Toast Wants to Help Build a Restaurant Concept in Boston
Toast Lab initiative aims to co-develop a new restaurant concept in Boston with a selected operator.
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Toast is launching the Toast Lab initiative, which will fund and collaborate with a restaurant operator to develop a new concept in Greater Boston. The project aims to leverage Toast's technology and expertise while providing hands-on mentorship and support for the selected operator. An open call for submissions runs until July 14, 2026, targeting established operators with high-volume success.
Why It Matters
This collaboration could reshape unit economics for the selected franchisee by integrating advanced technology tailored to operational needs, potentially influencing future offerings for other franchisees.
Toast, a restaurant technology company, has announced an ambitious initiative called Toast Lab, aimed at revitalizing its roots in Boston by collaborating with a local restaurant operator to co-develop a new dining concept. This venture marks a significant move for Toast, which has grown from its origins in a Cambridge coffee shop in 2013 to serving over 171,000 operators with advanced technologies. The collaboration will not only help refine and test Toast’s existing products but will also involve opening a new restaurant location in the Greater Boston area.
The Toast Lab initiative will provide the selected restaurant operator with strategic capital, early access to new Toast products, mentorship from Toast's executive leadership, and ongoing support as they establish the new business. "Our earliest customers were instrumental in shaping Toast’s trajectory,” stated Kelly Esten, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise at Toast. "Toast Lab is a formal return to that instinct, inspired by our belief that the best restaurant technology gets built when operators and product teams are working side-by-side."
