Toast adds 9,500 restaurants and pushes AI-driven growth

Restaurant‑technology firm Toast reported a record 9,500 net location additions in the latest quarter, surpassing its previous high watermark by 1,000. CEO Aman Narang said the company is shifting focus to artificial‑intelligence tools, highlighting the rapid uptake of its AI‑powered marketing product, Toast IQ Grow, which has become the fastest‑growing offering in the firm’s history. A case study of Louisiana restaurant Spirits Food & Friends showed a 70% cut in outside marketing costs and more than $100,000 in marketing‑attributed sales within two months after adopting the AI solution. The earnings beat expectations, prompting an increase in full‑year 2026 guidance and drawing continued buying interest in the stock, which has held most of its post‑earnings gains.