MICROS POS Review: Pricing, Top Features & User Ratings

The Oracle MICROS POS is a staple in the restaurant industry because of durable equipment, fast transactions, and inventory processes. It’s a cloud-based platform that optimizes in-house and online operations and offers robust system management to control labor and sales costs. 

Widely known in the restaurant industry, Oracle Micro POS Solution has been in the market for more than 40 years and is used across the globe. It has a reputation for durability, with its software installed on-site instead of in the cloud and hardware that’s built to withstand spills, harsh weather and constant use. The program offers a range of features, from menu management to labor management.

The system is a great choice for restaurants that want to manage their inhouse restaurant operations from a central location, as it offers robust security controls that prevent hackers and staff members from accessing parts of the program they shouldn’t. It also offers a variety of specialized hardware, like the three-inch tablet Micros 3 Series, which is perfect for mobile food trucks or street vendors. It has a customer-facing display that’s built to resist vibration and shock and a bright screen that defends against sun glare.

Another feature is the ability to update restaurant, takeaway and mobile ordering menus in real time. This allows restaurants to maintain a consistent brand while streamlining controls like menu item pricing and promotions. There’s also a centralized tool for managing employee maintenance and scheduling, which helps restaurants reduce labour costs.

Other useful features include the ability to process quick payments using Oracle Payment Cloud Service, an end-to-end payment solution that accepts credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay and more. The software also tracks transaction and payment data in a single analytics dashboard, which can help restaurants make informed business decisions.

In low traffic periods and restricted capacity, MICROS POS will streamline workflows, boost profits, and reduce waste. Consolidate your business channels from pickup to curbside and dining. The system has the right mix of benefits and features that suit a restaurant of any size and style, from fast-casual to fine dining.

The restaurant industry faces unique challenges that a system like MICROS was built for. You need a robust platform for employee management with scheduling and permission-based roles. 

It should have tools for inventory controls with auto-replenishment and features for reporting. A restaurant also needs a POS that will facilitate front and back of house communication and streamline orders.

After an extensive review of MICROS POS, we found that the software has a user-friendly menu that reduces errors. The intuitive design ensures demand is being met with staff and inventory management that takes advantage of automation. It offers smart guest loyalty programs that bolster retention and keep people engaged.

When it comes to running complex processes, you need simplicity in operations. MICROS has just that. In this review, we’ll explore system features, cost expectations, integrations, hardware, and a collection of services that will easily align with your restaurant operations.

How Much Does MICROS POS Cost?

The costs for the MICROS POS system are quote-based for hardware and software. The platform charges a monthly subscription fee and an upfront licensing fee, which starts at around $5,000. The price of software will depend on the service level and the number of users.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) for the MICROS system will include:

• Subscription and license fees
• Payment processing
• Customization with data migration
• Onboarding and training
• Maintenance and upgrades

Pros/Cons 

Evaluating the MICROS system from an unbiased perspective means looking at all the platform features and failures. Here is a brief list of pros and cons you can expect when implementing this system:

MICROS Pricing  

Oracle is a big business so they get nothing from hiding fees or costs. That also means pricing is determined on an individual basis. All options can be customized for a single store or a multi-location franchise. There are no set pricing plans or suite of features. Everything at Oracle is customized to your unique business needs. 

There’s an upside and a downside to this pricing model. You’re not trying to pigeonhole your business into a one-size-fits-all plan. On the other hand, this type of model can present surprise costs down the road you may not have anticipated.

That said, Oracle provides a range of resources and videos that can help a restaurant calculate the total cost of ownership. Although restaurant owners are concerned with the acquisition costs of a new POS system, it’s actually only 10% of the total cost of ownership. 

Things you should look at include:

• System reliability
• Speed of service and maintenance
• Power consumption
• Deployment costs

Oracle is a system that only runs with its own software, which saves a lot of processing time and memory. This means they can tailor the power usage for a restaurant and save your business a ton of money down the road. 

Demo Video



Key Features  

For system features, Oracle MICROS POS offers a robust suite that caters to the restaurant industry. You’ll find useful tools like:

Menu Management to Speed up Service and Reduce Errors

MICROS helps a restaurant effectively manage its menu with a central repository of data. Easily update things like:

• Item descriptions
• Nutritional information
• Ingredients
• Pricing
• Promotions

Everything syncs with kitchen operations across multiple devices and locations. All processes happen immediately, so there’s never a discrepancy in communication or stock levels. 

Online Ordering and Delivery to Optimize Sales Channels

MICROS brings your menu management and payment processing online with a digital ordering and delivery feature. Take orders from the website, update menu items, and send everything directly to the kitchen display system. Guests can also order through the branded mobile app using any mobile device.

The platform will alert customers when orders are ready for curbside pickup or out for delivery. MICROS captures customer profile data in the cloud to help people reorder their favorite menu items. Track purchases to deliver personalized rewards that customers are sure to use.

Restaurant Analytics to Keep the Pulse of Your Business

You cannot measure success without the tools for reporting and analytics. It helps a restaurant understand exactly what’s going on under the surface. Find which dishes are selling the most, on what shifts, and with whom.

Discover top-performing employees and key areas of waste. Streamline menus, reduce operational costs, and assess delivery channels to boost sales and maximize profits.

Conversational Ordering to Reduce Errors

MICROS has a conversational ordering screen that enables a restaurant to take orders the way they are spoken, with little interruption. Not only does this encourage cross-selling and upselling opportunities, it allows flexibility for changing orders on-the-fly.

Each employee is presented with their own conversational ordering screen to suit the particular role, environment, or function. That means cocktail screens for bar servers and full menus for tableside staff.

Customer Loyalty Programs to Deliver Targeted Offers

Once you capture customer data, you need to do something with it. Convert new guests to loyal fans with campaigns that are targeted and data-driven. The MICROS real-time customer loyalty app updates regularly, so customers can review and redeem rewards at any time. 

Labor Management and Scheduling to Control Costs

The MICROS system allows you to easily onboard and train new team members. Optimize employee schedules based on peak traffic and social guidelines. Performance reporting can tell you who to schedule and when. Control labor costs and set permissions in the system based on someone’s role.

Key employee features include:

• Shift pool management
• Payroll with a cost calculator
• Training and onboarding
• Shift forecasting
• Timeclock enforcement

Inventory Controls to Forecast Demand and Serve Peak Traffic

If you need to exercise tighter controls on costs and waste, MICROS offers superb inventory management tools to better serve peak traffic and seasonal patterns. Boost profitability, identify top trends, and make data-driven decisions with reporting and analytics that drive deeper insight.

Auto-replenishment features mean you don’t need to live in the walk-in. Set automatic triggers to reorder items when they reach low levels. You never have to “86” an item that’s selling like crazy or tell a regular customer “no.”

Reservations and Waitlists to Manage Requests Quickly and Efficiently

The reservation list enables a restaurant to manage all reservation requests quickly and with ease. If you use multiple dining layouts, a tabbed template provides staff a simple way to navigate between waitlists, reservations, and table layouts.

Customers can add their name to the waitlist when they come in, which also shows reservations prior to the scheduled time. All lists can be effectively managed using one screen.

Cloud-Based Security for Access at Anywhere at Any Time

Protect your brand and customer data with a world-class infrastructure supported by Oracle. You won’t have to worry about system hackers or staff logging into parts of the platform they shouldn’t. There are tight security controls across the board.

Industries Served 

MICROS POS was specifically designed for the restaurant industry. Offerings can be broken down into two main categories: Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) or Table Service Restaurant (TSR).

QSR features are focused on a fast-paced environment with drive-through functionality. You should see system components like self-service kiosks and:

• Conversational ordering
• Loyalty and rewards programs
• Curbside pickup or delivery
• Countertop ordering
• Customer and bagger displays

TSR features are more aligned with people sitting down. Like a QSR, there is a loyalty program and options for delivery. Look for additional TSR features like:

• Menu presentation
• Tableside order management
• Order upselling and modifiers
• Pick-up park or pick-up
• Conversational ordering

Deployment Type 

MICROS was designed to only work on Oracle products. When it comes to deployment, a restaurant is completely reliant on the MICROS team for help with installation. This is why Oracle has a variety of services and features to customize each system. 

They do not sell out-of-the-box platforms that can be plugged in and used. Every POS deployment depends on factors like:

• Number of locations
• Size of team
• Amount of terminals
• Types of services

Oracle does partner with third-party providers for payment processing and additional services like accounting and reporting. 

Ease of Use  

Reviews online state that the MICROS system was developed for ease of use. It’s not the most complex or aesthetic dashboard on the POS market, but that’s what makes it so simple to navigate. The interface is always designed with your restaurant in mind. This helps to streamline controls like employee onboarding and training.

Using MICROS means there’s not a ton of hardware brands to integrate. All Oracle products are designed to work together. If equipment malfunctions or dies, it can easily be replaced to get you up and running again fast.

Automated tasks also lend to ease of use. From order modifiers for upselling to stock replenishment. The more tasks you have on auto-drive, the easier it is to focus on daily operations and obstacles as they come.

Hardware

MICROS was created by the Oracle brand so it comes as no surprise they offer robust and durable equipment that’s built to last. All hardware provides secure employee controls which include fingerprint scanning and access authentication protocols.

Consider some of these hardware options when building your set up:

Oracle MICROS Simphony

Built for complete restaurant management, this is the MICROS main product and brain of the POS operation. It powers the cloud-based software with intuitive ordering, instant BOH communication, and robust menu management. 

The all-in-one system helps to optimize online and in-house operations with key features that include:

• Real-time table management with conversational ordering
• Inventory and employee controls
• Menu engineering with automatic modifiers
• Customer gift card and loyalty program
• Reservation and waitlist 

Multi-channel Kitchen Displays

MICROS has kitchen display systems (KDS) that help a restaurant reduce errors, increase BOH efficiency, optimize speed, and enhance food quality. The equipment includes touch screens, bump bars, and remote views that allow staff to quickly prioritize food prep and manage timing across multiple stations.

The KDS manages orders from multiple channels that include in-house staff, self-service kiosks, online ordering, mobile apps, and third-party delivery platforms. 

EMV-Compliant Credit Card Readers

MICROS has secure, EMV-compliant credit card readers that accept mobile wallet payments, chip and pins, or whatever method your customers prefer. It enables guests to quickly and safely complete transactions while boosting sales and revenue.

Integrations  

The MICROS POS system is built on a secure and open API with your choice of Microsoft Office or Oracle Linux. This makes it easy to connect to your favorite tools and integrates with partners for key functions that include:

• Delivery

• • • GrubHub

• Payment processing

• • • 3c Payment

• Accounting

• • • Restaurant 365

• Mobility

• • • AppSuite

• Gift card and loyalty programs

• • • Paytronix

• Self-service

• • QikServe

And much more…

Credit Card and Payment Processing 

The Oracle Payment Interface (OPI) simplifies credit card payment configuration. It enables the MICROS POS to communicate with different credit card processors using a single payment driver. This means flexibility in your payment processing. The OPI allows you to process any chip or pin-based cards and capture signatures electronically.

Enhance security by preventing cardholder data from being stored in the POS system. Eliminate card batch processing by automating the end of day settlement of transactions. Send out credit card finalizing requests and authorize payments on the spot.

Dedicated Customer Service and Support

MICROS provides industry-leading customer support for both hardware and software solutions. The help desk is open 24/7 and staffed by certified professionals in every aspect of the system. Oracle has global contacts for sales, IT support, cloud questions, billing, and account assistance.

Dedicated Customer Care Suppot

A dedicated support line shows that you are successful enough to have a team of experts at your disposal and that you are invested in your customers. But whether that line forwards to a dedicated team or to you and your staff depends on two things: call volume and call type.

Dedicated teams have a deep understanding of your products and can expertly handle calls, chats and emails. They can also complete back-office processes like refunds, credits, exchanges and reshipment. They are available 247 and are capable of solving every software & hardware issue, whether they are pre-sales or billing issues. They can also assist with in-store service like building Peloton bikes or delivering satellite TVs to homes and businesses. They also offer self-service options like a searchable knowledgebase, FAQs, product guides and tutorials. These options free up agent time so that they can focus on the more complex, high-value calls.

You can start an immediate chat, email, or call and have questions answered 365 days of the year.

MICROS POS Best Alternatives  

In addition to MICROS, there are other restaurant POS systems that your business might find useful. Consider these two alternatives:

Toast POS 

Toast is a powerful point of sale system that combines cloud-based software with durable hardware and convenient payment processing. The system includes all the features you need to run any style of restaurant including:

• Tableside service with instant payments and order ready notifications 
• Analytics and reporting with sales summary and product mix
• Menu management with real-time updates and item countdown
• Online ordering and delivery with third-party integrations

The cost of Toast POS is free for the Starter kit (plus taxes), $99/month for the Essentials package, and $189 for the Growth plan. Digital ordering solutions start at $50/month (Toast Now) and hardware starts at $450 for a handheld device and $1,350 for an entire POS setup.

NCR Aloha

When comparing MICROS vs. Aloha POS is an enterprise solution for restaurants. It features best-in-class hardware, software, and services that help you run operations, drive revenue, and meet customer expectations. Look for key features that include:

• Fixed and mobile stations designed for all restaurant concepts
• Advanced reporting with employee scorecards and sales KPIs
• Online ordering with branded channels and a customer portal
• Gift card and loyalty programs with reward milestones

The cost of Aloha POS is a subscription model based on a variety of factors like restaurant size and number of employees. It’s an all-inclusive monthly payment with no contract period or unexpected costs. Users can add or remove products at any time.

Summing Up The MICROS POS System

Online reviews peg MICROS as an amazing system for smaller operations. It has a very straightforward dashboard which means it’s easy to train and transact. 

For the third straight year, the Oracle system has been named a “Leader” in the IDC MarketScape Worldwide Point-of-Sale Software Quick-Service/Fast Casual Restaurant Sector assessment.  

MICROS will help your business manage the front and back of house with instant automation and real-time workflows. It will equip your restaurant with durable hardware designed for foodservice and staff controls that keep people organized. 

If you have challenges with inventory management or data capture, MICROS has features to identify key sales trends and stock up accordingly. Always have your best-selling dishes at the top of the menu and in front of staff.

If you’re looking for platform that enhances the customer experience, engages staff, and helps drive growth, Oracle MICROS is a point of sale that does the trick.