Toast Wants to Help Diners ‘Order With Google’
ResTech firm Toast has teamed with Google to streamline online ordering.
The company has integrated Order With Google into its platform, allowing restaurants to unlock a new channel for orders, Toast said in a Tuesday (Feb. 7) news release.
“As restaurants look to optimize their businesses across multiple channels and revenue streams, online ordering has become a critical channel for any restaurant,” said Toast Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer Aman Narang in the release. “… As restaurants continue to grow their takeout and delivery business, this integration will increase Toast customers’ visibility through Google Search and Maps — with ordering made easy for guests.”
According to the release, the collaboration lets Toast restaurants use Google Search and Maps “as an efficient ordering channel and marketing engine.” With Order With Google, customers can search for the food they want, connect with local restaurants, and pay for their orders either ahead of time or at pickup.
The Toast/Google team-up is happening at a time when many restaurants are still using outdated systems, according to PYMNTS research.
The July PYMNTS/Paytronix collaboration, “Restaurant Readiness Index,” showed that this is especially true for independent table service restaurants, only 13% of which said they are powered by digital channels.
Even when factoring in the more digital-ready quick-service and fast-casual restaurants, “behind the scenes” automated innovation still takes a back seat to customer-facing capabilities.
PYMNTS also noted last month that recent efforts by restaurants and tech companies to drive digital adoption with Generation Z appear to have paid off.
Among those efforts is last April’s debut of DoorDash’s DashPass for Students, a half-priced version of its membership program created for college students.
“With the launch of DashPass for Students, we’re excited to change the game for students with a plan that’s designed specifically for them and provides access to everything from late night study snacks and grocery items to school supplies and dorm essentials,” Kofi Amoo-Gottfried, chief marketing officer at DoorDash, said in a statement at the time.
Research from the latest edition of PYMNTS’ ConnectedEconomy
report, “The ConnectedEconomy Monthly Series: Meet the Zillennials,” showed that 69% of the Gen Z population engages with restaurants through digital channels. This share is barely any lower than the most digitally engaged group, millennials, 71% of whom order from restaurants online.