Keeping Up in the Fast Lane: A Tech Stack Guide for QSR Operators

The technology available to consumers and businesses is rapidly advancing, and the two are converging in the QSR (quick-service restaurant) industry, where order-taking AI (artificial intelligence) in the drive-thru and other technologies have radically optimized the experience. Customers have come to expect the kinds of seamless transactions that technology has enabled.

That trend has made tech stack adoption a requirement for QSR operators, who must keep up with their competitors and set themselves up for future success. They can realize the benefit from that in the form of better customer experiences and alleviating the multi-tasking burden in short-staffed restaurants.

Think of choosing a tech stack like selecting the materials used to build a house, such as bricks, nails, wood, and screws. A QSR tech stack consists of the hardware and software that power the business, making it more efficient for customers and employees. With that in mind, operators will want to select partners who have deep experience in a broad range of technologies and can help them navigate an increasingly complicated landscape.

Choosing the Right Partner

Technology has been a hallmark of the QSR industry since 1895, when the world’s first automat opened in Berlin, Germany. Seven years later, the United States opened its first automat in Philadelphia. “Today’s guest ordering journey is rife with complexity – there are often 20 touchpoints and up to 40 different systems in the process,” QU CMO Jen Kern recently explained to QSR Magazine. That complexity means QSR operators need to consider a variety of specific technologies beyond the point-of-sale (POS) system and kitchen display system (KDS) they will use in their chosen tech stack, including:

• Headsets and base stations: These systems can reduce ambient noise, allowing staff to clearly hear and promptly respond to customer orders, which can increase customer satisfaction and drive-thru performance.
• Order Confirmation Boards (OCBs): These digital displays show customers their orders in real-time, helping ensure order accuracy and reducing errors.
• Customer loyalty programs: The chosen one should integrate with an existing POS system and offer customizable options, such as points-based and item-based rewards.

Choosing the right tech stack partner is crucial because they will help a QSR operator navigate the complexities of integrating various hardware and software. Last November, QSR Magazine noted in a report, “38% of operators express dissatisfaction with the way their tech integrates. Differences in data formats and interpretations can result in errors and operational disruptions, limiting a restaurant’s ability to innovate.”

Efficiency is in the AI of the Beholder

AI has become the secret sauce that helps any tech stack improve its efficiency and make transactions easier for employees and customers while offering a return on investment. Examples of the ways QSR operators can use AI and other powerful technologies include:

• Voice Assistants: This virtual team member helps alleviate some of the burden on QSR team members, who are often forced to multitask due to staffing shortages. Best of all, the Voice AI doesn’t get sick, always greets customers right away, and never forgets to suggest upsells.
• Computer Vision: Intelligent cameras that provide real-time data on wait times, vehicle counts, and inventory levels, and can also recognize customer preferences. Additionally, this tech can enhance inventory management by monitoring food preparation and stock levels, ensuring consistency and efficiency in service.
• Predictive and Data Analytics: By accessing historical and current data, AI can forecast demand or offer customized offerings to guests based on factors such as weather, time of day, location, traffic, and voice styles. This data becomes very useful for restaurants and unlocks intelligent upsell opportunities.
• Robotics: Robotic systems are being used today to automate tasks such as cooking, assembling orders, and handling payment transactions, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing wait times.
• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in the back office: AI can automate repetitive tasks such as payroll processing, scheduling, and inventory reconciliation, reducing errors and labor costs.

Those solutions automate operations and can help QSR operators alleviate the ongoing labor shortage, which has resulted in “48% of operators reducing their hours of operation and 32% of them closing on days they normally would have been open,” according to QSR Magazine.

Among restaurant owners and operators who have implemented various types of technology, many correlated their deployments with faster customer service, better loyalty engagement, increased check averages, and decreased labor costs as major contributors to their bottom lines, according to FastCasual.com. In addition, 63% of them said their profitability increased.

Customers have expressed an interest in AI implementations in QSR drive-thrus “to alleviate long waiting times and deteriorating service,” as a report on the website PYMNTS explains. It goes on to note that “70% of consumers expressed interest in applying technological aids in restaurants, such as customized menus [and] AI voice assistants, or into the drive-thru process.

Before QSR Operators Choose a Tech Stack

When selecting a tech stack to implement, decision-makers should take the following into account so they’re set up for success over the long term:

• Audit the current tech infrastructure to ensure that the vendor they choose will work with the tech they use today.
• Try to standardize the menu by homogenizing PLU numbers so every location uses the same PLU for the same item. Also, consideration should be given to how an AI system will be trained with the variables it needs.
• Leverage loyalty data to help personalize customers’ experiences. Ivan Matkovic, CEO and founder of Spendgo, notes: “Our primary focus is creating processes that eliminate friction wherever possible. As an example, our technology integrates with almost any store, and the loyalty programs we power require only a phone number from customers.”
• Bring all internal stakeholders together. Presto COO Kat Hoffman-Flynt pointed out at a QSRevolution panel in September 2024, “I think this is an industrial revolution. This cannot be a project that is siloed within the technology work of your company.”
• Ensure that all locations have robust WiFi to help minimize any glitches in the ordering process.
• Consider vendors’ product road maps and ensure the chosen tech stack will address business needs in the coming years. For example, predictive AI is the next technology on the horizon: it analyzes data from various sources, such as point-of-sale systems and mobile apps, to predict customer behaviors and local trends. This allows QSRs to minimize waste, improve customer satisfaction, and streamline resources.

Deep Restaurant Experience Matters

Not all AI providers have what it takes to be a long-term partner for QSRs. Presto offers enterprise-grade automated solutions that have already been proven across well-known QSR brands. The company also provides a vision for a future-proof automation strategy, extending beyond the drive-thru, as operators need a partner involved in next-generation solutions:

• Presto is the leading QSR Voice AI company, working with seven chains nationally, and is actively defining the drive-thru of the future.
• The company is focused exclusively on QSRs, unlike other providers who try to serve several different industries. No other Voice AI provider knows restaurant chains like Presto does.
• Presto’s understanding of end-to-end automation is unrivaled, including Voice AI for taking orders, robotics to make them, and cameras for accuracy.
• In contrast to other Voice AI providers, Presto utilizes an LLM-based AI solution for order-taking. This approach enables more natural conversations and enhances our ability to handle complex orders with greater accuracy.
• Its industry-first Menu Unification product helps QSRs with complicated menus implement Presto Voice without spending a lot of time and money standardizing their menu first.
• Presto’s team has the talent to handle the important nuances of a QSR’s typical tech stack, including audio quality and integration with various hardware and POS solutions.

Those reasons have enabled Presto to forge strong relationships with both corporate entities and franchisees, offering solutions tailored to a QSR’s tech stack requirements. The company also has many years of experience rolling out technology at scale nationwide, enhancing operational efficiency and the customer experience in the process.