Our Product Pick

A new KP Series KDS (Kitchen Display System) has been unwrapped by Firich USA (Fremont, CA). In two versions, with either 15.6" or 22" projected-capacitive touchscreen (1920x1080), the KP Series features fanless design and aluminum die-cast chassis for heat dissipation. It furnishes MediaTek Octa-Core G700 CPU with Android 14 or Intel Alder Lake N97 CPU with Windows 10/11 IoT. A full suite of I/O includes single-cable Power-Over-Ethernet (PoE). A durable ceramic coating protects against repeated commercial-grade cleaning, along with an IP-54 rating for water and dust resistance. A range of +32 to +122 Degrees F/0 to +50 Degrees C fits high-temperature kitchens.

FEC KP Series KDS

COMPANY BUSINESS

Sunmi Unfurls Its Flag

A "North American Experience Center," its first in North America, has been opened by Sunmi in the central business district of Atlanta, GA. It offers hands-on experience for partners and customers with the vendor's third-generation products, such as its Sunmi CPad Tablet, L3 and M3 Handheld Computers, and Flex 3 Touch Display. By the end of this year, Sunmi plans five more North American Experience Centers.

"Atlanta is a central hub connecting the East and West Coasts of North America," indicated Sam Su, CMO of Sunmi (Shanghai, China). "From this headquarters, supported by regional offices, local warehouses, and dedicated teams, we aim to deliver tailored Business IoT solutions leveraging our global supply chain and production network. Our ecosystem partners are essential as we work together to deliver comprehensive industry solutions that elevate user experience."

Also attending the ceremony were Sunmi Founder and CEO Jack Lin and representatives of its distributor, ScanSource (Greenville, SC). In addition to this brick-and-mortar location (at Six Concourse Pkwy, Suite 1725, Atlanta, GA), as part of "Sunmi Home 2.0," there's an advanced online digital experience. Among its web resources, coming soon: Intelligent Recommendations, 3D Virtual Reality, and Interactive Map.

Sunmi Opens North American Experience Center

Epson - Second Helping of KDS

A latest release of its TrueOrder Kitchen Display System (KDS) at Epson America (Los Alamitos, CA) furnishes enhanced analytics and broader hardware support. It now has the capability for functions such as visualization of trends, impact of menu changes, detailed station-level reporting, and tracking of excessive item cancellations. It stocks as TrueOrder KDS Version 3.36 and KDS Configurator Version 4.42.

"Today's kitchens need more than just order routing, they need data-driven intelligence," observed Tessa Kohl, Product Manager, DX Solutions, at Epson America. "These TrueOrder KDS enhancements will help restaurant operators unlock new opportunities for savings and kitchen optimization through powerful analytics. With this latest release, we're equipping our partners with deeper insights to make smarter decisions across staffing, inventory, and workflow."

As choice of display, Epson TrueOrder KDS has Elo (Knoxville, TN), Logic Controls (Orlando, FL), and MicroTouch (Maryville, TN). It recently added the new Mach Series All-in-One Touch Computers and Media Players from MicroTouch, which exhibit durable fanless design, optically bonded screens with etched anti-glare finishes, and high-performance ARM CPUs. Unveiled in September 2024, Epson TrueOrder KDS readily integrates with the local network (via printer emulation) and with POS.

Epson Boosts Its TrueOrder Kitchen Display System

Worth Your While

RSPA RetailNOW
Retail Solutions Providers Association
July 27-29
Las Vegas, NV

MWAA
Midwest Acquirers Association
July 30-31
Chicago, IL

Partner First Conference
ScanSource
September 8-10
Arlington, TX

WSAA
Western Acquirers Association
September 8-12
Scottsdale, AZ

FS/TEC
Informa -- Food Service Tech
September 14-16
Orlando, FL

VARTECH
BlueStar
September 15-16
Atlantis, Bahamas

MJBizCon
Emerald X
December 2-5
Las Vegas, NV

ALL IN THE FAMILY

Datalogic Keys in K20-25

A new mobile computer for retail and supply chain, Memor K20-25, has been unboxed at Datalogic (Eugene, OR). In phablet-sized dimensions of 6.5"/166 mm (L) x 2.7"/69 mm (W) x 0.7"/17 mm (D), weighing 9.4 oz./265 g, Memor K20-25 has both 4" capacitive touchscreen (800x480, with Panda Glass) and "smart" 24-key backlit keyboard (as well as two side scan keys and one programmable side key). It also features the company's advanced Megapixel Halogen DE2102-HP "Firefly"1D/2D Scan Engine--GS1 Digital-Link Ready--and 13 Megapixel Rear Camera.

As computing, the Memor K20-25 furnishes Octa-Core CPU at 2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB Flash, and Android 13 with GMS (upgradeable to Android 15). As wireless, it offers Bluetooth 5/BLE, IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, and 4G Cellular. A high-capacity, switchable 4850 mAh Li-Polymer battery provides 10 hours of use. Also, so-called "SoftSpot" technology, as part of the Datalogic Mobility Software Suite, enables innovative triggering through the touch display, notes Datalogic.

As ruggedness, the Memor K20-25 carries an IP-64 rating for water and dust, environmental MIL-STD-810H, and 5 ft./1.5 m drop resistance. "A compact, keypad-based mobile computer engineered to maximize efficiency in many operational environments," as described by Datalogic. Also, in June, Datalogic stocked the PowerScan 9600 RFID Scanner.

Datalogic Memor K20-25 Mobile Computer

A Cure for Cannabis

A choice of kiosks for implementation in cannabis dispensaries has been cataloged by service provider Cure8 (Los Angeles, CA) and hardware manufacturer Frank Mayer (Grafton, WI). A growing staple in this vertical market, kiosks are employed for check-in, loyalty programs, product education, and order placement (for popular platforms such as Dutchie and I Heart Jane). An early player in self-service, with 30 years of experience, Frank Mayer specializes in custom kiosks and signage.

"A key concern for dispensary kiosks has been [the need for] a turnkey solution that fits all environments," suggested Munir Haque, President of Cure8. "Frank Mayer has a variety of form factors which include custom design and branding for all styles and sizes of dispensaries. They are scaled to support multi-state operators, and provide kiosk deployment options for social equity and local operators. They support all the major cannabis ordering platforms and POS."

"At Cure8 we pride ourselves on being a flexible full-spectrum services provider," expressed Eric Schlissel, CEO/CTO of Cure8. "We're happy to provide clients with as much or as little help as they need, whether it's fully building out the security and tech for 5 to 10 stores in multiple different states or buying and deploying a few units of hardware." Since launching in 2016, Cure8 has designed, built, and managed hundreds of cannabis facilities throughout North America.

Custom Kiosks Offered by Cure8 and Frank Mayer

Join the Party at No Charge

Subscribe Today! Email:

Do you need to reach the POS & Auto ID resellers who really drive business? With the most targeted editorial environment, and on the most cost-effective basis?

E-mail Michael Kachmar for advertising information,
or call 973-270-3284

Did you miss one of our issues and suddenly realize your competitors know more than you do?

Hurry! Use the links below to catch up:

Week of June 16

Week of May 26

Week of April 21

A Message From the Editor

As we enjoy another year--our 20th!--our mission remains constant: to fill the need for timely, focused, non-biased news in the channel for POS & Auto ID (and now Mobility). If anything, that need grows more pressing in the face of new technologies, go-to-market strategies, business models, and consumer expectations. We look forward to continuing our mission, and welcome your suggestions and thoughts on improvements.

Michael Kachmar, Editor

ALLIANCES

Using the Correct Terminology

A partnership delivers the payment solution of Sound POS (Jacksonville, FL) with hardware by Terminology Inc. (Westlake Village, CA). Under this integration, Sound POS, installed at more than 20,000 merchants in the U.S., will now expand into Canada, Latin America, Europe, and the UK. A "cross-border, tap-to-pay, kiosk, and Terminals-as-a-Service [TaaS] business," led by CEO Anthony Ribas, Terminology offers white-label hardware and software packages to banks, acquirers, and ISVs.

As emerging areas of focus, the partners have identified crypto-currency, fleet cards, and digital wallets. Initially, they will concentrate on two models from Terminology: the C3 Plus and R12. A countertop, the C3 Plus features 15.6" touchscreen (1920x1080 or 1366x68), ARM Cortex-A55 CPU at 2 GHz, 10.1" Customer Display (1280x800), and Android 11. A mobile, the R12 features 5.5" touchscreen, thermal printer, PCI PTS 5.1, and Android 12. Acceptance of MSR, EMV, NFC.

"As we continue to grow the Sound POS ecosystem, we are excited to welcome Terminology's hardware into our family," relayed Andrew Russell, CEO of Sound Payments. "This partnership marks a significant milestone in our company's history as we expand Sound POS globally and introduce new payment methods." As such new payment methods now cited: CashApp, Venmo, PayPal, and Buy Now/Pay Later (BNPL).

A Payment Platform of Sound POS and Terminology Hardware. (Shown Here: C3 Plus)

[Editor's Note: In its latest release, Version 2.4.1, Sound POS embraces top delivery solutions such as GrubHub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash.]

A Full Plate - Crunchtime & QSR

A merger in restaurant tech will bring together the back-office operations management of Crunchtime Information Systems (Boston, MA) and the kitchen operations system of QSR Automations (Louisville, KY). A combined platform will span the entire food lifecycle--from inventory, to food prep, to timely order flow. As such, it will address the two most controllable restaurant expenses: food and labor costs.

Current Crunchtime CEO, John Raguin, will lead the combined company. "QSR's kitchen display technology is a natural fit with Crunchtime's operations management solutions," he stated. "We believe that QSR's ability to drive efficient order flow with proper routing and timing, combined with Crunchtime's inventory forecasting and prep management--leveraging data insights across the entire restaurant workflow--will directly impact speed and quality of service for our customers." (As CEO at QSR Automations: Robbie Payne.)

"These companies have highly complementary businesses and share many customers," noted Morad Elhafed, General Partner at Battery Ventures (with investment in both Crunchtime and QSR Automations). "Bringing them together will create one unified industry player providing best-of-breed software solutions to the restaurant industry." Altogether, the two companies serve more than 800 restaurant brands in 150,000 locations, including most of the top fifty restaurant chains in the U.S.

A Solution for the Entire Food Lifecycle

Code Corner

AI Tees Off

A collaboration between two golf ISVs ties "intelligent automation" tools by Courserev (Mountain View, CA) with the tee sheet and point-of-sale platform by ForeUp (Pleasant Grove, UT). It enables operators to streamline workflows, increase revenue, and improve the player experience, as promoted by the two parties. AI in Courserev predicts demand by analyzing player behavior, historical data, and real-time conditions. It dynamically adjusts tee time, thereby filling more spots. Also, it manages routine messaging such as reminders, confirmations, and cancellations, thereby reducing staff workload. A cloud-based platform, ForeUp currently powers 2,000 golf courses in the U.S. Earlier, Courserev partnered with ClubCaddie (Grosse Pointe, MI) and Lightspeed Commerce (Montreal, QC, Canada).

A Collaboration for Golf Course Operations

Hey, BarTender

An update to the BarTender Partner Program at one of the labeling leaders, Seagull Software (Redmond, WA): (1) Improved benefits that reward partners for selling subscriptions (BarTender Software and BarTender Cloud) and maintaining high renewal rates. (2) New partner tier-level designations (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) that are based on updated achievement levels. (3) New tier-level rewards for sales, renewals, self-quoting, etc. (4) Promotional partner margin adjustments from July 1 through December 31, 2025 in support of the subscription sales (for most markets). "We greatly appreciate your continued support and partnership," shared Matthew Brine, EVP with Seagull Software. "Even with the recent economic uncertainty, our business is strong because of the trust of our customers and you, our partners."

News for Seagull Software's Partners

ENVIRONMENTS/PLATFORMS

Olo Says "Bravo!"

A definitive agreement sees restaurant digital order and delivery provider Olo snapped up by software investment firm Thoma Bravo. An all-cash transaction, expected to close by the end of 2025, totals $2B. As part, Olo shareholders will receive $10.25 per share, versus $6.20 per share as of the last trading day of April 30, 2025. Upon completion of the transaction, Olo will become a privately-held company.

"Over the last 20 years, we've built Olo into the market leader in digital ordering for restaurants, while also expanding into payments and guest engagement to help restaurant brands aggregate and activate guest data to drive profitable traffic," declared Noah Glass, Founder and CEO of Olo (New York, NY). "By partnering with Thoma Bravo, we believe we can build on our success to date and accelerate our vision of helping our customers create a world where every restaurant guest feels like a regular." At present, Olo serves over 750 restaurant brands and 88,000 locations with more than 400 integration partners.

"We are thrilled to be joining with Noah and the Olo team at this exciting stage of their journey," added Hudson Smith, Partner with Thoma Bravo (Chicago, IL). "The incredible platform and deep customer relationships they've built over the last two decades make them an ideal investment for us. We look forward to supporting them as they capitalize on the significant opportunities in the hospitality sector and work to achieve their impressive vision." A portfolio of 75 companies for Thoma Bravo.

Olo Purchased by Investment Firm Thoma Bravo

[Editor's Note: Also, Olo has won back its customer, with new plans for first-party catering, Red Lobster.]

Agent Aloha

A data integration agent for NCR Aloha POS has been introduced at DLH(dot)io. As part of this developer's data integration platform, it extracts, cleans, and consolidates data "quickly, reliably, and securely" from the Configuration Center Database Files (DBF). A "single source of truth" results for financial, operations, and sales reporting, according to the developer. Usable inside and outside of an organization, DLH(dot)io communicates with data lakes, data warehouses, streaming data, reports, and dashboards.

"This wouldn't have been possible without our amazing restaurant operator customers helping to prove out the technology, as they are leaning in to become more data-driven," reflected Christian Screen, Co-Founder and CEO of DLH(dot)io (based in Charlotte, NC). "Aloha POS has a long history of leading the way for restaurants and hospitality organizations, so we are ecstatic to be able to offer something that not only solves a problem for this massive customer base, but allows these organizations to get to the next level in their data and AI journeys." His experience includes implementation of data analytics for brands such as Krispy Kreme, P.F. Chang's, Snooze, and PotBelly Sandwiches.

"Our platform securely synchronizes and evaluates any restaurant's data, usually from the POS, but also from loyalty, ads, and reviews," continued Screen. "In the case of our agent for Aloha POS, the goal is to allow operators to access their data however they need it across their siloed Configuration Center Servers and DBF Files. Restaurant executives that need their data for strategic initiatives get answers quickly, and can place their IT team's focus on other value-add tasks, instead of building and maintaining boring data pipelines to operational systems." Other integrations for DLH(dot)io--previously known as Data Lake House--include Clover PAR Brink, Shift4, and Toast.

Agents for Data Integration Support POS ISVs

Key Advertiser Links

Be sure to visit these vendors for the latest in channel products and offers for resellers.

POS & Peripherals
Advantech-Aures
Bixolon America
Custom America
Electronic Payments
Epson America
FEC POS
HiStone
HP
Ingenico
POSBANK USA
Posiflex
Sam4s/Shin Heung Precision
Star Micronics
Touch Dynamic

Barcode Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Epson America
Woosim Systems

Cash Drawers/Cash Handling
apg/APG Cash Drawer

Data Collection
Star Micronics

Integrated Payment Solutions
Aurora Payments
Charge Anywhere
Datacap Systems
Electronic Payments
Ingenico

Receipt Printers
Bixolon America
Brother Mobile
Epson America
Star Micronics
Woosim Systems

Remote Device Management
42Gears
Canopy

Stands, Mounts, Cradles
apg/APG Cash Drawer
Star Micronics

INSTALLATIONS

Eagle: Flocking to WMS

A fifth distribution center (DC) of food/fuel retailer Giant Eagle--its largest, with one million square feet, sited in Bedford Heights, OH--has deployed the Warehouse Management System (WMS) from Manhattan Associates (Atlanta, GA). A quick return to full production levels, with processing of hundreds of thousands of inbound and outbound cases, was achieved within days of launch, according to the two parties. A remaining two DCs of Giant Eagle will transition by September 2025.

"A seamless implementation is a testament to the outstanding partnership we have with Manhattan," enthused Dan Kapalko, VP of Technology Systems for Giant Eagle. "Manhattan's expertise and commitment, combined with the collaboration across our teams, have made this a true success. A significant milestone for us, and we're eager for the continued improvements we'll see in our operations."

A cloud-native, microservices-based solution, Manhattan Active WMS coordinates with Manhattan Active Transportation Management, also implemented by Giant Eagle (with 500 stores in the Central U.S.). In addition to its Supply Chain Execution and Planning, Manhattan Associates addresses POS, Omnichannel Commerce, Store Inventory and Fulfillment, and Customer Service and Engagement. As vendors, it partners with Elo, Honeywell, Zebra Technologies, and StayLinked.

A Super Deployment of Manhattan Associates WMS

AI - Speaking of Pizza

A "purpose-built" automated sales assistant with AI, addressing challenging pizza, fast-casual, and quick-service restaurants (QSR), has been presented by Palona AI (Palo Alto, CA). As advanced capabilities for the new "Restaurant AI," Palona cites best-in-class, multi-lingual conversational intelligence, complex customization handling, and multi-modal memory across voice and text ordering. It has been rolled out in two dozen restaurant brands across the U.S. It ties to the POS.

"With Restaurant AI, we're bringing Palona's powerful and delightful agent experience to the most complex menu categories in foodservice," related Maria Zhang, CEO and Co-Founder of Palona (and former VP of Engineering for Google and VP/GM of AI Products for Meta). "Our pilot with Pizza My Heart showed us just how impactful an intelligent agent could be when it understands every nuance of a menu, remembers past orders, and engages customers like a real team member. Now, with more nationwide restaurant brands on board, we're scaling that service to a much broader audience."

"When I first heard my voice as our ordering AI, I honestly couldn't believe it," shared another early adopter, Lee Kindell, Owner at Moto Pizza (Seattle, WA). "We live and breathe technology every day in our business but, at our heart, we're restauranteurs and care about the customer experience above all else. Palona's ability to provide such incredible service to every single customer, across multiple languages and all in my voice, is so above and beyond any AI solution I've seen."

Palona Launches Advanced Restaurant AI

Channel Factoid

Paying the Bills
(Business Owners)

How Important Are
Checks for Working
With Other Companies?

Critical - 24%
Important - 39%
Nice to Have - 35%
Not Important - 2%

Your Timeline for
Transition to Digital

Within the Next Year - 35%
Two to Three Years - 42%
Three to Five Years - 19%
No Plans - 4%

Source: "2025 Payment Trends," by Citizens Bank

Check's in the Mail for B2B

Sealed the Deal

-Qu (Bethesda, MD) for "next-generation" POS at fast-casual chain Pokeworks, with 73 locations across the U.S., Canada, and Taiwan.

-PAR Technology (New Hartford, NY) for PAR POS and PAR Pay for chain Keke's Breakfast Cafe. From its roots in Florida, and now owned by Denny's, Keke's Breakfast Cafe has 140 units in development.

-Toast (Boston, MA) for Toast Go Handhelds, Toast Payments, and Toast Kitchen Display System (KDS) for themed entertainment center/restaurant Topgolf, with 100 global locations.

HELLO GOODBYE

Arise of Ravyx

An evolution for one of the longstanding players in the grocery sector has STCR (Endicott, NY) and its sister company SIR (Montreal, QC, Canada) rebranding as Ravyx. It follows the recent hiring of Rich Werneth, formerly of CATI/GoEngineer, as CEO. Also in leadership at Ravyx: Farrell McKenna as President of the U.S. Division and Francis Desroches as President of the Canada Division. As software, Ravyx resells Toshiba ACE and LOC SMS/LOC ThriVersA.

"This is a pivotal moment of momentum," emphasized Rich Werneth. "By uniting our two companies under a single brand, we're enhancing our focus and amplifying the value we deliver to retailers. Our customers will continue to experience the same trusted people, world-class technologies, exceptional service, and unwavering commitment--now backed by a stronger, more unified identity that reflects our shared vision for the future." A full-service VAR, in addition to grocery, Ravyx addresses convenience, general retail, and liquor, wine, and beer.

Rich Werneth, CEO of Ravyx, the New STCR/SIR

A Tillerman for Tillster

A familiar face in restaurant tech, Christopher Sebes, has joined Tillster (San Diego, CA) as Strategic Advisor. A long career has included Co-Founder of Twenty20 Visual Systems, an early restaurant platform in Microsoft Windows. He also served as Co-Founder and CEO of Xpient Solutions (acquired by Heartland Payment Systems), and later, President of Xenial (part of Global Payments). A focus on fast-casual and quick-service restaurants (QSR), so far, for both Sebes and Tillster.

"Christopher's track record of building platforms that serve the world's largest brands speaks for itself," remarked Perse Faily, CEO of Tillster and General Partner at private equity firm Sid R. Bass Associates. "We're thrilled to welcome him to the Tillster family. His experience will be invaluable as we scale our unified commerce platform, continue to deliver innovation, and expand into new markets."

"Tillster has built one of the restaurant industry's most impressive unified commerce platforms--processing hundreds of millions of orders while staying obsessively guest-centric," commented Sebes. "I'm excited to lend my experience to Perse and her team as they elevate that foundation, extend its reach, and unlock the next stage of growth for both Tillster and the brands it serves." A current footprint of more than 40,000 locations for Tillster includes major brands such as Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, Popeye's, Porto's Bakery, and Pollo Campero.

Christopher Sebes, Strategic Advisor, Tillster