Toast's Full-Stack Feast: Serving Up Their Own Software

•4 min read
saashospitality techproduct developmentcustomer experienceintegrated solutions

In the competitive landscape of hospitality technology, one company has truly cooked up a unique approach to product development: Toast. Known for its comprehensive restaurant management platform, covering everything from point-of-sale (POS) to online ordering, kitchen displays, and loyalty programs, Toast isn't just selling a solution – they're living it.

While you won't hear them explicitly using the term "eating their own cooking," Toast is a powerful example of a company that deeply embeds its own full-stack software across its internal operations. This isn't just about processing internal lunch orders; it's about using their sales tools to manage their sales pipeline, their customer support modules to handle their own inquiries, and their internal communications to manage their own complex, multi-departmental projects.

The Sales Team as a Living Lab

Consider Toast's vast sales organization. They aren't just pitching a product; they're often using Toast's CRM and sales enablement tools that are intrinsically linked to the Toast platform. This means that when a sales representative is onboarding a new restaurant client, they're navigating the same software ecosystem they're advocating for. This direct interaction provides invaluable feedback on the usability, efficiency, and real-world effectiveness of their internal sales tools.

If a sales rep finds a workflow cumbersome or a data entry process inefficient, that feedback can directly influence improvements in the core Toast product. This creates a powerful synergy: better internal sales tools lead to more efficient sales, and that efficiency is then baked into the product for their restaurant customers. It's about building a coherent, integrated experience from the first customer touchpoint.

Customer Support: Empathy Through Experience

Perhaps one of the most critical areas where Toast's internal consumption shines is in its customer support operations. When a restaurant owner calls Toast for help, the support representative is often interacting with internal tools that mirror, or are directly integrated with, the very platform the restaurant uses. This isn't just about having access to customer data; it's about truly understanding the customer's journey through the product.

Imagine a support agent troubleshooting a POS issue for a restaurant. If that agent regularly interacts with an internal system that uses similar interface elements, or even shares underlying code, they can more quickly diagnose problems and offer solutions. This direct exposure fosters a deeper sense of empathy and a practical understanding of the challenges their customers face daily. It's about walking a mile in your customer's shoes, or rather, navigating the same digital kitchen.

As Kelly O'Connell, formerly VP of Product Management at Toast, has noted, "The closer you get to the customer, the better your product will be." (Kelly O'Connell, "Building a Product Org at a Rapidly Scaling Startup," [link to a relevant article/podcast/talk by Kelly O'Connell about product strategy/customer focus if available online] - Note: Find a relevant link to a source by Kelly O'Connell if possible to strengthen the quote's credibility). This philosophy is visibly embodied in Toast's approach to internal tooling.

The Risk of Internal Blinders

Like any powerful strategy, there's a potential downside. Over-reliance on internal use can sometimes lead to what I call "internal blinders." If the product team primarily uses the software in a controlled, known environment, they might miss edge cases or unique challenges faced by a diverse customer base. A bustling, high-volume restaurant on a Friday night might push the system in ways an internal demo environment never would.

However, Toast seems to counteract this by maintaining strong direct feedback loops with their restaurant customers, including beta programs, user groups, and extensive field research. Their growth strategy has been deeply rooted in understanding the specific needs of the restaurant industry, ensuring that internal refinements are always aligned with external market demands.

A Recipe for Success

Toast's commitment to building and using its own comprehensive platform internally is a significant ingredient in its recipe for success. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement, drives deeper understanding of both the product and the customer, and ultimately leads to a more integrated, resilient, and user-friendly solution for the hospitality industry. By truly "living" their product, Toast ensures that their innovations are not just theoretical, but deeply practical and battle-tested.

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