Toast, a technology platform for restaurant and retail businesses, has introduced Toast IQ Grow, a comprehensive marketing solution designed to automate and optimize marketing efforts for operators. The launch is part of a broader set of more than 20 platform updates spanning marketing, payroll, inventory, and operations.
Toast IQ Grow integrates agentic artificial intelligence (AI) with dedicated human marketing support to identify growth opportunities and execute campaigns across various channels. Key components include the Marketing Agent, an AI-driven feature currently in beta, which analyzes past performance to suggest and plan customized campaign strategies, and a dedicated Marketing Success Manager who helps refine messaging and align efforts with business goals. This solution, priced at $499 per month, bundles core Toast growth tools such as email marketing, SMS marketing, loyalty programs, gift cards, and online ordering.
During its pilot phase, restaurants utilizing Toast IQ Grow with a Marketing Success Manager reported an average sales increase of over 8% compared to similar Toast restaurants. The top 25% of performers saw growth exceeding 40% in their first month. Keita Okugawa, Manager of Matoi in San Diego, noted that Toast IQ Grow provided clear accountability for marketing spend, generating $3.4K in attributed email revenue in two months, which was more than three times the cost of the service over the same period, alongside a 4.5x return on ad spend.
Accompanying Toast IQ Grow is a reimagined Toast Local consumer app. This enhanced application builds on existing capabilities like commission-free takeout, delivery, and reservations, now featuring integrated Resy reservations, expanding booking availability to over 20,000 locations through a strategic multi-year partnership with American Express. The app facilitates frictionless loyalty sign-ups and targeted offers, allowing restaurants to retain ownership of guest data and foster direct customer relationships.
Tyler Paolini, Owner and Chef at Holdfast Specialty Seafood, highlighted the effectiveness of Toast offers within the app, stating that specific promotions are a worthwhile investment in converting new guests into loyal, repeat customers. This expansion of Toast Local aims to provide restaurants with a broader reach for their marketing programs.
Further platform enhancements include AI-driven tools to automate decision-making, such as Toast IQ Multi-Location Analysis for advanced insights across multi-unit operations, and AI-enhanced Menu Upsells for point-of-purchase recommendations. AI Invoice Scanning, currently in beta for Toast Retail, automates invoice capture, improving inventory and cost accuracy. Toast Finance offers integrated financial products, including Toast Checking and real-time cash flow insights, to help operators manage their finances. Additionally, updates include Auto Payroll with Payroll Success Partners, Inventory Management in the Toast Now mobile app, Toast Drive-Thru solutions, Toast IQ Catering for troubleshooting online ordering configurations, and the global availability of Toast Go® 3 handheld hardware.
