If you're on Toast POS, the best email marketing tool for your restaurant is probably one you already have. Before you sign up for Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or Constant Contact, it's worth checking your own account first. Toast Email Marketing is built in, already collecting guest data, and in most cases, sitting completely unused.
Somewhere right now, a restaurant owner is doing exactly what you might be about to do: searching for a separate email tool, ready to start a free trial and build a list from scratch. That search usually ends the same way, with a new monthly bill for something that duplicates a feature already included in Toast.
What Is Already Built Into My Toast Account?
More than most operators realize. Toast is already collecting guest emails through three everyday touchpoints: checkout, loyalty sign-up, and online ordering. Every guest who has paid, joined your loyalty program, or placed an order online has likely already handed over an email address, whether you have ever emailed them or not.
It goes a step further than that. Toast is already sorting those guests in the background. New guests, regulars, and lapsed guests are separated into segments without you lifting a finger. The part most operators picture as the hard work, building a list and organizing it, is already done. What is missing is not the list. It is the campaign.
Why Does This Matter? The $2,800 Number
Toast's own data shows that one email campaign brings in an average of $2,800 in revenue within 14 days. For an account that has never sent a single campaign, that is close to free money sitting inside a system you are already paying for every month.
This is not a reason to feel behind. Most restaurant owners are not shopping for marketing software on purpose. They are running a floor and a kitchen, and email marketing is one of at least a few tools operators assume they need to buy separately. Loyalty management and guest CRM are two more, and we will get into those in future posts. For now, email is the fastest one to activate.
3 Things to Check in Your Toast Account Before You Sign Up for Anything Else
• Confirm the email marketing tool is actually switched on inside your Toast dashboard.
• Confirm your guest segments exist: new guests, regulars, and lapsed guests should already be populated.
• Send one campaign to your regulars segment first, not a blanket send to your entire list.
What Usually Goes Wrong When Operators Try This Alone
Most operators who do turn the tool on make the same mistake: one generic email sent to everyone at once. It technically works, in that it sends, but it underperforms because it ignores the segmentation Toast already built. The fix is not sending more emails. It is sending the right offer to the right segment, starting with the guests most likely to respond: your regulars.
There is also a margin question worth asking before you hit send. A campaign blasted to everyone equally can fill a slow Tuesday with guests who mostly order your lowest-margin dish. That is not the same win as filling that Tuesday with regulars who order at full price. This is where Great Work Online comes in. We work alongside Accountific, or your own bookkeeping setup, whether that's through our partnership with Accountific or your own bookkeeping setup, so every campaign we help you build gets filtered through one question: does this move the numbers that actually matter, covers and margin, not just opens.
The Bottom Line
Before you sign up for a new email marketing tool, look inside your Toast account. The list exists. The segments exist. The templates exist. What is usually missing is one well-targeted send to the guests most likely to come back. Start there before you start paying for something else.
Free Toast Marketing Audit: Book a free 30-minute review of your Toast account and find out exactly which email segment to start with. tidycal.com/pam-pormentilla-monteith/restaurant-growth-session
Free Toast Marketing Activation Checklist: Download the one-page guide to the Toast marketing features your restaurant should switch on first. greatworkonline.com/toast-activation-checklist
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Toast POS have its own email marketing tool?
Yes. Toast Email Marketing is built into the Toast platform and is already collecting guest data through checkout, loyalty sign-up, and online ordering for most restaurants on the system.
Do I need to build my own email list if I use Toast Email Marketing?
No. Toast is already collecting guest emails at checkout, loyalty enrollment, and online ordering, and segmenting them into groups like new guests, regulars, and lapsed guests in the background.
How much revenue can one email campaign generate for a restaurant?
Toast's own data shows that one campaign brings in an average of $2,800 in revenue within 14 days for restaurants using the tool.
Which guest segment should I email first?
Start with your regulars segment rather than sending a blanket email to your entire list. A generic send to everyone tends to underperform compared to a targeted offer sent to the guests most likely to respond.
Is Toast Email Marketing connected to my restaurant’s profit margins?
Not on its own. Toast tracks opens, clicks, and sends. Great Work Online connects those campaigns to real financial outcomes, whether that's through our partnership with Accountific or your own bookkeeping setup, so campaigns are measured by covers and margin, not just engagement.