Restaurant Tech Stack Consolidation And Loyalty Platforms With Chrissy Ouellette

00:00 – Anthony Presley:
I’m here with Chrissy. Chrissy, tell us all about yourself and your new role.

00:09 – Chrissy Ouellette:
Well, I am five weeks in, and I’m super excited about the Touchpoint Restaurant Solutions product. I think it’s one of the most solid products on the market right now, and it’s new—a lot of people don’t know about us. If you know me, you know that I love to build things from the ground up. The ability to take a solid, loyalty-first product and bring it to market is huge. We pull in data from POS, online ordering, and mobile apps into one seamless platform built on the same code base. That’s a big differentiator.

00:53 – Anthony Presley:
I’ve been in tech and restaurants a long time, and I hadn’t heard of anything like this. You’re blending CRM, loyalty, POS, and ordering. That’s unique. We’ve heard a lot lately from QSR Evolution and other restaurant leaders. What are brands looking for that’s unique, and how does Touchpoint meet that need?

01:20 – Chrissy Ouellette:
I think we’re starting to hear vendor fatigue. At QSR Evolution, brands shared how they use 20 vendors—for everything from ordering to security cameras. Now add AI to the mix. It’s overwhelming. It’s expensive. Margins are already thin, and every new vendor cuts into that. We’re going to start seeing consolidation. Brands want a full platform that replaces five, six, seven vendors. That’s where Touchpoint comes in. We eliminate the need for all those separate tools.

02:34 – Anthony Presley:
No more finger-pointing.

02:35 – Chrissy Ouellette:
Exactly. No more bad integrations. Our martech foundation also helps marketing and IT work better together.

02:53 – Anthony Presley:
That is a unique approach. Usually POS is under IT and marketing is an afterthought.

03:02 – Chrissy Ouellette:
We do it backward. We go to marketing first, and they pull in IT.

03:08 – Anthony Presley:
Smart. So there are tons of vendors here at FSTec. What advice would you give a growing brand trying to evaluate them?

03:29 – Chrissy Ouellette:
Before coming to an event like this, figure out your pain points. Where are you losing money? Are you engaging customers and driving repeat visits? Have a clear plan. Know what problems you want to solve, then look at the vendor list and target your meetings. Talk to current customers at the event and spend time building relationships.

04:25 – Anthony Presley:
TimeForge focuses on labor, so I have to ask—how does tech consolidation impact labor?

04:43 – Chrissy Ouellette:
Post-pandemic, labor’s been a huge issue. Many people left the restaurant industry and didn’t come back. It’s hard work. So now operators need to be more efficient with less staff. AI and automation help, but labor management is crucial. With the right tools, operators can better manage the teams they do have.

05:40 – Anthony Presley:
Any other tips for FSTec first-timers?

05:49 – Chrissy Ouellette:
Have a plan. Set your meetings. Network well. Look at badges. Be open to conversations. Talk to everyone—we’re in hospitality, after all.

06:15 – Anthony Presley:
Perfect. Thank you so much.

06:18 – Chrissy Ouellette:
Appreciate it.