For Start Ups

At Tech Stack Advisors, we specialize in restaurant technology. Although we know a thing or two about other aspects of restaurants, we partner with outside consulting firms for projects that are outside of our scope. We work with some big names and some independent consultants as well. We will recommend the best fit for your operation depending on your needs and budget.

When opening a restaurant there are some technologies and services you must consider:

  • Point of Sale
  • Merchant Services (credit card processing)
  • Accounting
  • Hiring/HR Functions
  • Payroll
  • Scheduling/Labor Management
  • Gift Cards
  • Guest Management/Reservations
  • Customer Loyalty
  • Online Ordering
  • Takeout/Delivery
  • Mobility/Customer Apps
  • Inventory/COG Management
  • Overhead Management
  • Social Media/Marketing/PR
  • Kiosks

We work with several best of breed POS vendors, merchant services providers, accounting firms and companies that represent all of the categories listed above. Hiring us to find the right combination of vendors and services for your unique operation will save you time and money. We will help you understand the big picture and suggest products that not only meet your needs but also integrate well with one another to ensure a smooth and seamless operation. We will help you negotiate the best deals, and ultimately, we will make sure you are set up for success.

If you choose not to engage with us, feel free to use the list above to initiate your own meetings. We recommend you tackle this list in order, and feel free to call us anytime if you get overwhelmed by the process.

In the meantime, consider these questions:

  • What are the differences between Cloud POS, Legacy POS and Hybrid POS?
  • Which one is best for me? Do I want my guests to place orders and/or pay at the table? Is KDS good for my operation?
  • Do I want to purchase a system outright or make monthly payments forever (SaaS, POSaaS, PaaS)?
  • Should I sign a long-term contract for any of my services? What are the termination fees if I decide I don’t like what I’ve received? What is my recourse?
  • Is it smart to “bundle” the monthly fees for my POS and the monthly fees for my Merchant Services?
  • How will I place my supply orders and calculate COGS? Do I need a full-blown Inventory package including recipe costing?
  • What system should I use for accounting and payroll?
  • How will I manage labor? How will I attract candidates, track applications, and onboard my team? How will I generate staff schedules in a way that will help me retain my employees while still making budget?  

When choosing add-on technologies from the list above, be sure to understand whether they integrate with the POS and other solutions you plan to use. Understand that the restaurant industry is pretty fragmented when it comes to software solutions. It can be pretty complicated to piece together an ideal solution, so our best advice is to look at the ecosystem as a whole before deciding anything. Begin with the end in mind.

Be sure you have the resources to administer the products you select. For example, inventory management setup, especially recipe building, takes a lot of time. If you don’t have a dedicated administrator you likely won’t use the product, and what you purchase will end up being what I refer to as “shelf ware.”

We are here to help. Sometimes we help with parts of projects, and sometimes we manage the whole thing. Call us for a complimentary project assessment. We can discuss your needs and concerns and determine if we can be of service to you. We will follow up with a proposal tailored to your restaurant and budget.