What Is Tech on Toast and How Does It Help Hospitality Businesses?
Learn what Tech on Toast is, how it helps hospitality operators discover technology, and how platforms like Paddl fit into the hospitality tech ecosystem.
Tech on Toast is a UK hospitality technology community and marketplace that connects operators with over 100 tech providers through events, podcasts, and curated recommendations.
Key Facts
In Detail
Tech on Toast is one of the UK's largest hospitality technology communities, serving over 65,000 operators across the UK and Europe. Founded with the mission of helping restaurant, pub, hotel, and venue operators make smarter technology decisions, it operates as a marketplace and discovery platform rather than a software provider itself. The platform offers a tech health check tool that benchmarks your current systems, a curated marketplace of 100+ hospitality tech providers, regular podcasts with over 2,000 weekly listeners, and more than 100 annual events including panels, demos, and operator-led discussions. For hospitality operators exploring their technology options, Tech on Toast serves as a useful starting point to understand what's available. However, once you've identified that compliance, food safety, and operational management are priorities, you need actual software to handle these day-to-day requirements. This is where purpose-built platforms like Paddl come in - covering SFBB, HACCP, allergen management, team training, equipment tracking, and more in a single system designed specifically for UK hospitality compliance.
What Does Tech on Toast Actually Do?
Tech on Toast positions itself as a hospitality technology matchmaker. Rather than building software, it helps operators navigate the increasingly complex landscape of hospitality technology. The platform's core offerings include a free tech health check that assesses your current tech stack and identifies gaps, a curated marketplace where you can browse and compare hospitality tech providers, educational content through podcasts and blogs covering industry trends, and a programme of over 100 annual events where operators can see technology demonstrations and hear from peers. The community emphasises an "operator-first" approach, with content and recommendations designed for people running hospitality businesses rather than technologists. Their tagline - "We speak operator, not code" - reflects this focus on practical, accessible guidance.
How Does Tech on Toast's Partner Programme Work?
Tech on Toast generates revenue through its tech partner programme, which offers three tiers. The Marketplace tier at £99/month provides basic profile visibility, quarterly analytics, and content channel advertising. The Approved Status tier at £1,000/month (with a three-month minimum) adds industry validation badges, direct introductions to operators, inclusion in curated tech stacks and reviews, podcast and content opportunities, and newsletter and event promotion. The Retained Partnership tier at £3,500/month (twelve-month minimum) includes custom events, video case studies, and advertising in their publication "The Spread", which reaches 45,000 digital subscribers and 5,000 print venues. For software providers, these partnerships offer exposure to a large, engaged audience of hospitality operators. For operators evaluating tech recommendations, it's worth understanding that listed providers have paid for their placement.
What Technology Do You Actually Need Beyond Discovery?
While Tech on Toast helps you discover what's available, running a compliant hospitality business requires specific operational software. UK food businesses need systems for SFBB (Safer Food Better Business) digital pack management, HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) plan creation and monitoring, allergen management to comply with Natasha's Law and the 14 UK allergens, team training records and food hygiene certification tracking, equipment maintenance scheduling and compliance checks, risk assessments, COSHH management, and EHO inspection preparation. Paddl brings all of these requirements into a single platform at £69 per location per month - with no modules to unlock or features hidden behind higher tiers. Rather than browsing a marketplace to find separate tools for each compliance need, you get a complete system built specifically for UK hospitality regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tech on Toast free to use?
The basic marketplace browsing and tech health check are free for operators. Tech providers pay from £99/month for a marketplace listing. Some events and content may also be free to attend.
Does Tech on Toast sell software?
No. Tech on Toast is a community and marketplace that connects hospitality operators with technology providers. It does not build or sell software itself.
Can I find compliance software through Tech on Toast?
Tech on Toast lists various hospitality tech providers including some compliance tools. However, for a complete UK compliance solution covering SFBB, HACCP, allergens, training, and equipment in one platform, you can try Paddl directly with a free trial.
How is Paddl different from Tech on Toast?
Tech on Toast is a discovery platform that helps you find technology. Paddl is the technology itself - a complete compliance and operations platform for UK hospitality businesses covering food safety, team management, equipment tracking, and more.
Simplify food safety compliance
Paddl automates temperature logs, HACCP plans, SFBB records, and more - so you always have the answer when an inspector asks.