Uber Woos Tech-Weary Restaurants

As aggregators compete for restaurant loyalty, Uber Eats is looking to differentiate itself by offering operators the most intuitive point-of-sale (POS) integration and the easiest onboarding.

On Tuesday (September 27), the delivery service unveiled new self-service checkouts to integrate with popular POS systems Toast and Clover, making the process “just a few clicks away”. With this move, the company aims to empower restaurant operators who are struggling with operational challenges, especially those frustrated by conflicts related to managing their technology departments.

“At a time when merchants are facing unprecedented staffing challenges, we heard loudly that we needed to make the growth that Uber Eats offers as simple as possible,” said Roy Frenkill, director of product management at Uber. press release. “That’s why we’ve invested in making POS integrations easier than ever, getting merchants signed up and online in less time.”

These types of integrations can be key for restaurants to manage their entire business, allowing third-party sales to run on the same system they use for in-person and first-party online sales, while better tracking all incoming orders. The kitchen. The ability to integrate is not new to Uber, but the simple process can make all the difference, because the restaurant industry is often known for its tendency to resist new technologies that are not easily understood.

In an interview with PYMNTS, Krystle Mobayeni, founder of Bentobox and head of restaurants at parent company Fiserv, emphasized the importance of simplifying operators’ technology experience.

“Restaurant owners don’t start restaurants to manage a technology stack,” Mobaini said. “They started it so they could manage their restaurant. … All technology providers for restaurants should focus on strengthening and making it easier for the restaurant owner.

watch out: Fiserv Exec: Technology providers need to streamline restaurants’ digital experience

Until now, eliminating the hassle of traveling between digital platforms hasn’t been a priority for aggregators, but other tech companies have been looking to seize the opportunity to do just that. For example, restaurant software and payments solutions company Lavu announced in August that it was integrating 18-plus ordering platforms with POS.

Related news: ResTech Firm Lavu offers third party supply integration

Such links bring restaurants one step closer to restaurant-wide communication, allowing all parts of operations to communicate with each other, increasing efficiency.

“Five years from now, I think restaurants in general will be built on the Internet of Things,” Andy Wiederhorn, CEO of FAT Brands, the global franchising company behind 14 major restaurant brands, told PYMNTS last year. “Customers place an order on their phone or in the store, and then it notifies the restaurant’s POS system, which talks to the grill, which talks to the grill, which talks to the interactive fridge, and so on. The potato vendor must lift a finger without a manager or cook.

Read more: FAT Brands CEO predicts the future of ResTech IoT

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