HT editors applied a rigorous editorial lens to identify the year’s true disruptors — the technologies reshaping how restaurants run and grow.
Editor’s Pick HT editors chose PickPad, the winner of the Restaurant Technology Network’s Start-Up Alley at MURTEC 2025, because it reimagines the ordering experience with simplicity and precision, delivering measurable results where speed and accuracy matter most.
Restaurants have spent years chasing the holy grail of faster, smarter ordering — but many digital tools add more friction than they remove. PickPad flips that script with a streamlined, tablet-based interface designed for kitchen staff, servers, and even guests. The system distills ordering down to its essentials: fewer clicks, fewer errors, and faster throughput. The result? Smoother communication between front and back of house and a measurable boost to table turns and guest satisfaction.
Deployed in independents and multi-unit groups alike, PickPad’s appeal is its discipline: no bloat, no gimmicks, just a laser focus on operational clarity. By reducing training time for staff and minimizing costly mistakes, PickPad pays for itself in weeks, not months.
KEY FEATURES
One-Tap Ordering: Simplified, visual menus minimize training and errors.
Front- and Back-of-House Sync: Orders flow seamlessly to the kitchen.
Scalable Design: Works for single-unit operators and enterprise rollouts.
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose SoundHound for Restaurants because it proves voice AI can move from novelty to operational necessity, making ordering faster, smarter, and more accurate.
Labor shortages and rising guest expectations have QSRs racing to automate without sacrificing experience. SoundHound for Restaurants addresses both with conversational AI that understands natural language in high-noise environments like drive-thrus and phone orders. Beyond simple recognition, the platform can handle complex requests, suggest upsells, and integrate seamlessly with POS and kitchen systems.
Operators gain real-time analytics on order trends and AI performance, while staff can focus on guest engagement rather than repeating orders. Early adopters report measurable gains in speed, accuracy, and customer satisfaction, proving that voice AI is no longer experimental — it’s a core operational tool.
Natural-Language AI: Understands complex, free-form orders even in noisy environments.
POS & Kitchen Integration: Orders flow automatically, reducing errors and wait times.
Upsell & Analytics Engine: AI recommends add-ons and tracks performance to optimize revenue.
KEY FEATURES
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose Livelytics because it proves that AI doesn’t have to be complicated — it can be a practical, everyday tool for operators to run smarter restaurants.
Livelytics is redefining how restaurant leaders make decisions by replacing static dashboards and manual data wrangling with smart, predictive intelligence. Built for multi-unit restaurant brands, Livelytics unifies fragmented data across your POS, labor, inventory, accounting, and marketing systems into one intelligent platform.
With anomaly detection, predictive modeling, and plain-language alerts, teams no longer waste hours searching for answers — they get them instantly. Whether it’s spotting revenue leakage, right-sizing labor, or identifying shifts in customer behavior, Livelytics empowers brands to act faster and smarter.
Deployed in under 30 days, with no reliance on internal BI teams, Livelytics turns operational noise into strategic clarity. This is not just reporting. It’s data you can trust, intelligence you can use, and performance you can prove.
Stop reporting the past. Start predicting what’s next. Schedule your Livelytics demo today and turn data into your most powerful advantage.
Real-Time Anomaly Detection: Instantly flags issues in sales, labor, food costs, and operations—before they snowball.
Predictive AI Insights: Transforms raw data from POS, labor, accounting, and inventory systems into forward-looking, actionable recommendations
Fast, Frictionless Deployment: Launches in under 30 days with 90%+ adoption across finance, ops, and marketing teams.
KEY FEATURES
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose Juicer because it turns pricing from a static, reactive exercise into a dynamic tool that drives revenue, optimizes demand, and keeps restaurants competitive.
Restaurants increasingly face the challenge of balancing menu pricing with fluctuating demand, labor costs, and delivery fees. Juicer offers real-time dynamic pricing for in-store, online, and delivery channels, using AI to recommend adjustments that maximize revenue without alienating guests. Whether it’s incentivizing off-peak dining, optimizing promotions, or responding to market trends, Juicer gives operators actionable pricing intelligence across all points of sale.
Multi-unit operators can deploy Juicer without overhauling their existing POS systems. The platform aggregates historical sales, labor, and inventory data to identify patterns and opportunities, ensuring pricing decisions are backed by evidence rather than guesswork. The result is smarter revenue management, reduced waste, and enhanced profitability — all without burdening staff.
Dynamic Menu Pricing: Adjusts prices in real time based on demand, time, and channel.
Integrated Analytics: Leverages historical sales, labor, and inventory for actionable insights.
Cross-Channel Optimization: Syncs pricing for in-store, online, and delivery seamlessly.
KEY FEATURES
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose PopID because it shows how frictionless, identity-driven payments can redefine the guest experience while boosting loyalty and operational efficiency.
Restaurants are experimenting with faster, more secure ways to pay, and PopID is at the forefront. Its facial recognition and biometric authentication platform lets guests pay and redeem loyalty rewards with a glance, eliminating lines, cards, and PINs. Beyond convenience, PopID reduces errors, fraud, and bottlenecks — particularly valuable in high-volume QSR and fast-casual settings.
Designed for multi-unit operators, PopID integrates with existing POS systems and loyalty programs, making adoption seamless without requiring staff retraining. Early deployments demonstrate increased transaction speed, higher loyalty engagement, and measurable uplift in repeat visits. By turning identity into a payment and engagement tool, PopID is not just futuristic — it’s operationally transformative.
Facial Recognition Payments: Guests pay in seconds with secure biometric authentication.
Loyalty Integration: Automatically applies rewards and personalized offers at checkout.
Seamless POS Compatibility: Works with existing systems for rapid deployment.
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose Thanx because it turns loyalty programs from a marketing checkbox into a revenue-driving engine that’s simple for operators and irresistible for guests.
Restaurants often struggle to make loyalty programs feel personal and actionable. Thanx solves this by connecting POS, payments, and customer engagement into a single, intelligent platform. Its AI-driven engine analyzes guest behavior in real time, delivering personalized offers, automated campaigns, and actionable insights that boost repeat visits and revenue per guest. Unlike legacy points programs, Thanx emphasizes simplicity and immediacy: guests earn and redeem rewards effortlessly, and operators can see the impact in dollars, not abstract metrics.
Deployed in both multi-unit chains and independent restaurants, Thanx eliminates friction in loyalty while giving operators a powerful tool to understand and influence guest behavior. By combining payments, CRM, and marketing intelligence in one platform, it helps restaurants cultivate relationships that translate directly to the bottom line.
Automated Personalization: AI delivers relevant offers to the right guests at the right time.
Integrated Payments & Loyalty: Rewards are earned and redeemed seamlessly at checkout.
Actionable Insights: Real-time dashboards show ROI and guest engagement metrics.
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose Tabit because it reimagines POS as a guest-centered, mobile-first experience that accelerates service and drives revenue.
Full-service restaurants often struggle with slow table turns and fragmented guest experiences. Tabit addresses this with a sleek, tablet-based POS that empowers servers, management, and guests alike. Designed to streamline ordering, payments, and operations, Tabit puts all key workflows at employees’ fingertips while integrating seamlessly with existing back-office systems. Beyond speed, the platform offers real-time reporting and analytics, giving operators insights that translate directly into smarter staffing, inventory, and revenue decisions.
Deployed across boutique and multi-unit restaurants, Tabit’s mobile-first approach reduces training time, increases order accuracy, and enhances the guest experience without adding complexity. By marrying operational efficiency with digital convenience, Tabit helps restaurants deliver hospitality that is both fast and personalized.
Mobile-First POS: Tableside ordering and payments streamline service.
Real-Time Analytics: Actionable insights on sales, labor, and menu performance.
Seamless Integrations: Works with existing back-office and payment systems.
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose SageNet because the future of restaurant tech depends on infrastructure that goes beyond networks — spanning connectivity, content, and customer experience.
Most guests never think about the systems behind a digital menu board or mobile order. But for restaurants, those systems are mission critical. SageNet has carved out a role as the quiet enabler of innovation, managing everything from secure broadband to enterprise signage to IoT connectivity. That means one partner can handle the essentials: SD-WAN for multi-unit operations, PCI compliance for payments, cloud-based content delivery for menu boards, and even field service to keep hardware running.
In an era when restaurants race to adopt AI, digital ordering, and real-time analytics, SageNet makes sure the groundwork is set before the big ideas roll out. The company’s expertise lies in orchestrating all of these pieces so operators don’t have to — and in making complex systems work with the simplicity of a utility.
Digital Signage & Content Management: Enterprise-scale menu board and media networks.
Managed Services & Field Support: Nationwide deployment, monitoring, and service for restaurant tech stacks.
IoT, Security & Compliance: Connectivity for devices, plus PCI and data protection tailored for restaurants.
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose MTech Mobility because restaurants can’t run on mobile-first tech without a partner that keeps the devices healthy, secure, and ready for work.
Restaurants have gone mobile-first — POS tablets, handheld ordering devices, kiosks, and delivery apps now drive the flow of business. But more devices means more complexity: setup, security, updates, and inevitable repairs. MTech Mobility sits in that crucial space between innovation and execution, managing the entire lifecycle of restaurant hardware so operators don’t have to.
From procurement and configuration to deployment, help desk support, and asset recovery, MTech Mobility ensures devices remain reliable tools, not tech headaches. That’s particularly vital for multi-unit brands where a broken tablet in the field can mean lost sales and frustrated staff. By handling logistics at scale, the company gives restaurants freedom to adopt new technologies without worrying about the hidden costs of upkeep.
End-to-End Lifecycle Management: Procurement, configuration, and deployment of restaurant hardware and devices.
24/7 Support & Repairs: Rapid replacement and help desk services minimize downtime.
Scalable Programs: Enterprise-ready solutions designed for multi-unit restaurant operators.
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Editor’s Pick HT editors chose Bite because it transforms self-service kiosks from novelty to revenue-driving tools, improving order accuracy, speed, and guest satisfaction.
Self-service kiosks have long promised efficiency, but many fall short on usability and integration. Bite changes that by offering intuitive, mobile-friendly kiosks that streamline ordering, upselling, and payments in both quick-service and fast-casual environments. The platform emphasizes a frictionless guest experience while giving operators real-time insights into ordering patterns, peak times, and menu performance.
Bite integrates seamlessly with POS and kitchen systems, ensuring orders flow smoothly and errors are minimized. Multi-unit brands benefit from analytics dashboards that track revenue impact, upsell performance, and guest behavior across locations. By combining modern UX design with operational intelligence, Bite makes kiosks more than a convenience — it makes them a competitive advantage.
Intuitive Ordering Interface: Reduces errors and speeds up the guest journey.
POS & Kitchen Integration: Ensures smooth fulfillment and minimizes mistakes.
Data-Driven Insights: Tracks upsell performance, peak demand, and order trends.
KEY FEATURES
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