January 2026 Product Updates- US

jenni — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:01:50 GMT

Hi, everyone and Happy New Year 🎉

We've got an awesome video this month going over the updates (in addition to the descriptions below) thanks to @AshleyFromToast!

In this month's post, you can find updates on the following:

Toast Tables - Cancellation Fees
Toast IQ - Multi-unit support
Toast Now - Permissions Update
Test Kitchen - Custom Reporting
Test Kitchen - Drive-Thru POS Mode & Features
Test Kitchen - Toast Tables Add-Ons
Test Kitchen - Toast IQ Beta Feature Early Access

Toast Tables - Cancellation Fees

No-shows and last-minute cancellations are a direct hit to your bottom line. Now, Toast Tables helps you fight back with cancellation fees. It's a powerful way to protect your revenue and reduce no-shows, giving you the peace of mind to focus on your guests.

Ready to protect your tables? Learn more about cancellation fees, or add Toast Tables via Toast Shop today.

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Toast IQ - Multi-unit support

Get powerful insights across all your locations with new multi-unit lookup capabilities in Toast IQ. Easily explore how item sales perform across stores, uncover key labor cost trends, monitor performance metrics, and identify patterns, all from a single chat interface. Toast IQ now enables you to access and analyze data across every Toast location you manage, making it easier than ever to run your business on Toast. This feature is in beta.**

Prompt Toast IQ to "Analyze metrics across my locations and call out any outliers and key drivers."

Coming soon: Unlock even deeper multi-location control with the ability to compare performance across stores and take actions directly within Toast IQ.

** Multi-location beta capabilities in Toast IQ will continue to evolve and may contain defects. Feature availability and access are subject to change.

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Toast Now - Permissions Update

Owners, operators, and managers can now choose to give staff access to key features within Toast Now without granting full visibility into sensitive reports.

Access in Toast Now is permission-based, meaning each user will only see and use the features they’ve been explicitly granted at each location. To get started, make sure the right permissions are enabled for your staff by reviewing the Required User Permissions section in our Support Center article.

Here's how tailoring access for your team can make a difference:

Let your chef quickly *86 an item from the menu
Enable a shift manager to write shift notes
Give a shift manager the ability to edit time entries
Let shift leads snooze third-party ordering

With the right access in the right hands, your team can move faster and focus on what matters most: serving guests.

Not yet using Toast Now? Download the Toast Now iOS app or Android app today.

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Test Kitchen - Custom Reporting

Custom Reporting is a flexible, self-service reporting experience in Toast Web that enables operators and finance teams to build custom dashboards for their most important recurring workflows. Instead of exporting data into spreadsheets or relying on third-party tools, users can explore performance directly in Toast using tables, charts, and metric highlights—powered by fast, consistent data.

Custom Reporting allows users to assemble dashboards from data tables, charts, and metric highlights, apply report-level filters and make time period comparisons, and save reports for ongoing use. This reporting experience focuses on aggregated performance data—including totals, trends, and comparisons—rather than individual transactions or audit-level records. Detailed, record-level workflows continue to live in Toast’s core reports, allowing Custom Reporting to stay focused on insight, flexibility, and scale.

Any data visible in the experience can be saved, exported, or printed, making it easy to use across operational and financial workflows.

Get instant access to Custom Reporting.

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Test Kitchen - Drive-Thru POS Mode & Features

Turn your drive-thru into a high-performance service line with Drive-Thru POS Mode, a dedicated workflow designed for speed, accuracy, and visibility. Your cashiers get a focused experience that reflects the reality of drive-thru service, from rapid order entry to simple handoff at the window.

Drive-Thru Mode combines a streamlined POS interface, a dedicated drive-thru dining option behavior, and powerful identification tools so staff can keep lines moving while still delivering accurate orders. The mode connects directly to your KDS, Order Confirmation Screen (OCS), and payment terminal so every touchpoint shares the same car, lane, and order context.

Key capabilities include:

Drive-Thru Dining Option Behavior: Tag all drive-thru orders consistently so reporting and metrics reflect drive-thru performance, not a mixture of takeout and counter service.
Optimized Drive-Thru Mode on POS: Remove nonessential fields, default guest count to one, skip unnecessary prompts, and enable preview tickets so kitchens can begin prep as the order is being taken.
Car ID and Vehicle Identification: Replace generic tab names with a Car ID that stores color, type, make, and notes, surfaced clearly on the POS, KDS, Expo, and payment terminal to ensure accurate handoff.
Lane Management with OCS Lane Picker: Assign orders to specific lanes and connected OCS devices directly from the POS, including clear connection banners, snackbars, and lane switching controls.
Guest Confirmation on OCS: Push orders to a full-screen confirmation view so guests can visually confirm their order before payment, reducing remakes and disputes.
Integrated KDS and Payment Terminal Workflows: Highlight drive-thru orders in KDS views, filter drive-thru orders on the payment terminal, and display a D THRU tag and Car ID during payment.
Drive-Thru Metrics and Usage Tracking: Capture timestamps for key drive-thru events and adoption metrics for Car ID, lane switching, and guest confirmation so operators and Toast can measure impact and refine future features.

Sign up once to stay enrolled in the Drive-Thru POS Test Kitchen. We will enable drive-thru features as they are ready, gather your feedback, and iterate quickly toward a unified Toast drive-thru solution that connects POS, OCS, and digital menu boards.

Join the Drive-Thru POS Mode & Features waitlist.

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Test Kitchen - Toast Tables Add-Ons

Toast Tables Add-Ons allow you to configure optional items that guests can purchase during the booking checkout flow. Whether it's wine pairings for a tasting menu, champagne service for special occasions, or merchandise like branded items and cookbooks, add-ons help increase average order value and create more memorable guest experiences.

Add-ons are configured within your existing Toast Tables Experience settings and sync to the booking and Host App, giving staff visibility into what guests have pre-purchased. Add-on information will be added to the digital chit within the next month, providing even greater visibility for service staff. Add-ons follow the same refund and cancellation logic as prepayment amounts, providing consistency across your operations.

Key benefits:

Increase average order value with optional upsells during Toast Tables booking
Staff visibility into pre-purchased add-ons via Toast Tables booking and Host App (digital chit integration coming soon)
Enhance guest experiences with premium offerings like wine pairings, champagne service, and merchandise

Note: You must own Toast Tables in order to get instant access to this beta feature.

Get instant access to Toast Tables Add-Ons.

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Test Kitchen - Toast IQ Beta Feature Early Access

Toast IQ is our AI assistant that aims to be the second-in-command for Toast operators — saving you time by answering questions about your data, allowing you to take action across Toast, and helping you operate more efficiently. Toast IQ is currently available via Toast Web and Toast Now.

Signing up via Test Kitchen allows you to gain Early Access to Toast IQ AI assistant features before they become generally available, so you can provide feedback on how they work for you and your business. As we have new Alpha and Beta features within Toast IQ, you will be automatically added to those to test them earlier than our other customers. Expect to receive messages from our team with information on these features and requests for your feedback to improve them.

Note: Must be an iOS Toast Now User to join this beta.

Join Toast IQ Beta Feature Early Access.

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Questions or feedback for the Product team? We'd love to hear from you in the comments below! 👇

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

NelsosViper — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 20:56:18 GMT

Finally something for true drive thru. Now we still need a large tablet that processes credit cards and prints tickets outside wirelessly. The Toast Go's are way too small for any quick order taking outside.

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

David — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 18:42:47 GMT

Thumbs up / Thumps down on checkout needs to be changed to 1-5 stars (or smiley /frowny face). Some guest automatically choose thumbs down because they instinctively think they are being asked to 'join something" before reading. Also - do you have any information on Walk-On's Restaurant 1-5 -star rating graphic on their Toast receipts ?

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

Rob — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 21:19:52 GMT

Thanks for reaching out with this feedback! I have relayed it to my team to gather more information and will update you as I receive more details!

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

juliecoins — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:28:24 GMT

Custom Reporting - I can create reports but no other users can see them? It would be nice to share reports so we aren't all creating the same ones.

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

Rob — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 16:30:03 GMT

Thanks for reaching out with this feedback! Building out a larger template library, adding sharing permissions for reports, and adding high-priority metrics/dimensions are on our road map!

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

NelsosViper — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 17:26:25 GMT

I love how you guys always ignore my comments. Really makes me feel heard...

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

Rob — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:20:39 GMT

Sorry to hear about that! I have seen your comments about wanting larger tablets and have relayed that to our product team. They informed me that while we currently don't have plans for that in our roadmap, we’ll certainly keep it in mind for the future. You are definitely not the only one requesting this!

Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US

NelsosViper — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 19:17:10 GMT

You guys have been saying that for years. We are on iteration what? 3 of the TOAST TAB? I think you would be surprised if you actually did a field survey for quick service drive thru restaurants in your system. McDonald's, Wings and More, Whataburger, and countless others use them. Yet you guys obviously don't think there is a purpose for them or you would have done it already. You have self ordering kiosks and no one in our area uses those in the establishments I've visited. I've been asking for them since I signed up and was even told when signing up, one was in the works and coming out. Nothing. It's quite sad really. I had to make my own with a Flex station with external battery pack. It works, it's just not ergonomical.

topic Re: January 2026 Product Updates- US in Product Updates

January 2026 Product Updates- US

Toast Tables - Cancellation Fees

Toast IQ - Multi-unit support

Toast Now - Permissions Update

Test Kitchen - Custom Reporting

Test Kitchen - Drive-Thru POS Mode & Features

Test Kitchen - Toast Tables Add-Ons

Test Kitchen - Toast IQ Beta Feature Early Access

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