How to Integrate Your POS System with Sauce

Imagine the counter at your restaurant: cluttered with multiple tablets for DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub – each buzzing with orders. Your staff scrambles to re-enter these orders into your Point-of-Sale (POS) system while your profits shrink from hefty commission fees. Juggling several tablets and manually inputting orders not only slows down your workflow but also increases the risk of errors. Meanwhile, third-party delivery apps can charge up to 30% commission per order, cutting deep into your already thin margins. It’s frustrating and unsustainable.

That’s where Sauce comes in. Sauce is a commission-free online ordering and delivery platform that integrates directly with your POS, eliminating the tablet chaos and helping you reclaim control of your margins.

In this article, we’ll explore why integrating online orders into your POS matters, the pitfalls of third-party apps, how Sauce offers a better solution, the steps to integrate Sauce with your POS, and common FAQs. Let’s streamline your operations and take back control of your restaurant’s digital ordering.

Why Integrating Online Orders Into Your POS Matters

Integrating your online orders with your restaurant’s POS system can be a game-changer for efficiency and accuracy. When orders from your website or delivery service flow directly into the POS, you avoid manual re-entry – meaning no more copying tickets from a tablet into the register. This saves your staff time and reduces the chance of human error on every order (no more mistaken entries or missed modifiers). The result is faster order processing and fewer mix-ups, which keeps both your kitchen and your customers happier.

Another big advantage is having all your sales data in one place. With integration, your in-house sales and online orders are tracked together in your POS system. You’re not sifting through separate reports or devices to understand your business. For example, Sauce’s integration sends all orders from supported channels straight into the POS – no need for multiple devices or duplicate work . This consolidated data means you can see your total sales, inventory updates, and customer details in one dashboard. It’s easier to spot trends and make informed decisions when everything is synced in real time.

In short, integrating online orders into your POS streamlines operations. It frees up your team from busy-work (so they can focus on cooking and serving), and it gives you accurate, up-to-the-minute information. Whether you’re a small family diner or a multi-location chain, POS integration improves order accuracy, saves time, and supports growth. It’s the foundation for running a modern, efficient restaurant in the digital age.

The Limitations of Third-Party Delivery Apps

Third-party delivery platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub can bring in new business, but they come with serious drawbacks that hurt your bottom line and operations:

High Fees Eating Your Profits

 It’s no secret that delivery apps charge steep commissions. Depending on the platform and plan, you might be losing 15% to 30% of every order to fees. These commissions eat into a substantial portion of your restaurant’s profits, making it hard to thrive. You often have to raise menu prices on those apps just to compensate, which can alienate price-sensitive customers. It’s a lose-lose situation for your margins.

Fragmented Systems & Hardware Overload

If you’re using multiple delivery apps, you end up managing separate tablets (one for Uber Eats, one for DoorDash, etc.) plus your own POS. Restaurants commonly juggle three or more devices simultaneously for orders. This fragmented setup means your staff is constantly switching between screens and copying orders over, which is chaotic and error-prone. Missed or late orders become more likely when someone forgets to confirm a tablet or mis-enters an order. The hardware clutter alone is a nightmare – a “tablet farm” taking over your counter.

Lost Customer Data & Control

When orders come through third-party marketplaces, you don’t fully own the customer relationship. The platforms often withhold valuable customer data, like emails or phone numbers, so you can’t easily re-market to those guests. You also sacrifice your branding – customers ordering via an app might barely even see your restaurant’s identity, since the experience is within a generic delivery app. You’re essentially renting your customers from DoorDash or Uber Eats, rather than building loyalty directly.

Limited Integration & Workflow Issues

Many third-party apps don’t play nicely with POS systems (unless you use additional middleware). Without integration, your staff must manually key in every online order, causing delays and mistakes. Menus have to be updated in multiple places, leading to inconsistencies (like an item that sells out not being removed from all platforms). The overall workflow becomes much more complicated than it should be, especially during peak times. It’s easy to see service suffer when your team is double-tasking between ringing up orders and managing tablet notifications.

In summary, while delivery marketplaces offer reach, they also bring high costs, operational headaches, and loss of control over your own business. The good news is there’s a better way to capture online orders without these trade-offs – and that’s by integrating directly with your POS through a solution like Sauce.

How Sauce Provides a Better Alternative

Sauce is built to let you take back control of your online ordering and delivery, by providing a seamless platform that works directly with your POS and avoids the pain points of third-party

Seamless POS Sync (No More Manual Entry)

Sauce connects your online ordering directly into your POS system in real time. All orders placed on channels that Sauce supports go directly into your POS, eliminating any manual entry. For example, when a customer orders through your Sauce-powered website or social media link, the order pops up on your POS and kitchen printers just like an in-house order. There’s no need for staff to re-enter tickets, which means fewer errors and faster processing. Your team can concentrate on serving guests instead of managing devices, and nothing falls through the cracks.

Centralized Orders & One Device

By using Sauce, you consolidate your online orders into the same system as your walk-in orders. This effectively eliminates the need to juggle multiple tablets – you can manage everything from one screen. Say goodbye to the cluttered counter and the mental overhead of monitoring different apps. With Sauce, your POS becomes the single hub for all sales channels. Not only does this simplify training and operations, but it also cuts down on order acceptance time. There’s just one workflow for your staff, whether the order came from a customer at the counter or from your website.

No Commissions – Keep 100% of Your Revenue

Unlike third-party delivery apps, Sauce does not charge commissions on each order. It’s a commission-free model, typically based on a flat monthly fee or affordable per-day pricing. This means if you sell a $50 order through Sauce, you keep that entire $50 (aside from payment processing) instead of giving 20% (~$10) to a delivery app. Restaurants using Sauce retain the full revenue from their sales, providing a substantial boost to their bottom line. In an industry of razor-thin margins, keeping that extra 20-30% per order can be the difference between profit and loss. Plus, you have the flexibility to pass savings on to customers (e.g. slightly lower menu prices or no “service fees”) to encourage more direct orders.

Ownership of Customer Data and Branding

With Sauce, you stay in control of the customer experience. Orders typically flow through your own branded channels – such as a ordering link on your website, a custom mobile ordering site, or even social media chats – rather than a third-party marketplace. This means you capture the customer’s contact info and order history. Sauce facilitates a direct relationship with your customers, letting you build your own loyalty program or marketing campaigns with that data. Moreover, the look and feel can be tailored to match your restaurant’s brand (often called a white-label solution). You’re not just another icon in a delivery app; you get to provide a consistent, branded experience that keeps customers coming back to your business.

Better Support and Service

When you partner with Sauce, you’re not on your own. Sauce provides robust support to ensure your online ordering and delivery run smoothly. In fact, Sauce operates a 24/7 support network to handle delivery driver logistics and customer inquiries on your behalf. This “white-glove” support means if there’s ever an issue with an order or a delivery, Sauce’s team helps resolve it quickly – saving you time and keeping customers happy. You get the benefit of a tech partner that’s invested in your success, rather than a third-party whose primary loyalty is to the customer or their own platform. From onboarding assistance to ongoing help, Sauce’s team has your back.

In essence, Sauce transforms online ordering from a necessary hassle into a streamlined, profitable extension of your restaurant. You get the convenience and reach of digital ordering without the usual downsides – no commissions, no extra tablets, and no losing touch with your guests. It’s your restaurant’s own system, powered by Sauce’s technology and delivery network behind the scenes.

Supported POS Systems and Real-World Flexibility

One of the great advantages of Sauce is its ability to integrate with many popular restaurant POS systems. You don’t need to rip out your current POS or change your whole tech stack to use Sauce. It’s designed to play nicely with what you already have. In fact, “Sauce integrates with top POS solutions on the market”, allowing restaurants to feed online orders and data into systems like Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, and more. For example, if you’re running Toast POS in your restaurant, Sauce can directly inject orders into Toast (as we saw above, all Sauce orders show up in Toast POS automatically). The same goes for other major POS platforms – integration is either built-in or achieved through partnerships, so you get a smooth experience.

This flexibility means Sauce likely supports whatever POS you use, or at least the most common ones. Whether your restaurant uses a modern cloud-based POS (Toast, Square, Clover, etc.) or even a legacy system, Sauce’s team will work with you to connect it. The goal is to meet you where you are, so you don’t have to overhaul operations to add Sauce.

This also ensures that your staff doesn’t have to learn a whole new register system – they continue using the familiar POS interface, and Sauce feeds orders right into it.

Beyond POS compatibility, Sauce is flexible in fitting different restaurant models and needs. It works for small independent eateries and for large multi-unit chains alike. (Recall that from small businesses to multi-location chains, integration boosts efficiency and accuracy.) If you’re a single-location restaurant, you’ll appreciate how quick and easy the setup is. If you’re a multi-location operation, Sauce can integrate across all your stores and even help manage menus and orders centrally.

Another aspect of real-world flexibility is delivery fulfillment. Sauce operates a commission-free delivery network which can dispatch couriers on demand, but you can also use your own drivers if you have them. The platform allows real-time flexibility – for instance, you could use in-house drivers for nearby deliveries and Sauce’s network drivers for longer distances or busy times. This hybrid approach means you’re not locked into one method; you can do what makes sense operationally and financially at any given time. The integration with your POS remains seamless regardless of who is delivering, since from the restaurant’s perspective every order comes through the POS and prints in the kitchen normally.

In short, Sauce is designed to slot into your restaurant’s reality, not the other way around. It supports the POS systems you already use and adapts to your workflow – whether that involves multiple locations, varied delivery strategies, or specific menu setups. This flexibility ensures that integrating Sauce is a benefit, not a disruption, to your day-to-day operations.

Step-by-Step: How to Integrate Sauce with Your POS

Integrating your POS system with Sauce is a straightforward process, especially with Sauce’s team guiding you. Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to get up and running:

1. Set Up Your Sauce Account: Start by contacting Sauce or signing up on their website. You’ll typically schedule a quick demo or consultation (a free call) where Sauce learns about your restaurant’s setup. After that, you’ll create your Sauce account. Their onboarding team will help tailor the setup for your restaurant type, whether you run a single location or multiple outlets. (This includes choosing your service options like pickup, delivery, or both, and any specific preferences.)

2. Connect Your POS System: Next, you’ll connect Sauce to your POS. In most cases, this involves providing Sauce with access or an integration key for your POS software. For example, if you use Toast, you’d authorize Sauce as an integration partner so it can send orders to your Toast POS. For other systems, you might input your POS API credentials or work with a Sauce representative to link them up. This step is usually quick – Sauce has pre-built integrations for many POS systems, so it’s often just a matter of enabling it. All the technical heavy lifting is handled by Sauce’s team, so you don’t need to be an IT expert. Once connected, a test order can be sent to verify that orders flow into your POS properly.

3. Sync Your Menu and Settings: With the POS link established, the next step is to ensure your menu and settings on Sauce match your POS. Sauce can often import your existing POS menu to get all your items, prices, and modifiers set up correctly. You’ll review the online menu to make sure everything (like categories and item availability) looks right. This is also when you configure things like prep times, delivery zones (if using delivery), hours of operation for online ordering, and any custom branding for your ordering page. Because Sauce integrates deeply, any menu changes you make should stay in sync – update an item in your POS and Sauce can reflect it online, avoiding double data entry.

4. Launch Your Ordering Channels: Once the system is configured, you’ll activate your direct ordering channels. Sauce provides you with a white-label online ordering site or widget that you can link on your restaurant’s website. They also enable ordering through channels like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Google (e.g. “Order Online” on Google Business profile), and more – depending on what you choose to use. Essentially, you’ll get shareable links or buttons to promote to your customers (e.g. “Order for Delivery” on your site or social media). If you offer delivery through Sauce, this is when you’ll also get set up with their driver dispatch system (again, all behind the scenes – you just see orders come in as soon as they’re placed by customers). Be sure to place these links prominently so customers know they can order directly from you, commission-free.

5. Test and Go Live: Before announcing the new system to everyone, it’s smart to do a couple of test orders. Place an order as if you’re a customer (Sauce may provide a sandbox mode or you can use a real credit card with a low-priced item). Confirm that the order appears instantly on your POS and prints in the kitchen as expected. Check that payments go through to your account. If something isn’t right, Sauce’s support will help troubleshoot. Once tests look good, you’re ready to go live! Start directing customers to your new online ordering link. You can typically turn off or dial back those third-party tablets now, since your Sauce direct ordering will begin to replace them.

   
   

Throughout this process, remember that Sauce offers white-glove support. Their team is available to walk you through each step – from integrating the POS to configuring menus and even training your staff if needed. The goal is to make the integration painless. Many restaurant owners find that with Sauce’s help, they can get the whole system up and running in a short time (often just a day or two, depending on scheduling and complexity).

Once integrated, the difference will be immediate: online orders will seamlessly flow into your POS with no manual intervention, and you’ll wonder how you ever dealt with the old tablet-juggling routine. Now let’s answer some common questions you might have about integrating Sauce with your POS.

Streamline Operations and Reclaim Your Margins

Integrating your POS system with Sauce can transform your restaurant’s off-premise business. No more drowning in tablets, retyping orders, or paying exorbitant third-party fees. Instead, you’ll have a single, efficient system where all your orders converge, and a partner in Sauce that helps you grow direct sales without sacrificing profit or control. The process to get started is easier than you might think, and Sauce’s support team is there to ensure a smooth transition. Many restaurant owners have already made the switch and are enjoying more streamlined operations and healthier margins as a result.

Ready to eliminate the chaos and take back control of your delivery and pickup orders? Visit the Sauce Online Ordering page or book a free demo with Sauce to see how it works for your specific POS and setup. It’s time to ditch the commission fees and clunky workflows – and embrace a smarter, more profitable way to handle online orders.

Get started with Sauce today and let your POS system do the heavy lifting, so you and your staff can focus on what you do best: delivering great food and service.

FAQ: Integrating Sauce with Your POS

How does Sauce integrate with my POS system?

Sauce uses direct integrations and APIs to connect with your POS. Practically speaking, this means when a customer places an order through your Sauce online channels, that order is automatically sent to your POS in real time. There’s no need to copy it over. For example, if you use Toast or Square POS, Sauce hooks into those systems so that orders show up as if you entered them on the POS yourself. This seamless integration eliminates manual entry and errors – your team will see Sauce orders on the POS screen and kitchen printers just like any other order. The integration setup is typically handled by Sauce’s team during onboarding, ensuring everything works correctly with your specific POS model.

 What POS systems are compatible with Sauce?

Sauce is compatible with a wide range of popular restaurant POS systems. It’s designed to work with “top POS solutions on the market”. This includes cloud-based systems like Toast, Square, Clover, Lightspeed, Upserve, and others. Many legacy or enterprise POS systems (like Micros/Oracle or NCR Aloha) can also integrate via partners or custom setups. If you’re unsure whether your POS can connect, the Sauce team can confirm compatibility – but chances are it does. Sauce prioritizes broad compatibility so that most restaurants can implement it without changing their existing POS hardware or software.

How long does it take to set up the integration?

Setting up Sauce with your POS is usually quick. In many cases, restaurants can be up and running in a matter of days (or even sooner) once you decide to move forward. The initial demo and account creation might take a day, and the actual POS integration can often be done in an hour or two of configuration (especially for well-known POS systems with established integrations). After that, you’ll spend some time syncing your menu and doing test orders. If all goes well, you could feasibly integrate and go live within the same day or the next day. Of course, the timeline can vary depending on your availability and any complexity (a multi-location setup with different menus, for instance, might take a bit longer to configure). The key point is that Sauce’s team will guide you through it quickly – this is a white-glove onboarding process. They handle much of the heavy lifting, so the setup time for you is minimal. Many restaurant owners are pleasantly surprised at how painless and fast it is to integrate Sauce.

Will using Sauce help me get rid of multiple tablets?

Yes – one of the major benefits of integrating Sauce is consolidating your order management to a single system. You will no longer need separate tablets for each delivery app because Sauce centralizes your direct online orders through your POS. When a customer orders via Sauce (through your website or social channels), you’ll receive it on your POS instantly, and that’s it. There’s no additional tablet buzzing or extra printer to manage. If you choose to keep some third-party platforms as well, you can continue using them, but many restaurants reduce or eliminate reliance on those once Sauce gains traction. The goal is to ditch the “tablet juggling” and have all orders come through one unified workflow. This not only declutters your counter, but also streamlines training (staff only need to watch one system) and reduces missed orders. In summary, Sauce can replace the need for multiple third-party devices by routing online orders straight to your POS – truly one system to rule them all.

Does Sauce charge any commissions or fees on orders?

 No, Sauce does not charge per-order commissions. This is a key difference from third-party delivery apps. Sauce is a commission-free platform – you keep 100% of the menu price of your orders. Typically, Sauce makes money through a flat subscription fee or a small service fee that’s not tied to order volume (for example, a monthly plan or a nominal fee that might even be passed to the customer as a tiny markup, depending on your arrangement). There are standard payment processing fees (as with any credit card transaction) but no hefty 20-30% cut going to Sauce. The benefit is you’re able to significantly improve your profit margin on delivery and pickup orders compared to using third-party marketplaces. Many restaurants use this savings to offer more competitive pricing on their direct online menu or simply to boost their bottom line. In short: with Sauce, your online orders are your revenue – you’re not paying commissions that drain your profits.