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NOMU LABS

#93 Arnau Rossel: How Spanish hospitality is really digitalising


Spanish hospitality is under constant pressure: full terraces, rising costs, and a growing lack of staff. In this episode of the Nomu Labs Podcast, we talk with Arnau, founder of Foodlus, a suite of solutions for HORECA (hotels, restaurants and catering) designed to reduce operational friction through self-service, POS integration and a data layer focused on customer loyalty.


If you work in HORECA, manage a restaurant group, or build B2B products for hospitality, this episode breaks down what is actually working in Spain right now and where the market is heading.



The origin: a friction everyone has experienced

Foodlus was born from a very common situation: sitting on a terrace, wanting to pay, and not being able to.


Arnau explains that the initial idea was simple, allowing customers to pay from their phone and even order without waiting for a waiter. He validated it first as a consumer, and then from the restaurant’s point of view, where the need was even clearer: inefficient service, operational friction, and over time, a serious problem finding staff.


That double validation matters. Customers appreciate it, but the restaurant is the one who decides and pays.



The number one reason HORECA buys technology: lack of staff

The main argument is no longer just cost savings. It is the ability to operate.


Arnau is very direct about it: many restaurants are not trying to reduce headcount. They are overwhelmed because they cannot find waiters and need tools that let them serve more tables without collapsing.


Additional benefits follow:

  • Higher average ticket (around 20% as a common reference) because ordering another drink is effortless.

  • Less friction at checkout and better table turnover.

  • Fewer operational errors.


From selling something unusual to being actively searched for

Arnau describes a clear evolution:

  • 2023: digital ordering and payment at the table was still uncommon.

  • 2024: adoption starts, but requires strong sales effort.

  • 2025: the shift happens. Restaurants are now actively looking for these solutions and arrive with the decision mostly made.


When the wave arrives, the job stops being evangelisation and becomes demand capture and better customer selection.



The POS is the heart of the restaurant: without integration, there is no product

One of the most practical parts of the episode: Foodlus integrates with the main POS systems in Spain because without that, the operation breaks.


The POS is where reality lives:

  • orders enter,

  • tickets are printed in the kitchen,

  • kitchen pass is managed,

  • cash is closed.


Integration stops being nice to have and becomes mandatory.



Use cases: table ordering, kiosks, click and collect, and room service

Foodlus goes beyond QR ordering at the table. Arnau explains several product lines, each designed for a specific HORECA context:


  • Click and Collect for food markets: a generic QR, choose the food truck, pay, and receive a WhatsApp message when the order is ready.

  • Self-service kiosks: the restaurant installs the kiosk, the customer orders and pays, and gets notified via WhatsApp to collect.

  • Table ordering and payment: focused on efficiency and shorter waiting times.

  • Hotel room service: ordering from the room with configurable payment logic.


The pattern is consistent: reduce friction, automate the flow, and avoid forcing restaurants to redesign their entire operation.



The layer gaining momentum: data-driven loyalty

One of the most interesting insights from the episode: competition in HORECA is brutal, yet many venues still do not capture customer data in a structured way.


Foodlus adds a loyalty tool that allows restaurants to:

  • collect customer data with consent,

  • run campaigns,

  • design points or discount programs per venue,

  • connect data to the full guest experience.


The 360º view looks like this:

  • you arrive,

  • you order through the system,

  • you leave a review (connected to Google),

  • the restaurant keeps the data,

  • you receive a campaign,

  • you come back.



Trends: kiosks, loyalty programs and the McDonald’s effect

Arnau shares a realistic insight: in Spain, trends often arrive late, but they arrive. In self-service, McDonald’s sets the pace.

  • First came kiosks.

  • Then digital ordering and payment.

  • Now loyalty.

  • Next: combining experience, data and automation to personalise.


He also points out that countries like the UK, Germany and France are ahead in adoption.



Scaling up: self-service onboarding

A key milestone for Foodlus: the product is now ready for restaurants to sign up on their own, try it for 30 days, pay and manage everything without depending on a sales or customer success team.


That shift turns a semi-consultative service into a far more scalable model.



AI applied with intention

AI appears as a future step: a virtual waiter that recommends dishes based on the customer’s historical preferences across restaurants using Foodlus.


First structure, then advanced features that multiply value using real data.



This episode is for you

This conversation focuses on what is already happening in real restaurants, with real problems and decisions that affect revenue, operations and growth.


Arnau speaks openly about which solutions are working, why restaurants are buying now, and where the real value lies when you combine operations, data and loyalty.


Understand how the sector is moving from the inside, through the perspective of someone who is selling, implementing and scaling a hospitality product every day.


📺 YouTube episode: YouTubehttps://youtu.be/U49ouVhlkyg

🌐 Foodlus website:https://foodlus.com/

🌐 Nomu Labs: Nomu Labshttps://nomulabs.com/

 
 
 

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