Toast stock rises on AI-powered Google Maps ordering feature

Toast (NYSE:TOST) shares rose 2.75% Thursday after the company announced an expanded integration with Google that enables AI-powered food ordering through Google Maps.

The integration allows diners to order directly from Toast restaurants through Ask Maps, a conversational AI feature within Google Maps. When users request restaurant recommendations or specific food through voice or text, Ask Maps can display a Toast restaurant’s menu and complete the order process.

Toast is a co-developer of the Universal Commerce Protocol for Food, an open standard defining how AI agents discover, order from, and check out with restaurants across platforms including Search, Maps, and Gemini. The company is working with Google and other industry leaders to shape how agentic ordering functions for food and beverage.

For Toast restaurants, orders placed through Ask Maps flow through Toast’s first-party ordering system, allowing operators to grow order volume without third-party commission fees. The integration positions Toast restaurants directly within the Ask Maps experience where users search for meals.

To drive early adoption, Toast is offering a promotional incentive where customers who place an order through Ask Maps will receive $5 in Toast Cash for their next order at any participating Toast restaurant. The promotion can be redeemed through the Toast Local app.

The feature is expected to launch in late August, enabling guests to place orders at Toast restaurants using Ask Maps in the Google Maps app.