5 Years of Transforming Restaurant Technology
May 16, 2025
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Five years ago, the world changed—and with it, so did restaurants. Virtually overnight, the industry had to find new ways to survive, connect, and serve.
As restaurant foot traffic declined sharply, guests weren’t walking through doors—they were swiping, tapping, and picking up curbside. Loyalty went digital. The restaurant experience shifted into a complex landscape of screens, logistics, and platforms—one that both customers and brands had to quickly learn to navigate in a new digital-first era. And behind every online order, every third-party integration, every digital menu… was a brand team trying to figure it all out.
What began as a bootstrapped side hustle quickly evolved into a full-time business during one of the most pivotal moments in modern restaurant history. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, 5&5 was founded with a simple mission: to help brands implement best-in-class foodservice SaaS solutions—fast. With our first partnership alongside Olo, we hit the ground running, uncovering a broader opportunity to not just implement technology , but to manage it for our clients. What followed was a commitment to building a highly technical team with deep expertise in leading solutions to help brands thrive in the new digital era of dining.
What started as a nimble remote team is now a company of nearly seventy people across the globe. We’re restaurant people, technologists, analysts, designers, developers, and doers. And we’re united by one mission: to be the trusted resource brands turn to when they need their restaurant technology work smarter, smoother, and deliver a frictionless dining experience–on premise or off.
Behind the Screens: Quiet Work, Big Impact
Over the past five years, we’ve partnered with restaurants of all sizes to help them integrate, evolve, and optimize their tech stacks. We’ve cleaned up POS data to improve reporting. We’ve reworked online ordering flows to reduce friction. We’ve cleaned up countless databases and developed menu organization strategies to keep systems in check.
From back-of-house operations to custom front-end digital experiences, our work might be behind the scenes—but our impact is felt when our clients’ guests experience a smooth transaction. We don’t pitch a one-size-fits-all solution because no brand’s tech stack is the same. We listen, adapt, and build based on each brand’s vision, goals, and unique challenges.
As we reflect on the impact of our work, a few standout client partnerships remind us what’s possible when strategy, creativity, and collaboration align . With Black Rock Coffee Bar, we supported a major tech stack transformation–streamlining systems, optimizing online ordering, and helping their digital experience keep pace with rapid growth. . For Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, we led the rollout of new loyalty and ordering platforms, ensuring a seamless transition that elevated guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
To dive deeper into the story behind 5&5’s growth and vision, read the full reflection written by our founder, Johnathan. In his own words, he shares the journey of building 5&5, the turning points that shaped us, and his perspective on where the industry is headed next.
The SaaS-scape – Then and Now
Technology providers have long offered a range of solutions for restaurants—but in today’s crowded SaaS landscape, some platforms attempt to do it all, while others focus tightly on solving niche pain points. As a result, restaurant brands are left navigating a fragmented tech ecosystem. Many have adopted more tools over time, but with lean teams juggling multiple brands, it’s tough to fully leverage each platform’s features. And without routinely looking under the hood—auditing POS systems, cleaning up online ordering menus, or organizing databases—small issues can quietly snowball, limiting both efficiency and ROI.
From the start , we’ve understood how important it is for brands to deliver the easiest ordering experience possible . As digital solutions for restaurants have grown more complex and the industry more fragmented, our role has become essential —to help QSR, fast casual and full-service brands not only integrate but also evaluate and streamline their custom tech stacks, ensuring their digital platforms work seamlessly for their teams, not against them.
Built to Grow With Our Clients, Not Just For Them
Our clients are the heart of our story. They’ve trusted us not just with their back-end systems, but with their vision. They’ve brought us into the messy middle, into complex integrations and leaned on us during hard decisions. And together, we’ve made things simpler, smarter, and more connected.
Whether it’s helping a brand transition from one POS to another or guiding their franchisees through the new platform onboarding process , our role is always the same: support, solve, and scale. We’re proud to lend a hand (or a few) on the technical support side so brand teams can focus on what they do best.
It Takes a Village (and a Vendor, and a Platform)
In the world of restaurant technology, success doesn’t happen in isolation. It requires collaboration across vendors, platforms, and the dedicated teams behind them. At 5&5, our ecosystem thrives because of the partnerships we’ve nurtured—with providers, developers, consultants, and everyone committed to pushing restaurant brands forward. We’ve built a reputation around being genuine, proactive, and easy to collaborate with. Whether it’s troubleshooting alongside developers, syncing strategies across various platforms, or integrating new technologies into existing workflows, our approach is rooted in open dialogue and mutual respect. Together, we’re creating solutions that truly align with each brand’s unique goals and deliver lasting impact.
The Team That Powers It All
As the industry evolves, so do we. From a remote startup to a global team—and even earning Vendor of the Year recognition from one of our most trusted clients—we’ve grown by keeping our people-first mission at the heart of everything we do. Balance, accessibility, and trust aren’t just values–they’re commitments we actively uphold
We’ve always believed in meeting our clients exactly where they need us—no more, no less. Whether it’s launching a new loyalty platform, optimizing menus to maximize revenue potential, or guiding brands through detailed tech-stack assessments, we’re 5&5: the trusted technology partner restaurants turn to when they need an extra set of hands—and when getting it right matters most.
The 5&5 Team is a powerhouse of restaurant technology experts, specializing in building, optimizing, and innovating digital ecosystems for food service brands. With deep expertise across tech stacks, digital platforms, and data-driven solutions, they help restaurants harness the power of technology to drive growth and efficiency. Collaborating remotely across time zones, they bring fresh insights, strategic guidance, and hands-on experience to every challenge—equipping brands with the knowledge and tools to thrive in an increasingly digital world.
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