How to right-size your tech stack
Don’t be distracted by bells and whistles: technology experts discuss the basics of figuring out what your business needs — and what it doesn’t
“Every restaurateur needs to have a POS system that’s right for their business with real-time reporting that lets you make decisions on the fly,” Savory Restaurant Fund’s Smith said. “Things move so quickly in this industry that you need to give the power to your people on the front lines. POS systems are clunky so get one that’s right for you.” But whatever you do, make sure you don’t have more than one POS system—even if it’s hard to choose— because it’s so difficult to get them to work together. “BurgerFi was family-run company with four POS systems floating around which was a logistical nightmare,” Goodhew, the brand’s CTO said. “The first focus was to consolidate around a single POS for one brand and single online system.”
Joanna Fantozzi Senior Editor
One of the biggest questions restaurant operators have but not enough are actually talking about, is “how do I build my tech stack?” With more and more technology vendors popping up, receiving funding, and reaching unicorn status weekly, the topic of building out your tech stack has become complex even for veteran operators. During the third installment of the CREATE Emerging Restaurateur Live Learning webinar series hosted by Nation’s Restaurant News’ editor-in-chief Sam Oches and Savory Restaurant Fund’s managing director Andrew K. Smith — Otto Othman, CEO of Pincho; Leigh Gower, CTO of Dutch Bros Coffee; Dan Simpson of Taziki’s Mediterranean Café; and Karl Goodhew, CTO of BurgerFi — sat down to discuss the challenges and trends in the world of restaurant tech vendors lately. Here are some of the crucial takeaways from the session: Choose one POS system (and make sure it’s a good one)
It’s (usually) better to prioritize unsexy tech
While it may be more fun to talk about robots, the metaverse and AI in the drive-thru, oftentimes the most crucial technology you
can invest in is the less-splashy tech like credit card security, human resources systems (like training and onboarding), and data management. “There are a lot of shiny objects, and they can be very alluring,” Taziki’s Simpson said. “But a lot of times, the simple solution really meets the needs of your business. Don’t’ feel like you’re failing because you don’t have the biggest tech. A basic set of tech can carry you for a long way—don’t get sucked into all of the bells and whistles.”
One of the crucial lessons to learn from building a tech stack is to not take on more than you can chew. Pick a POS system that’s right for you: It will be different based on your size, category and needs):
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