The restaurant industry is a competitive market, and having access to customer data is essential for businesses to effectively market their services and target specific demographics. This is where Toast, a point-of-sale software provider for restaurants, has recently faced backlash for its approach to customer data. Toast has refused to share customer data with its merchants, instead opting to hold it ransom for a $75 monthly fee. This decision not only limits access to this crucial information but also puts a financial burden on restaurants for access to their own customer data. Furthermore, the data that is shared by Toast can only be used on their platform, and not on the restaurant's own CRM marketing platform of their choice.