How Terry Black’s Barbecue Powers High-Volume Service with Toast

Managing a Fast-Paced BBQ Operation

Serving thousands of guests each day requires consistency, coordination, and disciplined execution. With a multi-day preparation process behind each item, success depends on accurate forecasting and the ability to plan for daily demand.

Terry Black’s Barbecue is known for serving quality BBQ while maintaining availability throughout the day, even during the busiest periods. On weekends, lines can extend out of the building and down the street, making speed and efficiency essential to keeping guests moving smoothly from open through close without slowing service.

25% Increase in Monthly Throughput

As part of their evaluation, Terry Black’s piloted Toast at their busiest cutting block in Austin to assess performance under real service conditions. Over a full month, the team measured transaction counts, tip percentages, and staff feedback.

The pilot drove a 25% increase in transaction throughput at the tested block compared to previous months. This was a meaningful lift for an already high-volume operation. Staff quickly adopted the system, citing faster transactions and a simpler ordering experience.

Serving More Guests, Faster

After a successful pilot, Terry Black’s implemented Toast across its locations. Since then, the team has expanded into new ordering channels, adding another layer to daily service.

Pre-orders have become a significant part of the business, with guests placing orders in advance through the website while in-store service continues at full pace. Delivery and third-party integrations have further increased order volume, requiring the team to coordinate fulfillment across channels in real time.

Managing walk-in traffic alongside pre-orders and delivery adds complexity, while also creating new opportunities to serve more guests.

With Toast in place, Terry Black’s has improved speed during peak demand. During a major racing event week in Austin, the team achieved a more than 40% increase in hourly sales, driven by faster transactions and increased throughput.

The team also saw nearly a 30% increase in pre-orders over high-volume holiday periods, allowing them to better manage demand across channels. Together, these improvements allow the operation to run smoothly across in-store service, pre-orders, and delivery. Today, Toast enables their high-volume service while delivering a fast and consistent guest experience.