Virtual Restaurant Overview
The Virtual Restaurant package allows you to:
Operate a separate catering location, or a ghost kitchen in the same physical location.
Take online and delivery orders while continuing to fulfill dine-in and online orders through your current Toast setup. For example, the Virtual Restaurant Package would be great if you have a walk-up window and would like to fulfill separate orders.
Expand the delivery range for your locations while fulfilling orders from a separate location.
Setup Requirements for a Virtual Restaurant
In order to operate a virtual restaurant or ghost kitchen, you will need:
A separate contract to add a new location to Toast Web and link it out to your restaurant group
At least one hard-wired terminal in order to run a virtual restaurant
A digital ordering subscription (Toast Online Ordering and Local by Toast).
Note: There must be a separate device for each virtual restaurant, even if you are operating multiple ghost kitchens out of the same location.
To speak with a Toast specialist about adding a Toast Online Ordering module to your Toast suite to facilitate running a virtual restaurant or ghost kitchen, please schedule a call at a time that works for you.
Connect Your Hardware to Your Existing Network
Check out the Toast Hardware Hub for step-by-step guides and videos on installing your new hardware and connecting your router to your network.
Note: It's important that your device is hard-wired and connected to your existing network.
Configure Printers and Your Autofiring Device
When setting up a virtual restaurant, you can use your existing printers and fulfill orders for both separate back-ends. Start by configuring your printers in your new back-end. See this Support Center article for more information: Printer Setup Overview.
Note: This setup will not work with Kitchen Display System (KDS). If your restaurant currently uses KDS screens in your kitchen, orders from the virtual brand will be printed, but will not show on the KDS screen.
Dining options and prep stations will help your printers differentiate between tickets for your virtual restaurant and other concepts. When creating specific dining options that are assigned to your virtual restaurant, Toast recommends naming these options "virtual restaurant online ordering" or something similar so your staff will be able to separate orders.
Configure Toast
Set Up Your Back-End
Your restaurant's back-end (Toast Web) will be created with smart defaults and pre-configured settings, such as jobs, permissions, and discounts, It's important that the following settings are configured before you start taking orders:
Restaurant info (Customize Your Online Ordering Site)
Revenue Centers (Create and Assign Revenue Centers)
Toast recommends that employees pool tips for virtual restaurants using a universal server login to access the POS.
Build Your Menu
Menu building at Toast is a crucial component of the POS setup. Check out the resources below for more information on how to build the menu for your virtual restaurant.
You can also search Support Center for help with specific menu topics.
Set Up Your Online Ordering
Once your menu is set up, ensure your Online Ordering page and settings are configured using the resources below:
If you're planning on offering online orders via DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber Eats, or Toast Delivery Services, learn how to set up direct integrations or start offering delivery with the articles below:
Also, earn best practices on promoting and communicating your Online Ordering page to your guests, check out this Support Center article: Online Ordering Launch Best Practices Checklist.
Review Your Sales Report
Toast offers real-time data in its sales reports including net sales, gratuity, tips, total guests, table turn time, breakdowns of service types, payment methods, and more.
Since your virtual restaurant is a separate location and thus has an individual back-end, it's important to be able to compare sales across all locations. Use the filter options within each report to view data from all locations.
The Group Sales Overview report will help you compare sales between locations.