Building a Modern Restaurant Tech Stack: 5 Essential Systems You Need

In today’s competitive restaurant industry, technology is the backbone of efficient operations. A restaurant tech stack refers to the collection of software and hardware solutions that power your business – from the point-of-sale to the kitchen screens. In 2025 and beyond, having the right tech stack isn’t optional; it’s critical for staying competitive .

In fact, 95% of restaurateurs agree that technology boosts their business efficiency, and 73% of restaurant operators invested in new tech in 2024 alone. Diners, especially younger ones, now expect digital convenience at every turn. Nearly 85% of Gen Z and 82% of millennials prefer contactless, mobile ordering and payments. Clearly, a modern restaurant needs a modern tech stack to meet these expectations and streamline operations.

In this guide, we’ll break down five essential systems that make up a modern restaurant tech stack. For each system, we’ll explain what it is, why it’s important, and how it works together with your other tools. We’ll also highlight how Sauce – a leading restaurant technology platform – offers or integrates with each solution to help you build a cohesive, powerful stack.

1. POS System – The Heart of Your Restaurant Tech Stack

Your Point-of-Sale (POS) system is the central hub of your restaurant’s operations. It’s where you process orders and payments, but modern POS systems do far more than just ring up sales. Today’s best POS platforms manage menus, track sales and inventory, and even connect with delivery and kitchen operations. In other words, the POS serves as the command center for your restaurant’s data. A good POS provides real-time insights into what’s selling, helps reduce errors with automatic order tracking, and saves time by consolidating information in one place.

Why it’s important: The POS system is often considered the “brain” of the restaurant tech stack. Without a reliable, integrated POS, you’d be stuck manually reconciling tickets, sales, and inventory – a recipe for mistakes and wasted time. A modern, cloud-based POS also opens the door to integration with your other systems. In fact, what sets modern POS systems apart is their ability to connect inventory, labor, sales, and guest data across the business. This connectivity makes the POS indispensable for profitability and smooth operations. If you’re one of the restaurants still relying on outdated or standalone cash registers, upgrading to a connected POS is a game-changer. It ensures that when an order is placed (whether in-house or online), every department from the kitchen to accounting stays in sync.

How Sauce fits in: Sauce isn’t a POS system itself – instead, it integrates with your POS to create a unified workflow. For example, many popular POS solutions like Toast or Square can be integrated with Sauce’s online ordering platform to create a full end-to-end ordering flow. That means when a customer places an order through your Sauce-powered online system, the order can automatically sync to your POS, appear on your kitchen display, adjust your inventory, and process payment – all without manual entry. By connecting Sauce with your POS, you eliminate the need to juggle multiple tablets or re-enter orders. The result is fewer errors and faster service. Sauce’s platform is designed to play nicely with POS integrations (often via open APIs or middleware), so your tech stack functions as one cohesive unit. In short, your POS remains the heart of operations, and Sauce pumps in online orders directly into that heart – keeping every system updated in real time.

2. Online Ordering Platform – Reaching Customers Beyond Your Walls

In the age of delivery and takeout, an online ordering platform is absolutely essential. This system allows customers to place orders via your website or mobile app for pickup or delivery. An online ordering platform handles the digital menu display, order processing, and often customer payments for remote orders. It essentially extends your restaurant’s reach beyond the physical dining room and into your customers’ smartphones and computers.

Why it’s important: Online ordering has become a major revenue stream for restaurants. By 2025, virtually every restaurant has some digital ordering channel – in fact, 99% of restaurants now offer at least one digital ordering platform to their customers. If you rely solely on phone orders or walk-ins, you’re missing out on a huge segment of customers who prefer the convenience of ordering online. Moreover, first-party online ordering (orders through your own website/app) has surged in popularity as restaurants seek to regain control from third-party delivery apps. Direct online ordering channels let you avoid the hefty commissions (often up to 30%) that third-party apps charge, while also giving you ownership of the customer relationship and data. With a branded online ordering system, you can provide a seamless experience – customers see your menu, your branding, and any loyalty offers you provide, without the distractions (and fees) of aggregator platforms. As evidence of the shift, a recent report noted that 40% of limited-service restaurant brands believe first-party digital ordering will drive the most revenue growth in the current year. Consumers are also increasingly opting for direct ordering to get better deals and loyalty rewards. In short, an online ordering platform is critical not only for capturing digital sales, but for doing so on your own terms and margins.

How Sauce fits in: Sauce is a leader in first-party online ordering platforms for restaurants. With Sauce, you can quickly set up a branded online ordering system that sits on your own website (or a Sauce-provided webpage) and start taking orders without paying commissions. Unlike marketplace apps, Sauce doesn’t take a cut of your order revenue – you keep every dollar minus standard payment processing fees. This commission-free model immediately protects your margins. Sauce also excels at delivering a smooth customer experience: your online menu is SEO-optimized and easy to update, and the design reflects your restaurant’s branding (logo, colors, voice) so that the customer feels like they’re interacting directly with your business. Importantly, Sauce’s online ordering integrates with your other systems. It offers built-in POS integration and kitchen integration, meaning orders flow straight to the kitchen or POS as mentioned earlier. Additionally, Sauce provides tools to help you grow online sales – such as an AI-driven marketing suite and retention features – which we’ll touch on in the next section. By choosing Sauce as your online ordering platform, you’re not just adopting a piece of software; you’re gaining a partner that focuses on commission-free orders, data insights, and scalability for your restaurant’s growth.

3. CRM & Customer Data Tool – Knowing Your Guests and Driving Loyalty

Capturing and leveraging customer data is the secret sauce behind repeat business. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) & customer data tool in the restaurant context usually refers to software that stores guest information (like names, contact info, order history, birthdays, preferences) and helps you engage those guests with marketing or loyalty programs. It might be a dedicated CRM platform, or it could be features built into your POS or online ordering system (for example, an email marketing feature or loyalty points system).

Why it’s important: Repeat customers are often the lifeblood of a restaurant. Regulars spend more and return more frequently than one-time visitors. But to cultivate regulars, you need to understand and engage your customer base. This is where a CRM and customer data tool is invaluable. It allows you to track customer behavior – such as what dishes they like, how often they order, and how much they spend – and then use that data to personalize your marketing. Personalized outreach (like a targeted email or a special offer on a customer’s favorite dish) can significantly boost repeat orders. Industry data backs this up: about 76% of restaurants use real-time sales and guest data to personalize loyalty incentives and boost repeat visits. If you’ve ever sent or received a “10% off your next order” email or a birthday freebie coupon, that’s a CRM at work. These tools help increase customer lifetime value by keeping guests engaged and satisfied. In 2025, AI-powered marketing is also becoming more common – using algorithms to analyze customer data and send the right message at the right time. The bottom line is that a CRM system turns raw data (every transaction and interaction) into actionable insights to drive loyalty. Without it, you’re flying blind on customer retention and likely leaving money on the table.

How Sauce fits in: Sauce is built with customer retention in mind. The platform includes integrated CRM and marketing features that help turn first-time customers into loyal regulars. For example, Sauce automatically collects customer data from every online order – allowing you to see who your customers are and how they behave. But it doesn’t stop at data collection: Sauce uses that data for AI-driven retention marketing. This means Sauce’s system can automatically send out personalized email campaigns to your customers, with zero effort from you, to entice them back. (Think along the lines of “We miss you – here’s 15% off your next order of your favorite pizza,” sent to a customer who hasn’t ordered in a few weeks.) According to Sauce, restaurants using its AI-powered marketing have seen significant lifts in repeat orders and revenue. One case study showed a 64% increase in online sales in 8 months thanks to automated retention campaigns. Sauce’s approach is essentially a built-in restaurant CRM that works on autopilot: it leverages detailed customer behavior insights to craft tailored promotions and emails for each guest. Moreover, Sauce recently partnered with loyalty program provider Como to integrate robust loyalty features into the Sauce platform. This partnership means you can run a professional loyalty program (points, rewards, etc.) seamlessly alongside your online ordering. In summary, Sauce offers the tools to capture, understand, and act on customer data. It helps you answer questions like “Who are my top customers?” and “How do I get occasional customers to order one more time this month?” – then it provides the marketing engine to execute on those insights. By including Sauce in your tech stack, you’re equipping your restaurant with an automated CRM + loyalty assistant that keeps your customers coming back with minimal manual work.

4. Kitchen Display System (KDS) – Streamlining the Back of House

A Kitchen Display System (KDS) is a digital screen (or set of screens) that displays orders to your kitchen staff, replacing the traditional paper ticket or verbal order system. Typically, the KDS is connected to your POS or ordering platform, so when an order is entered (from the front register, a kiosk, or an online order), it instantly pops up on the kitchen’s screen with all the details. Cooks can then mark items as prepared or completed on the screen (often by tapping it or using a bump bar), and the system tracks order times and status.

Why it’s important: In a modern restaurant, speed and accuracy in the kitchen are paramount – especially as online orders pour in alongside dine-in orders. A KDS dramatically improves communication and efficiency in the kitchen. There’s no need for staff to run paper tickets back to the line, and no risk of losing or misreading those tickets. Orders appear instantly in the kitchen once they’re placed, and digital tickets can’t get dropped in the sauce or blown off a printer – nothing gets lost. This speeds up the food prep process since the kitchen can start on an order immediately after it’s placed, even if it was ordered from a customer’s phone in the parking lot. Mistakes are also reduced: a good KDS displays each order clearly with modifiers (e.g. “no onions, extra cheese”), and if front-of-house staff make a change in the POS (like the customer added a side last minute), that update reflects on the KDS in real time. This real-time synchronization prevents situations where the kitchen cooks the wrong thing because they didn’t get the memo. Overall, a KDS keeps the whole team on the same page. It can color-code tickets by order type (dine-in vs. takeout), show timers so you can track how long orders have been waiting, and sometimes even send status updates to customers (“your order is ready for pickup”). By replacing printed or handwritten tickets with digital screens, restaurants have found they can fulfill orders faster and with greater accuracy– which means happier customers and less waste from mistakes.

How Sauce fits in: Sauce’s role with KDS is all about integration. If you have a KDS as part of your kitchen setup (for example, as part of your POS system or a third-party KDS solution), Sauce ensures that online orders flow directly to it just like in-house orders. As mentioned earlier, Sauce integrates with popular POS systems, and most modern POS systems have built-in KDS functionality or connect with KDS screens. So when Sauce sends an order to your POS, your kitchen screens will immediately receive that order without anyone needing to re-enter it. Essentially, Sauce acts as the bridge between the customer ordering online and the kitchen making the food. The moment an online order is placed through your Sauce platform, it’s as if the cashier in the restaurant tapped it into the POS – your kitchen sees it and can start cooking right away. This is crucial for maintaining speed and accuracy during rush times when you might be getting orders from multiple channels. Sauce doesn’t manufacture its own KDS hardware, but it plays nicely with any KDS setup you have by feeding it the order data it needs. Whether you’re using a proprietary KDS from Toast, Lightspeed, Square, or a standalone system, the key is that your online ordering and POS are talking to each other. Sauce makes sure they do. By integrating Sauce, you effectively extend your KDS to handle online orders with no extra steps for staff. This reduces ticket times and ensures that no online order falls through the cracks. If your restaurant doesn’t yet use a KDS, implementing one alongside Sauce can greatly streamline operations – especially as digital orders make up a growing share of your business. It’s all about faster tickets, fewer mistakes, and a smoother workflow from click to kitchen.

Pro Tip: When evaluating a KDS or POS system, ensure it can integrate easily with online ordering. As one guide notes, a quality KDS should seamlessly receive orders from POS and online channels. Sauce’s integrations are designed to facilitate exactly that kind of seamless connection.

5. Payment Processing System – Secure, Fast, and Flexible Payments

Handling customer payments is a fundamental part of your operations, and the payment processing system is the technology that makes it happen. This includes the software and hardware that accept payments (credit card readers, mobile payment apps, online payment gateways, etc.), as well as the backend services that securely transmit transaction data and deposit funds into your account. In many cases, the payment processing system is a component of your POS (for in-person payments) or your online ordering platform (for digital payments). However, it’s worth considering it as its own “system” in the tech stack because choosing the right payment processor and ensuring integration across channels is crucial.

Why it’s important: Simply put, if you can’t process payments smoothly and securely, you can’t get paid – and that will sink any restaurant. But beyond the basics of taking credit cards, modern payment systems offer speed, security, and flexibility that improve the customer experience and your bottom line. For example, contactless and mobile payment options (think Apple Pay, Google Pay, or tap-to-pay cards) have become extremely popular, especially after the pandemic. Customers appreciate the speed and safety of contactless payments, and they now expect restaurants to offer them. Your payment system needs to accommodate these preferences. Moreover, using an integrated payment processing system means your sales and financial data stay consistent. If your in-store and online payments flow through one unified system (or at least systems that talk to each other), it’s easier to track revenue and reconcile accounts. Security is another big factor – secure payment gateways with encryption and PCI compliance protect your customers’ data and your business. A breach or a major payment error can destroy customer trust. Finally, cost is a consideration: different processors and platforms have different fee structures. Some third-party online ordering platforms, for instance, charge high commission fees on transactions (in addition to payment processing fees), which eat into your margins. By choosing a sensible payment solution – often your own merchant account or a flat-rate processor – you keep more of each sale. The goal is a system that lets customers pay how they want (credit, debit, mobile, etc.) quickly, and lets you receive those funds with minimal fees and hassle.

How Sauce fits in: Sauce helps simplify payment processing in a few ways. First, Sauce’s online ordering platform comes with built-in, secure payment processing for your customers. When a customer orders through your Sauce-powered site, they can pay online seamlessly – Sauce integrates with payment gateways to handle credit card transactions securely on the spot. This means customers can pre-pay for pickup or delivery, which speeds up service (no fumbling with cards or cash at the counter or doorstep). Sauce’s payments are PCI-compliant and encrypted, so both you and your customers can trust that data is safe. From the restaurant’s perspective, Sauce ensures you get paid quickly for your online orders. The funds from orders go directly to you (through whatever merchant setup you arrange with Sauce) rather than sitting with a third-party delivery app for weeks. Another big advantage: no commission fees on transactions. Unlike delivery marketplaces that might take a 20-30% cut on top of processing fees, Sauce only involves standard payment processing fees (just like any normal credit card transaction) and charges no commission on the order itself. This can save your restaurant a significant amount of money on every online sale. Additionally, Sauce supports modern payment methods; for example, if your ordering site is on mobile, customers can use mobile wallet options, and in-person, Sauce’s system can work with POS setups that have contactless readers. Sauce basically ties your payment processing into the rest of your tech stack: your POS, online ordering, and payment gateway all work in sync. The result is unified reporting – you can see all your sales in one place – and easier management of things like refunds or batching out at day’s end. To sum up, Sauce makes sure that accepting payments, whether online or in-store, is smooth for your customers and cost-effective for you. By featuring Sauce in your tech stack, you take advantage of a payment system that’s modern, secure, and designed to maximize your margins rather than eat into them.

By investing in these five essential systems and ensuring they work together, you’ll be building a robust, modern restaurant tech stack that touches every part of your business. The key is integration – when your POS, online ordering, CRM, KDS, and payment tools are all connected, you unlock powerful efficiencies and insights that standalone tools could never provide. The end result is a smoother operation, happier customers, and more revenue retained in your pocket. As we’ve highlighted, Sauce serves as a unifying thread through many of these systems, offering an all-in-one solution for online ordering, customer data, and more, while integrating with your other tools. The right tech stack will help you reduce errors, cut costs, and grow your restaurant in ways that simply weren’t possible before. In the next section, we’ll address some common questions restaurant owners have about building and optimizing a tech stack.

FAQ: Building Your Restaurant Tech Stack

What exactly is a “restaurant tech stack”?

A restaurant tech stack is the combination of technology tools that a restaurant uses to operate efficiently. This includes hardware and software systems for things like sales (POS systems), online ordering, customer management (CRM or loyalty programs), kitchen operations (KDS displays), and payment processing. Think of it as all the digital tools that keep your restaurant running smoothly, connected like building blocks. A well-chosen tech stack makes your business more efficient by integrating these tools so they share data and work in harmony.

How do I choose the right tech systems for my restaurant?

Start by identifying your restaurant’s specific needs and pain points. For example, do you struggle with order errors in the kitchen? Look for a POS with a kitchen display system. Not getting enough repeat business? Consider a CRM or loyalty program. Research solutions in each of the essential categories (POS, online ordering, CRM, KDS, payments) and prioritize systems that integrate well with each other. Reading reviews, asking for demos, and talking to industry peers can help. Also, consider scalability – choose platforms that can grow with you (add locations, handle more volume) and offer good support. It often helps to go with reputable providers that specialize in restaurant tech. For instance, Sauce offers an all-in-one online ordering and marketing platform that’s designed specifically for restaurants, which can simplify your decision for those parts of the stack. Ultimately, the best systems are the ones that meet your budget, are user-friendly for you and your staff, and solve your operational challenges.

Can all these systems integrate together?

Yes, and integration is key to a successful tech stack. Most modern restaurant tech solutions are built to integrate with others via APIs or built-in partnerships. When evaluating options, check if the POS system can connect with your desired online ordering platform and vice versa. Many companies, like Sauce, have integrations with popular POS systems so that online orders automatically sync to the register and kitchen. Similarly, your POS or CRM should integrate with your loyalty program or email marketing tool to share customer data. If systems don’t talk to each other, you’ll end up with data silos and extra manual work (like re-entering orders or combining reports). To avoid that, choose a suite of tools that are known to play well together. In some cases, you might get multiple functionalities from one provider (for example, an all-in-one system that offers POS + online ordering + payments under one roof). The good news is that in 2025 most tech providers understand the importance of integration – so whether through native integrations or third-party services (like middleware), you can usually connect your systems. Always ask vendors about integration capabilities and support. A fully integrated stack means when a customer places an order online, it updates your POS, shows up on the KDS, adjusts your inventory, and records customer details in your CRM, all automatically.

Is implementing a modern tech stack expensive or complicated for a small restaurant?

It’s a common concern, but building a tech stack doesn’t have to break the bank or require an IT degree. Costs will vary depending on the solutions you choose – some systems charge monthly subscriptions, others take a small fee per transaction, and some (like certain loyalty apps) might even have free tiers. When considering cost, weigh it against the potential benefits and savings (for example, fewer order errors, labor hours saved, increased sales from online orders, etc.). Many restaurants find that the ROI of a good tech stack is well worth it, as it can boost revenue and efficiency. As for complexity, modern restaurant tech is increasingly user-friendly. Companies know that restaurant owners are often not tech experts, so they design products to be as plug-and-play as possible. Sauce, for example, emphasizes quick setup – you don’t need to hire a developer to launch an online ordering site with them. Likewise, cloud-based POS systems often come with installation support and training resources. To ease the transition, implement one system at a time if needed and train your staff thoroughly. Most providers have support teams to help with onboarding. You can also lean on your tech vendors for training materials or even on-site help. In short, while there is an upfront time and money investment in upgrading your tech, it’s more accessible than ever for small restaurants. The key is to do your homework, take advantage of free demos/trials, and ensure you have a reliable support plan from the vendors. Once set up, the efficiencies you gain (and headaches you avoid) will make you glad you modernized your systems.

How does Sauce factor into my restaurant tech stack?

Sauce can be a cornerstone of your tech stack when it comes to online ordering, delivery management, and customer engagement. It’s not a POS or a payment processor by itself, but rather a platform that augments your existing setup. You can think of Sauce as the piece that enables direct online sales (via a branded website for your restaurant), provides tools to retain customers (like marketing automations and loyalty integrations), and coordinates delivery logistics (access to drivers, order tracking, etc.). By adding Sauce to your stack, you effectively get an all-in-one online ordering system that connects to your POS and kitchen, a built-in CRM for capturing customer data, and even delivery network capabilities – all without the hefty commissions that third-party apps charge. Sauce is designed to integrate with other systems, so it will work alongside your POS/KDS and payment processing seamlessly. For many independent restaurants and small chains, Sauce serves as a tech “boost” that brings them up to speed with larger competitors in the digital realm, without having to invest in custom software development. In summary, Sauce helps tie your tech stack together by linking your online storefront to in-house operations, while also providing powerful tools to grow your sales and customer loyalty. It’s the recommended solution for operators who want to modernize their tech stack with minimal friction and maximum benefit.