Gusto 54 Cuts Down on Order Times With Toast Go Handhelds and a Kitchen Display System

Gusto 54 Cuts Down on Order Times With Toast Go Handhelds and a Kitchen Display System

Gusto 54 Restaurant Group is dedicated to delivering consistently memorable guest and team member experiences with delicious food, inspiring design, and — of course — incredible hospitality.

But when one of their restaurants opened just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada, they found themselves in a tough predicament. Years later, they’re seeing many guests for the first time.

“This business opened five weeks before the pandemic started,” shares Tyler Rutherford, Director of Operations & Culture at Gusto 54 Restaurant Group. “We’re excited that people are often trying us for the first time right now. But our challenge is to make sure they have an amazing time and come back.”

Like many restaurants, finding new guests and keeping them coming back is both a goal and a challenge. For Gusto 54, the answer lies within their restaurant technology. “Toast has really been part of the solution for us,” shares Tyler.

The power of choosing technology that is specifically built for restaurants

Toast offers a point of sale platform to run your entire restaurant. Restaurants, like Gusto 54, can manage orders, sales, and payments in one place with powerful cloud-based software, transparent payment processing, and restaurant-grade hardware – all built for the restaurant industry by restaurant people.

“Our shift over [from a previous point of sale platform] really started with the idea of what is the newest, best, most thoughtful system and what do our people need?” Tyler said. After evaluating several POS platforms, Gusto 54 decided on Toast.

“One of the reasons we chose Toast is that it is built for the restaurant industry,” he added. “Very much so.”

With restaurant-grade hardware — spill-proof rated so you can stay running amidst everyday food and beverage spills — and cloud-based software that allows you to access your restaurant’s data anywhere, anytime, and on any device, Toast is built to ease the load on the modern restaurateur. After all, technology should make running your restaurant easier, not more complicated.

Like many restaurants, finding new guests and keeping them coming back is both a goal and a challenge. For Gusto 54, the answer lies within their restaurant technology. “Toast has really been part of the solution for us,” shares Tyler.

Using Toast Go handhelds to increase average check size and decrease table turn times

Tyler and his team recognize the power of taking orders at the table and directly firing them to the kitchen. Gone are the days of servers walking to a central terminal and waiting in line to fire drink orders or entrees. With Toast Go handhelds, everything is done in real-time, tableside.

“We’ve found so many efficiencies with Toast,” said Tyler. “Being able to take orders at the table is phenomenal because you are spending more time with guests.”

By enhancing their hospitality at the table, Gusto 54 is able to increase the average guest check while decreasing table turn times. Tyler shares, “In today’s climate of restaurants and profitability and how tight margins are, every extra turn is significant. Every extra gratuity to our team members is significant.”

But the real power comes in having a kitchen display system, or KDS, that is directly connected to both the handhelds and POS.

A restaurant kitchen display system that helps the back of house stay efficient (with no more misplaced chits)

A kitchen display screen (KDS) seamlessly connects your front and back of house. With all-day display and production item counting, your team can spend more time focused on preparing food than counting tickets.

“The KDS really helps all of our kitchen stations and our bar stay very efficient,” shares Tyler. “It helps organize those chits in terms of what is coming next and prevents us from misplacing paper.”

With advance prep station routing, Gusto 54 is able to ensure orders are routed to the correct station, whether it’s in the kitchen or the bar. This helps each section of their BOH stay focused and on-task. Plus, running an efficient kitchen operation leads to happier guests with shorter waits and fewer mistakes.

An intuitive platform with a built-in technology partner

Tyler has been impressed by the way his team has picked up on Toast’s technology. “They have become incredibly comfortable using the equipment in a really short period of time,” he shares.

But beyond the intuitive nature of Toast, he is grateful for the partnership.

“We’ve been really lucky to have a really great relationship with the Toast team here in Canada,” says Tyler. “Our experience with everyone has been fantastic.”

With deep knowledge of the Toast platform and your restaurant, the Toast Support team members are committed to your success. “Any small bump there has been, they’ve been jumping on it right away,” Tyler shares. “For us, it’s been really clear that Toast is here for the long-term relationship. We can’t wait to work together more.”