Irvine, CA — Surcheros Fresh Mex, the fast-growing Georgia-based fast casual concept known for made-to-order Mexican food and a fiercely loyal following across the Southeast, has selected CBS NorthStar as its point-of-sale technology partner for a full-chain rollout spanning more than 40 locations.
The selection came at the end of a competitive evaluation that put three of the restaurant industry’s leading POS providers head-to-head. Surcheros ran a thorough process, assessing technology, support, scalability, and what life would look like as a long-term partner. NorthStar won the business. Not on specs alone, but on something harder to replicate: a genuine commitment to Surcheros’ success that came through at every stage of the conversation.
With the pilots validating NorthStar’s performance in a high-volume fast casual environment, Surcheros made the call to roll the platform out across its entire footprint. Deployments are now active or underway in more than a dozen Georgia markets, with additional locations in Florida and Tennessee in the pipeline.
“At Surcheros, we have just completed a very detailed POS RFP process evaluating the next generation of POS solutions for our growing brand,” said Jamie Hurley, Chief Financial Officer at Surcheros Fresh Mex. “Our current provider, following its acquisition by a credit card processing company, shifted its “focus” more toward short-term profitability than long-term growth. That misalignment became evident in both integrations and key functionality.”
“Despite entering the evaluation at a disadvantage, CBS NorthStar distinguished itself through responsiveness, innovation, and execution. They came into the process behind in integrations and certain key capabilities,” Jamie continued, “but unlike others in the vendor mix, they stepped up. They built the integrations we needed, enhanced critical functionality, and demonstrated both technical expertise and a genuine commitment to partnership.”
NorthStar Order Entry (Windows), hardware, and services packages are being deployed across a mix of corporate and franchise locations. NorthStar Pay is integrated directly into the platform at participating locations, consolidating payment processing under one system and eliminating the vendor fragmentation that plagues growing chains.
For a franchise operator like Surcheros, consistency is everything. NorthStar’s enterprise configuration tools allow the brand to push menu updates, pricing changes, and operational settings from a single point, giving corporate the control it needs while giving individual operators the reliability they depend on every shift.
“Surcheros is a brand that’s done the hard work right, they built something people love, they figured out how to franchise it, and now they’re scaling it. That’s exactly who NorthStar is built for. When a brand like this trusts you with their technology across 40-plus locations, you don’t take that lightly. We’re not just a vendor to them. We’re the system their operators open with every morning and close with every night.” — Jeremy Julian, CRO, CBS NorthStar
The Surcheros selection reflects a shift in how growth-stage restaurant brands are evaluating technology partners. With dozens of POS options on the market, price and features are table stakes. What operators increasingly cite as the deciding factor is partnership, and the confidence that the vendor they choose will show up when something goes wrong, invest in understanding the brand’s specific needs, and evolve alongside the business. For mid-size regional chains like Surcheros, that calculus matters even more: a technology failure across 40 locations isn’t a support ticket; it’s a brand crisis. NorthStar’s model is built around that reality.
Surcheros live deployments and active projects span Alpharetta, Cartersville, Augusta, Tifton, Dublin, Douglas, Lake Oconee, Brunswick, and additional Georgia markets, with Blackshear, Cordele, Hinesville, Waycross, Perry, St. Simons Island, and Tallahassee, Florida in progress. A Nashville, Tennessee location is also in development.
About Surcheros Fresh Mex
Surcheros Fresh Mex is a Georgia-based fast casual restaurant brand built around fresh, made-to-order Mexican food and a bold, unapologetic personality. Founded in Albany, Georgia, Surcheros has grown to more than 40 locations across the Southeast through a combination of corporate expansion and franchise development. For more information, visit surcheros.com.
About CBS NorthStar
CBS NorthStar is a point-of-sale and order management platform built for multi-unit restaurant operators who can’t afford technology to be the weak link. The NorthStar suite includes Order Entry, kitchenAI, Kiosk, integrated Payments, and third-party delivery management, giving QSR and full-service operators a modern, unified system designed around how restaurants operate. Clients include Biscuitville, Press Coffee, Wahoo’s, Big Bad Breakfast, and Farmer’s Fresh Market. Learn more at cbsnorthstar.com.
