For Newk’s Eatery, technology is not about chasing trends. It is about streamlining the guest experience, simplifying life for operators and giving franchisees clearer visibility into how their businesses perform every day.
According to Adam Karveller, chief technology officer, the core of the tech stack is a shift toward modern, cloud-based systems that move faster and allow for easier integration. For example, the brand recently migrated its point-of-sale platform from Aloha to Toast.
“We're using a modern cloud POS that allows us to make more real-time changes and be more proactive in making sure that things are set up without friction for our franchises,” Karveller said.
Digital ordering plays an equally central role. Newk’s uses Olo to power both third-party marketplace orders and direct digital ordering, making it easy for guests to browse the menu and place orders directly through the brand’s website with minimal friction.
“When you get to our website, you're absolutely able to dive right in, see our menu and buy products,” Karveller said. “That’s the primary action guests are taking when they come to Newk’s.”
Data is where Newk’s technology investments start to separate franchisees from competitors. Karveller said insights from POS, digital channels and in-store systems help the brand understand key information.
“Data is great to help understand guest behavior across channels, whether that's third-party marketplaces, digital ordering or in the store,” he said.
Those insights inform everything from which limited-time offers deserve a longer life to how stores plan staffing. By slicing data by channel, Newk’s builds labor matrices that account for both day-to-day transactions and catering, a key differentiator for the brand.
“We can look at our business in two slices and make sure that we're well-staffed to execute catering because it's a big differentiator for us at Newk’s,” Karveller said.
Even with all the analytics available today, Karveller said the foundation of a good guest experience is still reliable systems and clear visibility into daily operations.
“Getting down to brass tacks like how many units of certain items are moving per store per day helps you understand how to prep for the day and not create waste,” he said.
Newk’s also gives franchisees access to benchmarking tools, allowing them to compare labor, sales and catering performance against similar locations across the system. Karveller said franchisees can use the data to spot where they can improve and, in many cases, connect with peers who are performing well in those areas.
Technology only works if operators can actually use it. Karveller said Newk’s focuses on simplifying responsibilities for franchisees by handling configuration, updates and maintenance at the corporate level.
“The key is to build systems that empower teams,” he said. “You want the systems to have impact but not add complexity.”
With a full-service IT team managing much of the administrative overhead, franchisees can focus on running and growing their businesses instead of troubleshooting software.
As restaurant technology evolves, Newk’s is prioritizing stack simplification, consolidating tools where possible to reduce integration challenges and ensure data consistency.
“There are fewer places to go to get that data,” Karveller said. “The data is consistent across those sources.”
Before adopting anything new, the brand follows a structured evaluation process that includes operator feedback, test labs and multi-store pilots. New technology must deliver measurable value.
“If it's not saving us money, it's not bringing us new revenue or it's not saving labor hours, we're not going to adopt that,” Karveller said.
That disciplined approach means technology is never just another system to manage. Instead, it becomes a competitive advantage that supports smarter decisions, smoother operations and a better experience for guests.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://newks.com/franchise/.
Newk’s Eatery
SPONSORED
CTO Adam Karveller explains how modern systems, smarter data use and disciplined tech decisions help Newk’s operators run more efficiently and compete at a higher level.
For Newk’s Eatery, technology is not about chasing trends. It is about streamlining the guest experience, simplifying life for operators and giving franchisees clearer visibility into how their businesses perform every day.
According to Adam Karveller, chief technology officer, the core of the tech stack is a shift toward modern, cloud-based systems that move faster and allow for easier integration. For example, the brand recently migrated its point-of-sale platform from Aloha to Toast.
“We're using a modern cloud POS that allows us to make more real-time changes and be more proactive in making sure that things are set up without friction for our franchises,” Karveller said.
Digital ordering plays an equally central role. Newk’s uses Olo to power both third-party marketplace orders and direct digital ordering, making it easy for guests to browse the menu and place orders directly through the brand’s website with minimal friction.
“When you get to our website, you're absolutely able to dive right in, see our menu and buy products,” Karveller said. “That’s the primary action guests are taking when they come to Newk’s.”
Data is where Newk’s technology investments start to separate franchisees from competitors. Karveller said insights from POS, digital channels and in-store systems help the brand understand key information.
“Data is great to help understand guest behavior across channels, whether that's third-party marketplaces, digital ordering or in the store,” he said.
Those insights inform everything from which limited-time offers deserve a longer life to how stores plan staffing. By slicing data by channel, Newk’s builds labor matrices that account for both day-to-day transactions and catering, a key differentiator for the brand.
“We can look at our business in two slices and make sure that we're well-staffed to execute catering because it's a big differentiator for us at Newk’s,” Karveller said.
Even with all the analytics available today, Karveller said the foundation of a good guest experience is still reliable systems and clear visibility into daily operations.
“Getting down to brass tacks like how many units of certain items are moving per store per day helps you understand how to prep for the day and not create waste,” he said.
Newk’s also gives franchisees access to benchmarking tools, allowing them to compare labor, sales and catering performance against similar locations across the system. Karveller said franchisees can use the data to spot where they can improve and, in many cases, connect with peers who are performing well in those areas.
Technology only works if operators can actually use it. Karveller said Newk’s focuses on simplifying responsibilities for franchisees by handling configuration, updates and maintenance at the corporate level.
“The key is to build systems that empower teams,” he said. “You want the systems to have impact but not add complexity.”
With a full-service IT team managing much of the administrative overhead, franchisees can focus on running and growing their businesses instead of troubleshooting software.
As restaurant technology evolves, Newk’s is prioritizing stack simplification, consolidating tools where possible to reduce integration challenges and ensure data consistency.
“There are fewer places to go to get that data,” Karveller said. “The data is consistent across those sources.”
Before adopting anything new, the brand follows a structured evaluation process that includes operator feedback, test labs and multi-store pilots. New technology must deliver measurable value.
“If it's not saving us money, it's not bringing us new revenue or it's not saving labor hours, we're not going to adopt that,” Karveller said.
That disciplined approach means technology is never just another system to manage. Instead, it becomes a competitive advantage that supports smarter decisions, smoother operations and a better experience for guests.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://newks.com/franchise/.
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