Technology

Olo teams up with Qu to digitize card swipes at the POS

Under a new integration, restaurants will be able to get more data from card-present transactions at the drive-thru and front counter.
Qu CEO Amir Hudda and Olo CEO Noah Glass unveiled the news Friday. | Photo courtesy of Olo

Olo is moving a step closer to its goal of digitizing 100% of restaurant orders thanks to a new integration that will allow it to digitize card swipes at the point-of-sale for the first time. 

The restaurant software provider is partnering with POS company Qu to offer its digital payment processing tool, Olo Pay, as an integration with Qu’s point-of-sale system.

The integration opens up a new set of payment opportunities for Olo, including POS transactions in the drive-thru and at the counter. Until now, Olo Pay was only available for app and web orders and kiosks. 

It also gives restaurants that use Qu the ability to get more data from card-present transactions, such as the items a customer orders and even the modifications they make. When combined with Olo’s marketing product, Engage—also part of the integration with Qu—that data can be compiled into a customer profile and used for marketing purposes.

To put that into perspective, the only data a restaurant gets from a typical card-present transaction is the order total. 

“Enabling card-present digital transactions at the POS will not only streamline the payment process, but it will also allow brands to collect more data than ever, down to the ingredient level, that can be used to further personalize each guest experience through Olo Engage,” said Qu CEO Amir Hudda in a statement.

Qu is a cloud-based POS provider that works with large limited-service brands including Church’s Chicken, Blaze Pizza and Taco John’s. It was recently named the new POS supplier for GoTo Foods, the parent of Auntie Anne’s, Cinnabon and other brands. 

The news comes as restaurants look to push more orders to digital channels, in part because they yield better data. Several brands, including Wingstop and Firehouse Subs, are working to go 100% digital. 

But the industry as a whole has a long way to go before getting there. According to consumer data firm Circana, 84% of restaurant transactions are still analog.

“Olo’s integration with Qu brings the industry one step closer to reaching 100% digital, equipping our restaurant brands with the flexible tools to increase orders, streamline operations, and make every guest feel like a regular,” said Olo founder and CEO Noah Glass in a statement.

Olo and Qu announced the news Friday at Olo's annual Beyond4 customer conference. The integration will go live later this year.

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