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Toast Product

To empower the restaurant community by creating innovative technology solutions that simplify operations and help restaurants thrive.

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To empower the restaurant community by creating innovative technology solutions that simplify operations and help restaurants thrive.

Strengths

  • PLATFORM: Integrated all-in-one restaurant technology ecosystem
  • MARKET: Strong position in SMB restaurant segment with 93k+ customers
  • REVENUE: Diversified revenue streams across software and financial
  • GROWTH: 26% YoY revenue growth outpacing restaurant tech industry
  • RETENTION: 110%+ net revenue retention showing strong product value

Weaknesses

  • ENTERPRISE: Limited penetration in large restaurant chains segment
  • PROFITABILITY: Ongoing challenges achieving consistent EBITDA goals
  • INTERNATIONAL: Limited global presence compared to competitors
  • TALENT: Difficulty recruiting specialized restaurant tech expertise
  • COMPLEXITY: Product suite becoming unwieldy with feature bloat

Opportunities

  • AI: Implement AI for restaurant demand forecasting and staffing
  • EXPANSION: Penetrate mid-market and enterprise restaurant segments
  • PAYMENTS: Increase payment processing take rate through new services
  • INTERNATIONAL: Expand to new global markets with localized solutions
  • INTEGRATION: Partner with third-party delivery platforms and vendors

Threats

  • COMPETITION: Square, Clover, and new entrants intensifying market
  • MARGINS: Payment processing margin compression from competitors
  • ECONOMY: Restaurant industry vulnerability to economic downturns
  • REGULATIONS: Evolving data privacy and payment processing laws
  • TECHNOLOGY: Legacy restaurants resistant to digital transformation

Key Priorities

  • AI ADOPTION: Accelerate AI integration across product suite
  • ENTERPRISE: Develop tailored solutions for larger restaurant chains
  • PAYMENTS: Optimize financial services offering for increased margins
  • INTEGRATION: Create seamless ecosystem with third-party partnerships
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To empower the restaurant community by creating innovative technology solutions that simplify operations and help restaurants thrive.

AI REVOLUTION

Transform restaurant operations through intelligent tech

  • PLATFORM: Develop unified AI architecture blueprint with implementation roadmap for all products by June 30
  • FORECASTING: Release AI-powered demand prediction Beta to 250 restaurants with 90% accuracy benchmark
  • TALENT: Hire 15 AI specialists across product, engineering, and data science teams by end of quarter
  • ADOPTION: Achieve 20% restaurant adoption of at least one AI-powered feature with 85% satisfaction
ENTERPRISE GROWTH

Capture larger restaurant chains with scalable solutions

  • SALES: Close contracts with 5 restaurant chains having 50+ locations each, totaling $7.5M in new ARR
  • PRODUCT: Launch enterprise-grade multi-location management dashboard with 12 chain-specific features
  • IMPLEMENTATION: Establish dedicated enterprise onboarding team and reduce setup time by 40%
  • RETENTION: Achieve 95%+ renewal rate for existing enterprise customers through enhanced support model
PAYMENT OPTIMIZATION

Maximize financial services profitability and adoption

  • MARGIN: Increase payment processing take rate from 0.56% to 0.62% through premium service offering
  • CAPITAL: Grow Toast Capital loan originations by 35% while maintaining sub-4% default rate
  • ADOPTION: Convert 30% of software-only customers to adopt Toast Payments processing solution
  • ANALYTICS: Launch financial insights dashboard with predictive cash flow for 100% of customers
ECOSYSTEM EXPANSION

Create the definitive restaurant technology platform

  • INTEGRATION: Add 35 new third-party API partners with focus on delivery and inventory management
  • MARKETPLACE: Increase average integrations per customer from 2.3 to 3.0 across all restaurant sizes
  • DEVELOPMENT: Launch developer portal with self-service integration tools and documentation
  • REVENUE: Generate $3.5M in marketplace partner revenue through premium integration offerings
METRICS
  • ARR: $1.075B by end of Q2 2025 (10% QoQ growth)
  • Net Revenue Retention: 115% (from current 112%)
  • Adjusted EBITDA Margin: 12% (from current 9%)
VALUES
  • Customer First: Obsessively prioritize our customers' success
  • Innovation: Create transformative solutions that solve real problems
  • Transparency: Communicate openly and honestly with our team and customers
  • Inclusive: Foster a diverse environment where all perspectives are valued
  • Results-oriented: Deliver measurable impact for restaurants and our business
Toast logo
Align the learnings

Toast Product Retrospective

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To empower the restaurant community by creating innovative technology solutions that simplify operations and help restaurants thrive.

What Went Well

  • GROWTH: Exceeded quarterly revenue targets by 7%, reaching $1.02B ARR
  • RETENTION: Improved net revenue retention to 112%, up from 108% prior yr
  • ACQUISITION: Added 4,800+ net new restaurant locations, above target
  • PRODUCTS: Successfully launched Toast Capital with 24% customer adoption
  • PAYMENTS: Increased payment processing GPV by 31% year-over-year

Not So Well

  • PROFITABILITY: Adjusted EBITDA margin of 9% fell short of 12% target
  • ENTERPRISE: Only converted 3 of 8 targeted large chain opportunities
  • INTERNATIONAL: Canada expansion delayed due to regulatory challenges
  • ENGINEERING: Experienced three significant platform outages this quarter
  • COMPETITION: Lost market share to Square in quick-service segment

Learnings

  • PRODUCT: Need clearer value proposition for enterprise-tier features
  • PRICING: Current structure too complex, causing sales cycle elongation
  • IMPLEMENTATION: Large restaurant onboarding requires dedicated resources
  • MARKETING: Digital acquisition campaigns underperforming in ROI metrics
  • SUPPORT: Customer satisfaction scores declining with scaled growth

Action Items

  • SIMPLIFY: Streamline product packaging into three clear tiers by Q3 2025
  • ENTERPRISE: Create dedicated large restaurant implementation team ASAP
  • TECHNOLOGY: Invest in platform stability and reduced technical debt
  • SUPPORT: Increase customer success staffing by 25% within 60 days
  • EFFICIENCY: Identify cost reduction initiatives to improve EBITDA margin
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To empower the restaurant community by creating innovative technology solutions that simplify operations and help restaurants thrive.

Strengths

  • DATA: Rich restaurant operational data across 93k+ customers
  • ENGINEERING: Strong technical foundation for AI implementation
  • PRODUCTS: Multiple touchpoints for AI integration in existing suite
  • ADOPTION: High digital engagement creating AI training data
  • LEADERSHIP: Executive commitment to AI transformation

Weaknesses

  • EXPERTISE: Limited specialized AI talent within product teams
  • INTEGRATION: Siloed data systems limiting AI capabilities
  • PRIORITIZATION: Unclear AI roadmap across product portfolio
  • LEGACY: Technical debt in older products hindering AI deployment
  • RESOURCES: Budget constraints for comprehensive AI initiatives

Opportunities

  • FORECASTING: AI-powered demand prediction to optimize staffing
  • PERSONALIZATION: Customer insights for tailored guest experiences
  • AUTOMATION: Reduce manual tasks in restaurant back-office
  • PRICING: Dynamic menu pricing based on ingredient costs and demand
  • ANALYTICS: Predictive financial insights for restaurant planning

Threats

  • COMPETITION: Square and Oracle investing heavily in restaurant AI
  • EXPECTATIONS: Restaurant demand for AI features outpacing delivery
  • PRIVACY: Regulatory concerns regarding guest data usage
  • COMPLEXITY: Balancing AI sophistication with user simplicity
  • ADOPTION: Restaurant skepticism about AI value and learning curve

Key Priorities

  • PLATFORM: Develop unified AI architecture across product portfolio
  • TALENT: Acquire specialized AI expertise through hiring initiatives
  • FORECASTING: Prioritize AI-powered demand and inventory prediction
  • EXPERIENCE: Create AI assistants for restaurant managers and staff