Dive Brief:

• Toast has launched a reservation and waitlist management product, Toast Tables, which integrates with its restaurant platform, the company said Tuesday in an email to Restaurant Dive.
• Features include real-time table updates, automatically synced server rosters and personalized guest profiles, which can integrate with Toast Marketing and Loyalty. 
• The company also said it expanded its collaboration with Google, allowing customers to search for and book a reservation with Toast Tables directly via a restaurant’s Google Business Profile.

Dive Insight:

Toast’s extensive modules and products have helped it grow its relationships with restaurants. Last year, Toast added 23,000 net new locations to its platform, and the percentage of locations with six or more software-as-a-service modules increased by about 10 points, Toast CEO and Director Christoper Comparato said during the company’s February earnings call. On average, restaurants use seven different service models, he said. 

Toast’s latest product expansion pits it against companies like OpenTable, which has been expanding its reach with restaurants through various integrations. Earlier this month, OpenTable and Square partnered to allow restaurants to view additional insights while managing their dining rooms, including floor plans, tables and coursing information. OpenTable is also testing ChatGPT to allow users to receive direct links to book a reservation on OpenTable.

Last year, Toast added invoicing, allowing restaurants to “efficiently manage wholesale and catering orders,” Comparato said. As of February, 5,000 restaurants used this feature and had an average transaction of over $650. Earlier this year, the company bought Delphi Display Systems to provide drive-thru capabilities to its platform, he said. 

More products could also help profitability for the company, which improved to a negative $18 million EBITDA during the fourth quarter. Revenue was up 50% to $759 million during the fourth quarter. 

Toast Tables integrates with other products like Toast Point of Sale and Toast Kitchen Display Systems, requiring less time to update systems, the company said. This integration can allow hosts to see what guests have ordered, when orders have been completed and when guests have paid for their orders. Hosts are able to seat based on built-in cover counts and next up server rotations, the company said. 

“Restaurants can avoid no-shows thanks to estimated wait times, automated notifications, and two-way SMS messaging, which make it easy for guests to stay up-to-date and communicate if their plans change,” the company said. 

The integration with Google will allow guests to reserve a table or add themselves to a waitlist directly from Search and Maps. Guests are also able to view menus and join the establishment’s loyalty program. With access to guest profiles, restaurants also get a heads up on preferences and special occasions, and can reward regulars or VIPs and add to their marketing lists. 

Toast Tables costs $50 per month and offers unlimited waitlist and 25 reservations each month to use as needed, the company wrote in an email to Restaurant Dive. Toast Table Plus, which offers unlimited waitlist and reservations, costs $199 monthly. The company doesn’t charge fees per cover, and restaurants can integrate the product with other Toast services at no additional charge.