Austin Sanders

About Austin Sanders

Hi, I’m Austin Sanders, the Senior Manager of Retail Technology and Product team at Dutch Bros!I’ve spent the last several years at our Headquarters, building and scaling the systems that power our in-shop and digital experiences. During that time, I’ve had the opportunity to help grow the business from roughly 300 locations to more than 1,100 locations across 25 states—and to build the technology foundations that made that kind of growth possible.I actually started my career on the front lines in the DB shops over 13 years, and that experience still shapes how I approach technology solutions today. I care deeply about how systems actually get used in the real world - by customers, by crew members, and by operators trying to keep things moving during the busiest parts of the day. That perspective eventually led me into product and platform ownership, where I now oversee the technology that supports our national retail footprint.In my current role, I own and evolve the core commerce and store technology stack, including POS, Payments stack (card-present and digital), mobile order, menu and pricing systems, loyalty, scheduling and labor forecasting, and in-shop devices. While that sounds like a lot, it\'s an incredibly fun ecosystem to own. I’ve led the launch of several cornerstone platforms—from a modern POS and enterprise payment architecture to nationwide order ahead, digital menus, and a loyalty ecosystem—often starting as the sole owner and builder before hiring and developing Product Owners as systems scaled.What I enjoy most is the combination of hands-on building and long-term thinking. I manage and develop high-performing product teams while staying close to the work: shaping strategy, designing roadmaps, selecting vendors, validating changes through QA and UAT, and ensuring platforms are reliable once they’re live. I spend a lot of time simplifying complex systems, aligning teams, and making sure technology improves both the customer and crew experience.At my core, I’m a people-first, operations-minded product and technology leader who likes turning complexity into something usable, scalable, and durable. If you’re working on commerce, ordering, payments, or digital experiences in food and retail, I’d love to connect.

Experience

1. Senior Manager, Retail Technology and Product Team

   Dutch Bros Coffee

   Jan 2021 — Present

   In this role, I own the design, implementation, and ongoing strategy of all store technology and digital commerce platforms used across 1,100+ locations nationwide. My role sits at the intersection of technology, operations, and engineering, with end-to-end accountability for how ordering, menu, payments, POS, and in-store systems are designed, delivered, and scaled.I lead a team of 15, comprised of Product Owners and managed service providers, with each Product Owner owning a branch of our technology stack (Menu, POS, Digital Commerce, Payments, etc.)When we bring aboard a new platform, I act as the sole owner and builder initially. Once the system is in a strong spot, we then hire and transition ownership to a specific Product Owner on my team, as the system scales.Scope & impact- End-to-end ownership of digital commerce and in-store platforms spanning POS, payments (CP & digital), mobile order, menu systems, pricing, loyalty, and store hardware- Led the 0 to 1 design and nationwide rollout of Order Ahead, owning customer flows, menu structure, item options, pricing logic, and backend configuration across mobile and desktop- Established menu governance, QA, and validation standards to ensure pricing and configuration accuracy across POS, mobile, and third-party ordering at scale- Designed and maintained integrations across ordering, fulfillment, inventory, loyalty, and external partners to support consistent end-to-end commerce experiences- Led technology readiness for 150+ new store openings annually, ensuring systems, data, and workflows were operational on day one- Served as the final escalation point for high-impact incidents, driving resolution, communication, and long-term fixes

Education

• Oregon State University

  Bachelor's degree, Consumer Merchandising/Retailing Management