Introducing Kalico: Revolutionizing Restaurant POS Systems

Hello everyone,

Today I am thrilled to announce Kalico, a company dedicated to empowering restaurants through innovative point-of-sale solutions.

The Goal

The driving force behind Kalico is our first-hand experience with the frustrating ecosystem that is the current status quo in the restaurant industry. When researching restaurant POS systems it is shockingly hard to find anyone giving their current system whole-hearted praise. Even when you find a rave review it often follows the form “I love X, it sucks way less than Y did.” At Kalico we want to create point-of-sale experiences that enhance your capabilities and stay out of your way. Let’s be the best thing you can imagine, not just the best thing you have tried so far.

Our Story

My parents are life-long restaurateurs and I have grown up in various family restaurants. A lot has changed in the industry over the years. When people first started taking payments on iPad’s it seemed insane, and this is back when we were taking Yelp seriously! The pandemic has permanently changed the full-service landscape and catapulted an array of limited-service models onto the scene. Yet, despite all the other changes, I have seen almost no progress in the world of point-of-sale software juxtaposed with constant user frustration. For decades payment processing, the crux of any POS system, was the hardest part to develop. Therefore companies could bundle expensive hardware, long-term contracts, and confusing transaction fees in with a clunky interface, simply because they could process payments and your business needs that to survive. In the last decade however, the playing field has leveled, with payment processing becoming a less intimidating obstacle, even for small teams.

It’s time for someone to focus on all the features that you actually notice. A modern interface, an easy way to split checks, a snappy dashboard, tickets that actually print when you want them to. That is the mission behind Kalico.

What Sets Kalico Apart

At Kalico, we stand out for several key reasons:

• Industry Expertise: Restaurants are a really unique type of business and they need a POS system that caters to their unique needs and challenges. Unfortunately, a lot of existing systems feel like a thinly veiled version of their retail oriented parents. As a result, it can feel like we those companies don’t understand the problems they are trying to solve. We are building and iterating on Kalico in the very restaurants we work in, not from a Silicon Valley office.
• Customer Driven: Other POS companies charge an arm and a leg but take years to add basic features. We are built on our experience but molded by customer stories and feedback. Our roadmap is an open forum for you to voice your opinions on features and help use prioritize genuinely useful features.
• Affordable: Tired of being pitched POS systems that cost a good chunk of your rent? We are! That’s why Kalico is priced to make money when you make money, not to become your most overpayed employee. Furthermore, we are transparent with our pricing, no “contact for a quote” smoke and mirrors. And, our bring-your-own-hardware (an iPad or Android tablet) approach lets you get setup quick without being locked in by expensive vendor specific hardware. If you are coming from another tablet based POS, you can get started for as little as the cost of a compatible card reader (est. ~$59).
• Beautifully Intuitive: Let’s face it, you spend way more time looking at your POS than you probably want to. So how about we make look nice and not like your aunt’s cluttered desktop? Don’t worry, all the actions you might need are still right at your fingertips. Hopefully this will stop the new server from having a panic attack the first time they split a check.
• Reliability: We know how critical it is for a POS system to be reliable. Our infrastructure is built to scale globally and to any level of demand. Our cloud bill might go up, but your system won’t go down. In a worst-case scenerio (or just a normal day for a foodtruck) you can keep business going in offline mode.

Looking Ahead

We are still working on the first version of Kalico. This will include all the core features you need to run a full-service establishment. This core loop is what your day-to-day is built on, so we are committed to getting it right. We look forward to sharing more information as we get closer to a 1.0 launch. After that we will begin building out the auxiliary modules like online ordering and reservations. For more information and to give input, please head to our public roadmap.

We invite you to join us on this exciting journey as we reimagine point-of-sale systems for the restaurant industry. Together, we will create experiences that leave a lasting impression on your guests and set your establishment apart.

See you soon,

The Kalico Team