Restaurant Reservation Systems & Software In 202614 answersSevenRooms · comparison · named its own vendor in 14 of 14
  8. 12 Best Restaurant Management Software To Boost Sales ...12 answersOwner.com · best-of list · named its own vendor in 3 of 12

If you sell restaurant management software, these pages are your AI shop window

The engines lean on independent “best of” lists, above all guideflow.com, momos.com and therestauranthq.com, and on listings at g2.com, capterra.com and softwareadvice.com. A product missing from those pages, or described thinly on them, gives the engines less to work with. Getting onto the lists they already quote is usually a faster fix than rewriting your homepage.

The pages that decide the shortlist

644 pages were cited in two or more answers, and 84% of those citations went to best-of lists and comparisons. A product missing from these pages gives the engines nothing to quote. Below, the pages cited most, with the products named in the answers that cited them. Check any product to see its citation gaps: the pages cited when the engines named its rivals but not it.

  1. Best Restaurant POS Systems in 2026
    business.com · best-of listcited in 55 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, TouchBistro and Lightspeed Restaurant
  2. 12 Best Restaurant Management Software Tools (2026) - Chowly
    chowly.com · best-of list · Chowly's own listcited in 48 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and TouchBistro
  3. 10 best restaurant management software options for operators in 2026
    tabcommerce.com · best-of listcited in 46 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Restaurant365, Square for Restaurants and MarginEdge
  4. 8 best restaurant management software for 2026 - Guideflow Blog
    guideflow.com · best-of listcited in 44 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and Restaurant365
  5. 11 Best POS Systems for Restaurants in 2026 Compared
    bmc-pos.com · comparisoncited in 43 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, TouchBistro and Restaurant365
  6. My Review of the 9 Best Restaurant Management Software - G2
    learn.g2.com · best-of listcited in 39 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and Restaurant365
  7. Top 10 restaurant management software for QSR teams (2026)
    yoobic.com · best-of list · YOOBIC's own listcited in 31 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Lightspeed Restaurant, Restaurant365 and 7shifts
  8. 12 Best Restaurant Management Software For 2026 - momos.com
    momos.com · best-of listcited in 30 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, SevenRooms and OpenTable
  9. 16 Best Restaurant Operations Software (2026)
    momos.com · best-of listcited in 28 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Restaurant365, Square for Restaurants and Lightspeed Restaurant
  10. Best Restaurant Management Software in 2026
    therestauranthq.com · best-of listcited in 27 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and Restaurant365
  11. Top 7 Restaurant Management Software of 2026 - Mitti
    mitti.com · best-of listcited in 25 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Restaurant365 and TouchBistro
  12. Best Restaurant POS Systems (2026): 10 Compared - Upserve
    upserve.com · comparison · Lightspeed Restaurant's own listcited in 22 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Clover and TouchBistro
  13. Top 12 Restaurant Management Software Solutions in 2026
    voiceordersolutions.com · best-of listcited in 20 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Restaurant365, MarginEdge and MarketMan
  14. 7 Best Restaurant Management Software 2026 (Comparison & Full ...
    youtube.com · videocited in 18 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, TouchBistro, Toast and 7shifts
  15. Best Restaurant Management Software in 2026: 10 Tools Compared
    rankite.com · comparisoncited in 18 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and TouchBistro
  16. 8 best restaurant management software for 2026
    guideflow.com · best-of listcited in 17 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Restaurant365 and Lightspeed Restaurant
  17. Best POS for Restaurants: Reduce Errors & Track Food Costs
    youtube.com · pagecited in 16 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, TouchBistro and Lightspeed Restaurant
  18. Best POS for Fine Dining Restaurants: Stop Lost Revenue
    youtube.com · videocited in 16 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Lightspeed Restaurant, TouchBistro and Square for Restaurants
  19. Best POS Systems for Restaurants: Square, Toast & More
    itechguides.com · best-of listcited in 16 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and TouchBistro
  20. POS System for Restaurant: 2026 Hands-On Testing Guide
    tech.co · best-of listcited in 16 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Toast, Clover and Lightspeed Restaurant
  21. 12 Best Restaurant Franchise Software Platforms in 2026 - Delightree
    delightree.com · best-of list · Delightree's own listcited in 15 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Restaurant365, Lightspeed Restaurant and Crunchtime
  22. 10 Best Restaurant POS Systems in 2026 (Hands-On Tested)
    upmenu.com · best-of list · UpMenu's own listcited in 15 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, SpotOn and Clover
  23. Les 16 meilleurs logiciels de gestion de restaurant (2026)
    momos.com · pagecited in 15 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Restaurant365, 7shifts and Square for Restaurants
  24. 8 Best Restaurant Management Software Compared (2026)
    sevenrooms.com · comparison · SevenRooms's own listcited in 15 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Restaurant365, Square for Restaurants and Lightspeed Restaurant
  25. Opening a Restaurant: What's the Best POS System You'd Recommend?
    reddit.com · forum threadcited in 14 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Toast, TouchBistro and Lightspeed Restaurant
  26. Toast vs. Square: Which Is Right for Your Restaurant in 2026?
    nerdwallet.com · comparisoncited in 14 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and TouchBistro
  27. Top 7 Restaurant POS Systems for Online Ordering (2026)
    limelightpayments.com · best-of listcited in 14 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Toast, Clover and ChowNow
  28. The 7 Best Restaurant Reservation Systems & Software In 2026
    sevenrooms.com · comparison · SevenRooms's own listcited in 14 answers
    Named in those answers: SevenRooms, Resy, Toast and OpenTable
  29. Restaurant Owners: What's the Best POS System You Use and Why?
    reddit.com · forum threadcited in 13 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, TouchBistro and Clover
  30. Best POS for Restaurants [2026] | Workforce.com
    workforce.com · best-of listcited in 13 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Toast, Clover and Lightspeed Restaurant
  31. Best Restaurant POS Systems of 2026 - NerdWallet
    nerdwallet.com · best-of listcited in 13 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Toast, Clover and SkyTab
  32. 6 Best Restaurant POS Systems: Ranked and Reviewed (2026)
    learn.g2.com · best-of listcited in 13 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Aloha (NCR Voyix) and SkyTab
  33. Les 12 meilleurs logiciels de gestion de restaurant pour 2026
    momos.com · pagecited in 13 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Restaurant365 and 7shifts
  34. 6 affordable POS systems for restaurants in 2026
    tryotter.com · best-of list · Otter's own listcited in 12 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Toast, Clover and SpotOn
  35. Best Restaurant Scheduling Software: Cut Labor 12% in 2026
    ustechautomations.com · comparisoncited in 12 answers
    Named in those answers: 7shifts, Toast, Fourth and Homebase
  36. Best Restaurant Inventory Software in 2026
    restroscout.com · best-of listcited in 12 answers
    Named in those answers: Restaurant365, MarginEdge, MarketMan and Toast
  37. 12 Best Restaurant Management Software To Boost Sales ...
    owner.com · best-of list · Owner.com's own listcited in 12 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and 7shifts
  38. 10 Best Restaurant POS Systems – Forbes Advisor
    forbes.com · best-of listcited in 12 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, SkyTab and Clover
  39. Best Food Costing Software: 8 Tools Compared
    recipal.com · comparisoncited in 12 answers
    Named in those answers: Restaurant365, MarginEdge, xtraCHEF by Toast and MarketMan
  40. Best restaurant scheduling software in 2026
    spoton.com · best-of list · SpotOn's own listcited in 12 answers
    Named in those answers: 7shifts, Homebase, SpotOn and Fourth

522 of these pages are on independent sites; the rest are vendors' own lists and comparisons. Co-occurrence, as in our LLM visibility tool: the products named in the answers that cited a page, not a reading of the page.

What ChatGPT searched for

ChatGPT searched the web before every one of its 150 answers, 259 searches in all. 70% of those searches already named a product, so much of the shortlist was decided before it read anything; 76% added the year. A product that is not in its searches has to be found by them.

Products in ChatGPT's own searches

Share of its 259 searches naming each one.

  • Toast43%
  • Square for Restaurants34%
  • Lightspeed Restaurant20%
  • SpotOn16%
  • Clover14%
  • Restaurant36513%
  • 7shifts10%
  • TouchBistro8%
  • MarginEdge7%
  • Oracle MICROS Simphony5%

What it adds to a search

Share of searches with each word.

pos 45%features 39%pricing 39%comparison 31%inventory 28%scheduling 17%labor 14%official 14%ordering 12%reviews 11%online 8%accounting 8%

What it searched for, question by question

  1. Asked: “What is the best restaurant management software?”
    Searched: best restaurant management software 2026 comparison Toast Square for Restaurants Lightspeed Restaurant TouchBistro features pricing
  2. Asked: “Which restaurant management platform do you recommend for a new restaurant?”
    Searched: best restaurant management software platforms 2026 Toast Square for Restaurants Lightspeed Restaurant TouchBistro features pricing comparison
  3. Asked: “What are the best all-in-one restaurant management systems?”
    Searched: best all-in-one restaurant management software platforms 2026 POS inventory scheduling online ordering payroll reviews
  4. Asked: “Best software to run a restaurant, from front of house to the kitchen”
    Searched: best all-in-one restaurant management software POS kitchen inventory labor scheduling 2026 Toast Lightspeed Square TouchBistro +1 more
  5. Asked: “Which restaurant software do the most successful restaurants use?”
    Searched: restaurant management software POS market share leading restaurant groups Toast Square Lightspeed Oracle Simphony 2025 independent restaurants multi-location +1 more
  6. Asked: “As a restaurant owner, which management software should I buy?”
    Searched: best restaurant management software 2026 POS inventory labor accounting comparison Toast Square Clover Restaurant365
  7. Asked: “Which restaurant management software has the best reviews?”
    Searched: best restaurant management software reviews ratings G2 Capterra 2026 restaurant POS management software
  8. Asked: “Which restaurant software is easiest for staff to learn?”
    Searched: easiest restaurant POS software for staff to learn ease of use Toast Square Clover Lightspeed reviews training interface
  9. Asked: “What is the best restaurant management software for a small restaurant?”
    Searched: best restaurant management software for small restaurants 2026 Toast Square Lightspeed TouchBistro features pricing comparison +3 more
  10. Asked: “Most affordable restaurant management software for an independent restaurant”
    Searched: most affordable restaurant management software for independent restaurants 2026 pricing POS inventory scheduling food cost +1 more
  11. Asked: “Which restaurant POS has no monthly fee for a small restaurant?”
    Searched: restaurant POS systems no monthly fee free plan transaction fees 2026 Square Toast Loyverse eHopper pricing
  12. Asked: “Best restaurant software for a first-time restaurant owner on a tight budget”
    Searched: restaurant POS software pricing 2026 Square for Restaurants Toast SpotOn Clover official pricing +1 more
  13. Asked: “Which restaurant management system is best for a family-owned restaurant?”
    Searched: best restaurant management systems for independent family-owned restaurants POS inventory scheduling online ordering 2026 +1 more
  14. Asked: “What is the best POS and management software for a coffee shop?”
    Searched: best coffee shop POS software 2026 Square Toast Clover Lightspeed cafe features pricing inventory loyalty payroll
  15. Asked: “Which software is best for managing a bar or a brewery taproom?”
    Searched: best bar and brewery taproom management software POS inventory brewery operations comparison 2026 +3 more
  16. Asked: “Best POS and management system for a food truck”
    Searched: best food truck POS systems 2026 Square Toast Clover pricing inventory employee management food truck
  17. Asked: “Which restaurant software works best for a quick-service restaurant?”
    Searched: best POS restaurant software quick service restaurants 2026 Toast Square for Restaurants SpotOn Clover Lightspeed features pricing
  18. Asked: “Best restaurant management software for a fine dining restaurant”
    Searched: best restaurant management software for fine dining restaurants 2026 POS reservations inventory labor guest management comparison
  19. Asked: “What is the best software for running a pizza restaurant?”
    Searched: best pizza restaurant management software POS online ordering inventory 2026 Toast Square SpotOn HungerRush comparison
  20. Asked: “What is the best restaurant management software for multiple locations?”
    Searched: best restaurant management software multi-location restaurant groups comparison Toast Restaurant365 SpotOn 2026 +1 more
  21. Asked: “Best restaurant software for a franchise with 20 or more units”
    Searched: best restaurant management software for multi-unit franchises 20 locations POS back office inventory labor 2026 +1 more
  22. Asked: “Which enterprise restaurant software do large restaurant groups use?”
    Searched: enterprise restaurant management software large multi-unit restaurant groups POS ERP inventory labor scheduling guest engagement platforms brands used case studies +1 more
  23. Asked: “As director of operations at a restaurant group, which software should we standardize on?”
    Searched: best restaurant group operations software multi-location restaurant inventory labor scheduling task management training platforms 2026 +1 more
  24. Asked: “What is the best restaurant accounting software for a multi-unit restaurant group?”
    Searched: best restaurant accounting software multi unit restaurant groups Restaurant365 Sage Intacct 2026 comparison +3 more
  25. Asked: “What is the best POS system for restaurants?”
    Searched: best restaurant POS systems 2026 comparison Toast Square for Restaurants Lightspeed Clover pricing features reviews
  26. Asked: “Which restaurant POS systems are most reliable during a busy dinner rush?”
    Searched: most reliable restaurant POS systems busy dinner rush uptime offline mode hardware performance Toast Square for Restaurants SpotOn Lightspeed Clover reviews 2025 2026 +1 more
  27. Asked: “Best restaurant POS with handheld devices for ordering at the table”
    Searched: best restaurant POS systems handheld tableside ordering devices 2026 Toast Square Clover SpotOn Lightspeed features pricing
  28. Asked: “Which restaurant POS has the lowest payment processing fees?”
    Searched: 2026 restaurant POS payment processing rates compare Toast Square Clover SpotOn Lightspeed fees pricing
  29. Asked: “What are the best cloud-based POS systems for restaurants?”
    Searched: best cloud based restaurant POS systems 2026 comparison Toast Square for Restaurants Lightspeed Restaurant TouchBistro Clover SpotOn features pricing +1 more
  30. Asked: “Which kitchen display system is best for a busy restaurant kitchen?”
    Searched: best kitchen display systems for high volume restaurants 2026 Toast Square Oracle Simphony Kitchen United KDS comparison +1 more
  31. Asked: “What is the best restaurant inventory management software?”
    Searched: best restaurant inventory management software 2026 comparison restaurant-specific features pricing MarketMan xtraCHEF Restaurant365 MarginEdge
  32. Asked: “Which software helps restaurants control their food costs?”
    Searched: best restaurant food cost management software inventory recipe costing invoice AP 2026 comparison
  33. Asked: “Best recipe costing software for restaurants”
    Searched: restaurant recipe costing software reviews 2026 pricing features market leaders +1 more
  34. Asked: “Which software automates invoice processing for restaurants?”
    Searched: best restaurant invoice automation software accounts payable invoice processing xtraCHEF MarginEdge Restaurant365 2026 +1 more
  35. Asked: “As a kitchen manager, which tool should I use to track inventory and waste?”
    Searched: best restaurant inventory and food waste tracking software kitchen managers 2026 features pricing MarketMan xtraCHEF MarginEdge
  36. Asked: “Which software is best for restaurant purchasing and supplier orders?”
    Searched: best restaurant purchasing software supplier ordering inventory management MarketMan BlueCart Restaurant365 MarginEdge Craftable features pricing 2026
  37. Asked: “What is the best employee scheduling software for restaurants?”
    Searched: restaurant scheduling software reviews pricing features 2026 7shifts Homebase Sling Deputy +1 more
  38. Asked: “Which restaurant labor management software helps cut labor costs?”
    Searched: restaurant labor management software reduce labor costs scheduling forecasting overtime 2026 +1 more
  39. Asked: “Best app for restaurant shift scheduling and tip pooling”
    Searched: restaurant scheduling software tip pooling features pricing 2026 +1 more
  40. Asked: “As a restaurant general manager, which scheduling tool should I use?”
    Searched: best restaurant employee scheduling software 2026 7shifts HotSchedules Sling Deputy comparison pricing features +2 more
  41. Asked: “Which payroll software works best for restaurants with tipped employees?”
    Searched: best restaurant payroll software tipped employees tip pooling tip credit POS integration 2026 +3 more
  42. Asked: “What is the best online ordering system for restaurants?”
    Searched: best online ordering systems for restaurants 2026 comparison pricing features Toast Square Online ChowNow Owner.com +1 more
  43. Asked: “Which commission-free online ordering platform is best for a restaurant?”
    Searched: best commission-free online ordering platforms for restaurants 2026 Toast Square ChowNow Owner.com fees features comparison
  44. Asked: “Best restaurant website builder with online ordering built in”
    Searched: best restaurant website builder built in online ordering 2026 pricing features +1 more
  45. Asked: “Which software combines third-party delivery orders into one tablet for restaurants?”
    Searched: restaurant software combine third-party delivery orders Uber Eats DoorDash Grubhub one tablet order aggregation platform +1 more
  46. Asked: “What is the best restaurant marketing and loyalty software?”
    Searched: best restaurant marketing and loyalty software platforms 2026 comparison Toast Marketing Loyalty Olo Thanx Punchh Paytronix SpotOn +1 more
  47. Asked: “What is the best restaurant reservation system?”
    Searched: best restaurant reservation management software platforms 2026 comparison OpenTable Resy Tock SevenRooms
  48. Asked: “Which table management software is best for a busy restaurant?”
    Searched: best restaurant table management software 2026 busy restaurant comparison OpenTable SevenRooms Resy Yelp Guest Manager +1 more
  49. Asked: “Which guest CRM software helps restaurants bring regulars back?”
    Searched: restaurant guest CRM software loyalty marketing repeat visits restaurants platforms comparison 2026 +1 more
  50. Asked: “Which restaurant reservation system has no per-cover fees?”
    Searched: restaurant reservation software pricing no per-cover fees flat fee 2026 +1 more

What the engines read on Reddit

61 of the 736 answers cited Reddit (8%), 24 threads in 11 subreddits. ChatGPT and Perplexity cited it in none of their answers; Google AI Overview in 18% of its answers. Below, every thread they cited and the products named in the answers that cited it.

Subreddits the engines cite

Answers citing each one.

  • r/restaurant24
  • r/Restaurant_Managers18
  • r/restaurateur5
  • r/TheBrewery4
  • r/restaurantowners4
  • r/CRMSoftware3
  • r/RampPlatform2
  • r/ToastPOS2

Who leans on Reddit

Share of each engine's answers citing it.

  • ChatGPT0%
  • Gemini8%
  • Perplexity0%
  • Google AI Overview18%
  • Google AI Mode16%
  1. Opening a Restaurant: What's the Best POS System You'd Recommend?
    r/restaurantcited in 14 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant, Toast and TouchBistro
  2. Restaurant Owners: What's the Best POS System You Use and Why?
    r/Restaurant_Managerscited in 13 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, TouchBistro and Clover
  3. Could restaurant managers share what kind of digital tools ...
    r/restaurantcited in 4 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, 7shifts, Connecteam and Sling
  4. I'm looking for a restaurant CRM that remembers customers across ...
    r/CRMSoftwarecited in 3 answers
    Named in those answers: SevenRooms, Thanx, Resy and Toast
  5. Best reservation app for a small restaurant?
    r/restaurantcited in 3 answers
    Named in those answers: OpenTable, Yelp Guest Manager, Resy and Eat App
  6. Scheduling Apps
    r/restaurateurcited in 3 answers
    Named in those answers: When I Work, Restaurant365, Fourth and Toast
  7. Best POS system for a taproom.
    r/TheBrewerycited in 3 answers
    Named in those answers: Arryved, Toast, Square for Restaurants and Ekos
  8. Best POS for coffee shop
    r/coffeeshopownerscited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant and Clover
  9. The 7 Best Restaurant Accounting Software Tools for 2026
    r/RampPlatformcited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: Toast, Square for Restaurants, MarginEdge and QuickBooks Online
  10. Restaurant Inventory Software
    r/restaurantcited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: Restaurant365, MarketMan, Toast and xtraCHEF by Toast
  11. Effective Management Tools for Restaurants?
    r/Restaurant_Managerscited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: Connecteam, Toast, Sling and MarginEdge
  12. Hi restaurant managers, was curious what's a good ...
    r/Restaurant_Managerscited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: Fresh KDS, Square for Restaurants, Toast and Clover
  13. Best recommendations for setting up a website with online ordering
    r/restaurantownerscited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Owner.com and Popmenu
  14. Restaurant Inventory/Recipe Costing Software - which player is best?
    r/restaurantownerscited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: MarketMan, MarginEdge, Restaurant365 and Lightspeed Restaurant
  15. Any recommendations for Pizza POS systems. I have clover ...
    r/restaurateurcited in 2 answers
    Named in those answers: Thrive POS, Toast, Clover and Square for Restaurants
  16. POS- Credit Card processing fees
    r/BarOwnerscited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: Helcim, Square for Restaurants, Toast and Clover
  17. Best POS systems?
    r/coffeeshopownerscited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: Dripos, Square for Restaurants, SkyTab and Toast
  18. Best POS system for small pizza shop and restaurant?
    r/restaurantcited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: Thrive POS, SpeedLine, Toast and HungerRush
  19. Staff Scheduling
    r/Restaurant_Managerscited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: When I Work, Restaurant365, Fourth and Deputy
  20. Cheap/free POS software that allows individual item customisations ...
    r/smallbusinesscited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, SkyTab, Toast and Lightspeed Restaurant
  21. Any small restaurant owners using a hassle-free scheduling ...
    r/smallbusinesscited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: 7shifts, Homebase, Deputy and Connecteam
  22. Brewery Management software
    r/TheBrewerycited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: Lightspeed Restaurant, Ollie Ops, Toast and Ekos
  23. Why Choose Toast vs. Square/Clover/Other POS??
    r/ToastPOScited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: Square for Restaurants, Toast and Clover
  24. Scheduling App that has punch in/out compliance and tip reporting?
    r/ToastPOScited in 1 answer
    Named in those answers: TipHaus, Toast, Clover and Square for Restaurants

Co-occurrence, as in our LLM visibility tool: these are the products named in the answers that cited each thread, not a score of the thread itself. Check any product above to see the threads helping it and the ones it is missing from.

The videos the engines cite

66 of the 736 answers cited a YouTube video (9%), 37 videos in all. Google AI Overview cited one in 40% of its answers; ChatGPT and Perplexity in none. Below, every video they cited and the products named in the answers that cited it.

Who cites YouTube

Share of each engine's answers citing a video.

  • ChatGPT0%
  • Gemini<1%
  • Perplexity0%
  • Google AI Overview40%
  • Google AI Mode7%

When AI gets the details wrong

We checked every link the engines attached to a product's name. Most went to the vendor's own site or a directory listing. These didn't, and each one is a restaurant owner sent the wrong way. Every domain below was checked by hand on 13 November 2026.

Not on the list? This is what moves it

AI engines don't rank products. They summarise what the web already says about them. Each step below comes from what this month's 750 answers show.

Be listed where the engines read

Vendor websites were cited about 8 times as often as review sites and directories this month, but a listing is still the cheapest page to fix. Complete, current profiles on the review sites and lists the engines use, with the same product name, category and pricing everywhere.

This monthg2.com was cited in 47 answers, capterra.com in 39 and softwareadvice.com in 24. The most-cited vendor website, pos.toasttab.com, in 144.

Publish the page the engines quote

The engines quote "best of" and comparison pages, including ones written by vendors about their own market. A vendor that publishes an honest, specific one gives the engines a page to read, and often a reason to name it.

This month46 vendors had their own "best of" or comparison pages cited, 717 times. Chowly's was cited in 48 answers, and the answers that cited one of the top 15 pages named its own vendor 43% of the time.

Say plainly what you're best at

The engines name products “for small & independent”, “for cafes, bars & food trucks” and “for multi-location & franchise”. A vendor that states its specialty in plain words, on its site and its listings, gets picked for that question.

This monthSevenRooms: named in 90% of reservations & guests answers, 15% of “best overall” answers. 7shifts: named in 91% of scheduling & labor answers, 50% of “best overall” answers.

Make your facts impossible to get wrong

One official domain, one product name, one plain description of who it is for and what it costs, repeated identically. Where the facts are thin, the engines fill the gaps themselves.

This monthGoogle AI Mode linked Ottimate to plateiq.app, which is not its website.

Measure it every month

Answers change from run to run and month to month. This leaderboard re-runs the same questions every month, so a vendor can see whether a change moved anything.

This monthOnly 21 of 250 engine-and-question pairs returned the same shortlist on every run. A product named once was named in 71% of that engine's runs for that question, on average.

Want to know why the engines skip you, and fix it?

busyless runs AI visibility work (AEO) for local businesses and companies: an audit of what ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google say about you, the fixes on and off your website, and a monthly read of whether it worked.

Book a call How AEO works

How this leaderboard is made

Same questions, same engines, every month. The method is fixed so the months can be compared.

50 questions

All in English, covering 9 needs: best overall, small & independent, cafes, bars & food trucks, multi-location & franchise, POS & payments, inventory & food cost, scheduling & labor, online ordering & marketing and reservations & guests.

See all 50 questions

    Five engines

    ChatGPT (gpt-6, web search on) and Gemini (3.5 Flash-Lite) as their apps answer users in the United States; Perplexity (sonar); Google AI Overviews and Google AI Mode searched from the United States. Collected through DataForSEO on 13 November 2026.

    Three runs per question

    The same question gets a different answer on a different try, so each one is asked three times per engine. A product named in two of three runs counts twice. That's 750 calls; 736 came back with an answer. 6 calls still failed after retries. 5 Google AI Overview calls and 3 Google AI Mode calls returned no answer (for Google AI Overview, a search that showed none).

    Matching names to products

    Names are matched against every product the engines named and the ones our research found. Generic words don't count as names, a brand that is also an everyday word counts only where every use in the answers is the product, a product mentioned only as an integration or a parent company doesn't count, and every disputed match was checked by hand.

    Scoring

    AI share = answers naming the product ÷ answers given. Ties are broken by average position. Nothing is weighted by ratings, and no vendor paid to appear or to rank.

    What it doesn't measure

    Answers differ by user, location, account and phrasing, and change daily. This is a fixed sample of 750 answers, not every conversation. It measures who gets recommended, not who is best. That's for restaurant owners to judge.

    Questions

    Which restaurant management software does ChatGPT recommend most?

    Toast. ChatGPT named it in 131 of its 150 answers across our 50 questions, asked three times each, in November 2026.

    Which restaurant management software do AI assistants name most often?

    Across all five engines, Toast was named most often, in 83% of answers. Toast was named first most often: 248 times.

    Which restaurant software do AI assistants recommend for a small, independent restaurant?

    Square for Restaurants, named in 70 of 70 answers to the small & independent questions.

    Which restaurant software do AI assistants recommend for multiple locations?

    Restaurant365, named in 69 of 73 answers to the multi-location & franchise questions.

    Which restaurant POS do AI assistants recommend most?

    Toast, named in 90 of 90 answers to the POS & payments questions.

    Which restaurant inventory software do AI assistants recommend?

    Restaurant365, named in 79 of 89 answers to the inventory & food cost questions.

    Which restaurant scheduling software do AI assistants recommend?

    7shifts, named in 68 of 75 answers to the scheduling & labor questions.

    How often is this leaderboard updated?

    Monthly. The same 50 questions go to the same five engines each month, so changes between editions are real changes in what the engines say. The next edition is December 2026.

    Can a vendor pay to be ranked higher?

    No. The ranking is computed from the AI answers alone, and no vendor paid to appear on this page. A vendor can change what the engines say about it, which is what AI visibility (AEO) work does, but not this page.

    How can a vendor get recommended by ChatGPT?

    Make it easy for the engines to find consistent, specific facts about you: complete listings on the directories they cite, a plain statement of what you specialise in, and one official website. busyless does this work as part of its AEO service.