The Big POS Reframe

Almost overnight, POS went from Hero to Zero in the eyes of many restaurant influencers.

In my previous article, POS is Different, Not Dead I got on a lil soapbox to rebut the "POS is Dead" rhetoric as I believe we can all do better at articulating the stuck points with POS today and the possible solutions for the future.

Old habits die hard. And POS has become an old habit in the restaurant industry. For 40+ years, POS was the only piece of technology in the restaurant — and it changed very little. Restaurant operators got habituated to using dated POS systems that presented more obstacles and frustrations than anything else.

But the restaurant world has changed drastically, and the role of POS must change with it.

Client-server and even first-gen cloud POS simply wasn’t designed to handle the challenges facing restaurant chains in 2023. Not to mention rapidly evolving guest demands. That’s why it’s time to change our old habit of relying on POS as the center (and stuck point) of the restaurant ordering universe. 

It’s time to view POS as one piece of the tech system, not the system itself and certainly not the center.

For QSR and fast casual chains, POS is simply one order channel of many that now finds its home within a larger “commerce platform” environment. In Qu's annual State of Digital survey, 50% of QSR and fast casual brands said they plan to switch to a unified commerce platform over the next 2 years.

But what exactly is a unified commerce platform?

The Real Definition of a Unified Commerce Platform

Here's how we define it at Qu :

A unified restaurant commerce platform is a data-driven foundational framework that unifies the ordering journey across brands, channels, and systems—resulting in real-time access to all order data.

It is one place to control all commerce functions.

And one big area where POS consistently fails restaurant operators is in unifying the data to present a holistic view of your business.

Try normalizing data that’s created across 5 or 10 front-end systems (i.e., web ordering, app, DSPs, POS, Kiosk) all with different payment services. Add in loyalty, labor, inventory and it's virtually impossible to get your hands on the data.

But by merging digital and physical order channels using a singular data creation layer, a unified commerce platform closes the loop on data with holistic insights—while still allowing for best-in-class integrated solutions. 

 A defining trait of a unified commerce platform is that it embraces open integrations while staying true to its higher purpose of unifying data, brand, and channel management. The platform delivers:

• Unified menu management
• Unified ordering & fulfillment processes
• Unified data models
• Unified cloud systems (in-store & public clouds)
• Unified multi-brand portfolio management
• Unified tech stack & architecture

Back to our old habit of relying on limited POS systems. What changes with a unified platform? 

A unified commerce platform relieves the burden placed on the POS.

The POS now becomes simply one of many ordering channels branching off this foundational data model, with on modern, micro-services architecture to serve as the unifying force empowering your other systems.

How Others Define Unified Commerce

There are many "platform providers" emerging in the restaurant technology space. It can be very confusing separating the wheat from the chaff. See if this helps you differentiate them.

A unified commerce platform is NOT: 

• An all-in-one solution. It's not a homegrown or single vendor all-in-one solution that does a little of everything, but the best of not much.
• Digital commerce-only. It's not a digital-only platform no matter how many native and 3rd party ordering channels it unifies. Digital platforms are great, but it doesn't serve both on-prem and off-prem orders consistently.
• Built through acquisitions. It's not an amalgam of acquired companies and products merged into a Jenga-like tech stack (that lacks a unified data foundation).

Unified Commerce Platform Must-Haves

If you're still not sure of the different between POS and various "connected platforms" think about what it enables in your restaurant operations.

A unified restaurant commerce platform provides functionality that truly connects your various systems and ordering processes to drive maximum efficiencies on- and off-prem. Here's what it should do:

• Centralize in-store and digital ordering
• Streamline ordering and kitchen fulfillment processes (order accuracy)
• Automate manual, redundant processes (rekeying digital orders in POS?!)
• Normalize data from disparate sources
• Create new revenue-generating opportunities (think: deploy LTOs faster)
• Continually innovate and rapidly integrate new technologies
• Provide a stable foundation, that keeps your doors open and transactions flowing!

Times have changed, and the technology restaurants depend on must change and adapt accordingly.

So my invitation to you is to reframe how you strategically view, approach and plan technology decisions around your POS.

POS is neither Hero or Zero. It's moved over from the Main Dish to the Side Dish.

POS is simply one ordering channel that's part of a much larger ecosystem of ordering channels and technology solutions. And if you're looking to drive operating efficiencies and collect full-picture data on your business—POS will continue to let you down.