Medford, OR, Oct. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Since first adopting Toast as a brand-wide Point-of-Sale system, The Human Bean has grown from under 70 locations to nearly 200 stores, with many more in development. The rapid expansion of the coffee company’s franchise locations has required navigating both opportunities and challenges with menu development, and Toast Professional Services has proved to be a key ally.
In 2024, The Human Bean menu system contained over 1,000 different menus and more than 600,000 items across the nationwide network of franchise partners. Each new location required customization, which had the potential to slow expansion timelines and increase operational complexities.
“Previously, we had to make updates individually and repeatedly to every single menu in the system, which took hours, days, weeks. Now, we can update our core menu and push it out across the system in a matter of minutes,” says Leslee Swanson, The Human Bean’s Senior Director of Franchise Support.
In addition, The Human Bean was challenged with accurately tracking sales data across locations and implementing backend integrations. Recognizing that sustainable growth requires scalable systems, The Human Bean partnered with Toast Professional Services to implement an Enterprise Level Menu structure.
"The project involved consolidating more than 1,000 menus into fewer than 10,” says Kristy Campbell, Senior Consultant, Professional Services, Toast. “The result was a scalable structure that drives The Human Bean's brand consistency, improves reporting accuracy, and greatly reduces the time required for seasonal updates and pricing changes."
The Human Bean's Chief Operating Officer, Scott Anderson, serves on Toast’s Customer Advisory Board and helped guide the strategic collaboration. What began as a technology upgrade became a fundamental shift in how the coffee company approached operational consistency, while maintaining the local flexibility that franchise partners desired.
“The process allowed us to streamline menu management at all locations, while allowing for some variation, as supply can vary nationwide,” says Swanson. “Now, we’re set up to better deliver the brand experience our customers expect.”
The project scope was substantial: transitioning 168 locations from individual menu management to a centralized system. Toast dedicated over 500 hours to this effort, offering human-power and expertise in enterprise-level transformations that The Human Bean didn't possess internally.
Today, the company can push updates across its entire network in minutes while still allowing local variations for regional supply differences. This centralization extends beyond convenience — The Human Bean now has unified data reporting, which supports better decision-making about product performance and market trends. Backend integrations that were previously near-impossible are now seamless.
“Most importantly, customers receive a consistent experience whether they visit The Human Bean in Oregon or Florida,” shares Swanson.
The competitive coffee and franchise landscape demands that growing brands think beyond today’s needs. The Human Bean's enterprise menu system isn't just managing almost 200 locations more effectively — it's positioned to double or triple (or more) additional locations without requiring another fundamental menu overhaul.
By investing in scalable systems and strategic partnerships, The Human Bean has created a foundation that accelerates rather than constrains plans for growth. The lesson for other expanding brands is clear: brand evolution requires an intentional investment in both infrastructure and partnerships.
As Swanson shares, “Toast has offered guidance to move forward in a way that makes sense to our brand. They’ve shown that they’re willing to understand not just our current challenges, but also our future ambitions.”
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About The Human Bean
With a passion for creating happy ‘Human Beans’, the company’s drive-thrus around the U.S. have established a reputation for friendly baristas and high-quality coffee, teas, smoothies, granitas, Bright® Energy and good eats. The Human Bean opened its first drive-thru espresso stand in Ashland, Oregon in 1998, and currently supports over 260 locations open or under development in 24 states.
Learn more at thehumanbean.com.
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Kathryn Braet The Human Bean 541-608-0564 kathryn.braet@thehumanbean.com
