More Than a Vendor: Extra Hands for Restaurant Teams
June 4, 2025
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Restaurants today must develop a cohesive strategy that treats digital experiences not as a separate channel, but as a fully integrated part of their brand. In a post-pandemic world, the industry has evolved into an omnichannel ecosystem and guests now expect more from the digital tools brands deploy. But too often, brands are limited, whether by resources or by a lack of in-depth platform knowledge, and they can’t leverage their tools. Nonetheless, guests still expect a convenient and consistent tech-enabled experience that feels true to the brand they know and love. Most of all, guests want ordering to be easy and frictionless—and yet it’s surprising how many brands still struggle to meet that basic expectation.
Delivering that kind of seamless, scalable experience is easier said than done. Between economic pressures, labor shortages and the rapid pace of digital transformation, many restaurant teams struggle to keep up. A few options for a sustainable path forward are rebalancing staffing and digital resources, especially by leveraging mobile and online platforms to reduce friction in customer interactions.
The digital pivot isn’t optional anymore: it’s essential to getting the guest experience right.
That’s where we come in. At 5&5, we act as an extension of your brand, providing extra (technical) hands for your IT and/or Marketing teams. We’re not here to replace your internal crew; we’re here to help them do more with less friction and greater confidence.
We’re not IT generalists. We’re restaurant technology people. Our team supports a wide range of concepts—from QSR and fast casual brands to full-service restaurants and food halls. No matter the model, our approach is the same: listen first, then build a solution that fits. We work behind the scenes to clean up POS data, organize digital menus, streamline ordering flows, and eliminate friction for guests and teams alike.
The Smarter RFP Strategy
When restaurant brands begin evaluating new technology—whether it’s a new POS system, loyalty provider, online ordering solution, or back-office platform—the process can quickly become overwhelming. Between aggressive vendor pitches, feature overload, and limited internal bandwidth, it’s tough to know what questions to ask, what functionality really matters, and how to separate nice-to-haves from need-to-haves.
This is where 5&5 becomes your strategic partner. We can support restaurant brands through every stage of the RFP process. We help brand teams assess their operational needs, define success criteria, structure vendor evaluations, and ask the tough (but necessary) questions. We understand what’s realistic in the restaurant environment and what will actually work in practice, not just in a sales deck. By helping write the RFP, comparing demos, and validating platform capabilities against day-to-day workflows, we bring both technical expertise and real-world context to the table.
We’re not just here to help you adopt the right tech: we’re here to help you choose it wisely.
Implementation Meets Execution
Need to upgrade a legacy system with a full POS overhaul? Launching a virtual brand and looking to integrate third-party ordering platforms quickly and cleanly? Is your team evaluating a new SaaS solution and unsure how it will connect with your current tech stack? These kinds of digital initiatives are complex and time-consuming, and most brands don’t have the internal bandwidth to manage them alone. That’s where 5&5 comes in. We act as your trusted implementation partner, managing the entire process—from back-end configuration to hands-on testing and post-launch monitoring. Our specialties ensure that every part of your tech stack connects and communicates as it should.
And once the systems are live, we don’t disappear. We support day-to-day management across core platforms like POS, online ordering, and loyalty programs, delivering faster answers, deeper insights, and fewer escalations. We also advocate on your behalf to hold your vendors accountable so they meet expectations and deliver on their promises.
With nearly 70 team members worldwide (and growing), the 5&5 team brings experience from every corner of the restaurant tech space—from the brand side to working for the vendors themselves. Whether you need help with a one-time project or ongoing platform support, we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Our clients consistently tell us how much they value our reliability, technical depth, and the fact that we’re genuinely enjoyable to work with. When you need a hand (or two) to step in and get things done, especially when it matters most, we’re the team you can count on. We show up, we follow through, we get the job done (fast!) and we keep your brand’s goals at the center of everything we do.
A True Partner Ecosystem
Our role goes beyond client work. Being a true partner means collaborating with the best in the industry, because at 5&5, our job is to empower brands to thrive in a digital future. Our relationships with top-tier technology vendors fuel our work, and we’re proud to partner with the people behind the platforms our clients rely on every day.
We operate agnostically by design. As an extension of the brands we support, it’s critical that we maintain strong relationships across all major restaurant technology pillars—from POS and loyalty to back-office and delivery platforms. That way, when a brand needs to explore new technology, we make well-informed recommendations and connect them with trusted partners we’ve built rapport with over the years.
Whether we’re collaborating with a platform provider or managing a rollout, we stay current on product developments so our clients can stay ahead. In some cases, we even support our partners directly: managing onboarding or implementation to lighten the lift for their internal teams.
We’re flexible in how we partner, but our goal is always the same: to make life easier for brands and help them drive digital success with the right technology and the right support.
At the end of the day, we don’t sell software or push one-size-fits-all tools. We bring extra hands, real expertise, and a mission to help restaurant brands get more out of the tech they already have, or the systems they’re ready to adopt.
If your team is stretched thin or your projects are stalled, we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and help.
As our Senior Partnerships & Marketing Manager, Melissa brings a sharp strategic mind and a knack for execution to every project. She thrives on crafting compelling blogs and Success Stories for 5&5, blending her deepened understanding of the restaurant industry and customer experience with creative storytelling. With a keen eye for turning insights into marketing/PR opportunities, she’s always seeking new ways to elevate the 5&5 brand.
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