Aloha Everybody
Pros
Ease of use and the ability for our management teams to continue to program easily with out support.
Cons
The software and hardware were outdated in 7 years and cost a good amount of money. It’s understandable that technology advances exponentially however It becomes an annoyance to spend so much money for a limited time frame. NCR should have a trade program to help with the transition.
Aloha to Aloha
Aloha was a leader in the industry, but I don't feel they have kept up with the other, newer and more streamlined systems. I've often felt as though they keep trying to put makeup on the old version and not bring anything new. But the cost associated with this system is astronomical.
Pros
I really like the setup and the presentation of the software. The older versions were always clean and I like that they kept this through the years. The software works well and is user-friendly. The layout is nice and easy to read and find what you are looking for. I mostly liked the ability to pull up the reporting on my phone via the app. It was amazing!
Cons
This program continues to grow and expand but I don't feel it is doing so in a good way. While they focus on what they have always done, other systems provide more and seem to do so in a more streamlined manner. The support is lacking and hard to get through to the right person to help. They use so many people or satellite companies that have limited resources. I used one that said they were large and could handle all we were rolling out, but they could not. They were never there when we needed them.
Easy Choice
I've had great experiences with Aloha over the years. Customer support knows when to escalate issues and generally the response times are quick. The software is easy to learn for FOH and back office manager functions are intuitive.
Pros
Aloha has the capability to handle any concept protype in development then seamlessly transition into multi-units. Reporting structure is best in class with unit level metrics remaining a priority.
Cons
NCR Aloha is one of the pricier options which should really only be utilized with multi units. It's too robust and complicated for the average mom and pop place.
Great back office product
Absolutely great across the board
Pros
All aspects of back office management is well integrated into one platform.
Cons
Sometimes has long lags in between screens.
Upgrade is a disaster
Poor communication from support. Doesn’t seem like anyone cares. They fix one problem and create another. I’ve had Aloha for 18 years and after this Windows 10 upgrade I will be looking for a new POS system when the next upgrade is required
Pros
Easy to use when it is working. User friendly.
Cons
New upgrade has a lot of issues and it doesn’t seem like anyone has the knowledge to fix them. Spend way to much time dealing with these issues. They fix one problem and create another.
NCR Aloha
Our overall experience with NCR has been great. The product, while it may be on the higher side of pricing, is well worth what you pay for. You just have to utilize it properly.
Pros
We started out with multiple POS systems across our properties, NCR was the easiest to use and most user friendly for FOH and BOH staff. It is easy to train on and easy to deploy once you have multiple locations. We have tried many other POS providers out there and NCR has always been responsive and quick to solve any issues or answer any questions that may come up.
Cons
Built in reporting lacks compared to other providers, their online reporting tool is good but still has a ways to go when compared to Avero. The initial roll-out of connected payments was needed by us and I wish we would have not went with the Verifone pin pad product they offered at the time. They quite often break down and are buggy.
Ease of use Software
Been using Aloha POS software at three of our restaurants. Easy to train staff. Only negative is that NCR is too big of company to respond to customers needs on a timely basis.
Pros
Quick to learn. Great for multi units operations. No monthly fees, can purchase Aloha outright. Provides necessary reports to efficiently run and operate your business. Durability.
Cons
NCR support response time to issues . Monthly Fees for optional products e-cards, loyalty. Unable to purchase swipe e-cards from other sources.
Very easy to use and to teach
Pros
Very user friendly, easy to teach to new employees. Easy to process payments and close out checks. Easiest use for bartenders I've seen.
Cons
Different functions available at different places I've worked at. If there is ever a power outage there is no built in backup battery or access to the open checks.
Costly, but great operating, staff enjoyed, easy system
Pros
Ease of use, staff friendly, back office ok, once set up. Reporting is easy & efficient. Cloud based a big plus
Cons
Set up is brutal, cost is high, customer service was non existent. System did crash more than once. Wasn't easy to integrate payroll or sales history
Aloha was our old POS system that was fine for a smaller business but not for a company of our size
For a smaller company (100ppl) this wasn't a bad POS system. For larger companies I'd suggest a different POS system.
Pros
Once you understood the setup and features it was easy to use and train staff on. It was also nice you could create multiple gift cards at once.
Cons
It was clunky and hard to integrate with our business that was expanding. When we incorporated more online orders/catering software this program wasn't keeping up to our standards.
Good customer service, quick reslove.
Pros
Easy to use at POS. Easy to train someone on. Easy to program new products, prices or menu's on. Quick speed.
Cons
When downloaded new version, lost most of old stuff. Sometime when calling for support we get someone that really doesn't seem to know what their doing.
User Friendly
Pros
User friendly at the restaurant level. At the programming level, Aloha has added new options with each upgrade that make programming easy.
Cons
Some functions do not work even with the support companies assistance such as Movies at clock in. I understand there are companies that have been able to make the movies work, but those are larger companies with an IT department.
With the 12.3 release I am unable to drop in data bases to the file server. This function was removed when they moved to a sequel server setup. This has greatly complicated the programming function at multiple locations without paying more money for another service.
Software streamlines HR documents but is still glitchy.
Pros
Organization of files, user-friendly interface, can organize both HR files along with other paperwork
Cons
Glitchy, occasionally not enough communication within customer service dept. (Ex: we were told one thing by one representative and something else from another)
Aloha pos review
Pros
Flexibility to cover a wide range of programming needs. Like take out delivery, inventory, age verification, scheduling needs, Etc.
Cons
Takes a while do get upgrades and new versions stable enough for local dealer to implement at store level
Aloha Review
Not worth time and money spent.
Pros
User friendly, FOH clean and simple. Menu's look clean. Navigating through screens as a manager is simple.
Cons
BOY very complicated to navigate through. Adding items to multiple screens takes a very long time.
Aloha POS Review
Pros
Legacy product but overly complicated with network configurations. You really get the feel that the vendor wants to make their service contract a life or death decision by making it as complicated as possible. In a plug and play and cloud based era, this is very unattractive.
Cons
When you do buy the software and service contract, they are responsive to fixing things as needed.
Aloha review
Aloha is highly functional and easy to learn POS system. It is in my opinion after working with others the best on the market. It sometimes has issues but most people in the customer service department fix them promptly. I wish many of the cool features were not all additional costs. It seems most things we want to do sometimes mean we pay extra. Even simply labor tracking.
Aloha POS
We have been with Aloha for a number of years, they are not a bad system and it works functionally and can handle a high traffic volume that our restaurant has however there are some down sides. Please keep in mind when reading this review we are not using the most updated version of Aloha.
Pros
Traffic is kept up with and all necessary functionality is there.
Cons
Customer service. Every time we have an issue that we have to deal with it takes a long time to deal with and the responsiveness of the service department leaves much to be desired.
Rating only
It always comes down to service
I withheld final payment for the system until all the kinks were worked out and toward the end, I was told I was being given a discount of 10%. I still paid the full contracted amount that was agreed upon before the system was installed, but was confused how the discount was applied since the payment was the same. After many discussions, I finally understood: I was given a pre-purchase discount that sales personnel are allowed to give at their discretion. Someone in billing told me that "I was chosen" for the discount and it did not have to be given and she hoped that would show me their level of commitment. I told her, though the discount was appreciated when it was given months before, the initial discount had nothing to do with the service issues that occurred at installation, hence, that discount could not be applied to the problem. I told her that as a restaurant owner, I could not give someone a gift card as a gesture of generosity, and then, if when using it they had a bad experience, tell them, "at least you didn't pay full price"!
Pros
It works! It accomplishes what we need for the most part and the issues that arise from time to time are generally dealt with easily.
Cons
Service. Setting up the system was a horrible experience. There were no less than 3 trained technicians working on the install, yet it took 4 painful weeks to finally get it working the way it should.
Because it is a computer, I find it hard to believe that we are told sometimes that it cannot do that.
Just ok.
The system could have changed since I used it but I didn’t exactly love it where I am primary English.
Pros
It had a lot of different features. Many options for different reports(ie tax and sales) and customer information.
Cons
Once I learned the system it was easy but there was so many steps to get from point A to point B sometimes. Also I used this software at an old workplace and it was all in French. Although it had an English option not everything translated and some of the things that did simply didn’t make sense.
Aloha is Modern Looking
Too Slow, Bad Customer Service, and Not User Friendly at All.
Pros
Seems newer in style, table layouts are nice, and Equipment is newer/modern.
Cons
Customer service is horrible, when using in Casinos Comp using is too complicated and time-consuming, and this P.O.S. is not good to use in high volume businesses.
Horrible System and even Worse Customer Service!
Cons
I wish I could give them a "0," because this is the absolute worst company I have ever done business with... They do not return phone calls or emails, routinely overcharge my account, deduct money without warning for chargebacks that I have no knowledge of or have received no paperwork regarding. I never know who to call for what because the company is so large and they source everything to different departments. I cannot express enough how much displeasure, frustration, and anger doing business with this company has caused me. I have reached my limit and will be switching our POS system as well as processing away from Aloha and NCR. DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID.... AVOID THIS COMPANY!
Not bad, could be better
It's not bad, but make sure that you have clear plans for implementation if you are a start up.
Pros
Easy to use, most of our employees used it before, we didn't have spend time on training them, it can be customized to meet your needs
Cons
With all the customizing it's easy to make mistakes. One field can interfere with the other. It's a nightmare to get it integrated with our payroll.
Worth the expense
Pros
Data tracking, ease of use, quick system updates
Cons
None other than it needs a big computer system to run on
We have partnered with NCR and have had a great experience from install to support.