Evaluating back-of-house software — questions for your demo
A structured checklist for owners, operating partners, and GMs evaluating Luminix or any back-of-house platform — architecture, rollout, integrations, and security.
Buying back-of-house software for a restaurant group is an operational decision, not a feature checklist exercise. The demo is your best chance to validate whether a platform matches how you run — before provisioning, training, and cutover commit your team.
Use this checklist during your Luminix demo or when evaluating any vendor. Honest answers matter more than polished slides.
Organization and multi-location
- Is multi-location core to the data model, or added per site?
- How do roles map to locations — owner, district, GM, line staff?
- Can leadership see consolidated exceptions without logging into each store?
- How are new locations added — self-serve or provisioned?
Why it matters: Groups outgrow single-site products quickly. Location hierarchy should not require re-implementation at store five.
Modules and data connection
- Do scheduling, HR, inventory, and compliance share people and location records?
- Can we start with a subset of modules and expand later?
- What is included in each bundle tier?
- How do modules reference each other — native links or exports?
Why it matters: Patchwork inside one vendor is still patchwork. Connected data reduces reconciliation labor.
See Luminix module pillars for how we group capabilities.
Daily execution workflows
- Walk through opening checklist → shift handoff → closing checklist
- How are missed checklist items surfaced to leadership?
- Can GMs complete workflows on mobile-friendly views during service?
- How long do typical floor tasks take in the demo tenant?
Why it matters: GMs adopt tools that match floor pace. If the demo feels like enterprise software, floor adoption will struggle.
Scheduling and people
- Show conflict detection before schedule publish
- How do availability and time off integrate with schedule build?
- Does scheduling reference certifications or role eligibility?
- What does the publish workflow look like — draft, review, publish?
Why it matters: Scheduling is weekly high-touch work. Spreadsheets fail at conflict detection and roll-up.
Read scheduling without spreadsheet chaos for deeper scheduling questions.
Compliance and audit readiness
- Walk through temp log → corrective action → history retrieval
- How do records persist between shifts?
- Can leadership see open compliance exceptions across locations?
- How are maintenance PMs scheduled and tracked?
Why it matters: Compliance tools that do not roll up create audit scramble.
Integrations
- Which integrations are live today — not roadmap?
- How does POS integration work (Toast or other)?
- QuickBooks or accounting export — what syncs, what does not?
- Are webhooks available for custom automation?
Why it matters: Integration surprises during go-live week are expensive.
See integrations overview for Luminix scope.
Security and data
- How is tenant data isolated from other customers?
- What is encrypted — at rest, in transit, field-level?
- How do sessions and authentication work?
- What certifications exist today — and which are planned?
Why it matters: You are trusting vendor with HR, compliance, and operational data. Ask directly; accept honest partial answers over marketing claims.
Rollout and support
- What does provisioning include — data import, templates, integrations?
- Typical timeline from agreement to go-live for our location count?
- Who trains which roles — and is training included?
- What does support look like after week one?
Why it matters: Software that works in demo but fails in rollout wastes more time than spreadsheets.
Review go-live checklist and rollout guide.
Commercial and scope
- How is pricing determined — locations, modules, users?
- What is contract term and exit process?
- Can we export our data if we leave?
- What is explicitly out of scope for our bundle?
Why it matters: Scope clarity prevents budget and expectation surprises.
Red flags to watch for
- Demo uses empty data or unrealistic scenarios
- Multi-location is a separate product tier or per-location fee surprise
- Integrations described vaguely — "we can connect anything"
- Security answered with buzzwords, no architecture detail
- No clear provisioning owner on vendor side
- Pressure to sign before technical stakeholders validate
After the demo
Document answers while fresh. Compare vendors on:
- Architecture fit for your location count
- GM workflow adoption likelihood
- Integration scope for your stack
- Rollout realism for your team bandwidth
- Honest scope — what they do and do not do
Schedule your Luminix demo
Book a demo and share your location count, modules, and this checklist in the message field — we will structure the session around your questions.
Explore what to expect in a demo before the call.