Founder & Chief Architect
John Giles
Building better POS technology for more than 30 years.
John Giles is the founder and chief architect of Round 2 POS and the original creator of Future POS. With more than three decades developing point-of-sale technology, John has spent his career solving real-world challenges for the restaurants, retailers, resellers, and everyday operators who depend on POS systems.
Explore Round 2 POS
The Origin Story
From Future POS to Round 2 POS
John started Future POS in the basement of his grandmother's home in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 1998. What began as a new approach to restaurant point-of-sale software grew into a globally used platform with an established reseller network and a team of more than 60 employees.
By its 20th anniversary, Future POS served more than 13,000 restaurants worldwide and ranked among the top five POS software solutions in independent industry surveys. The company was also recognized repeatedly by the Retail Solutions Providers Association, earning its Vendor of Excellence Award 11 times in 12 years.
John sold Future POS in 2017 — but he wasn't finished building. He began exploring what he would create if he could start over with everything he'd learned. Instead of carrying forward legacy technology, he went back to the beginning. That became Round 2 POS.
Years building POS technology
Restaurants on Future POS
Restaurant POS platform
RSPA Vendor of Excellence
The Philosophy
Make it better.
A Fresh Start
Starting Over, This Time With Decades of Experience
Round 2 POS wasn't designed to be Future POS 2.0. John approached it as a chance to rethink the technology behind a modern POS system from the ground up — evaluating databases, operating systems, hardware, and printers to find the best tool for the job today, not just what the industry has always used.
Linux-Based Platform
A modern foundation chosen for performance, not tradition.
Speed & Stability
Built to stay fast and dependable through peak service.
Security First
Deliberate, hardened choices at every layer of the stack.
Long-Term Reliability
Selected to hold up in real-world environments for years.
Experience
Built by Someone Who Has Done It Before
Building a point-of-sale platform is one thing. Building one after decades of seeing firsthand what works, what fails, and what businesses actually need is another.
John's experience with Future POS let him approach Round 2 differently from day one. Lessons learned across software development, hardware, payments, reseller relationships, restaurant operations, support, and scalability all informed the new platform — including how it's tested.
The POS Stress Lab
Rather than waiting for customers to discover limitations in the field, Round 2 puts its technology through extensive real-world testing in its POS Stress Lab. Hardware and software are pushed under demanding conditions to evaluate performance, reliability, and compatibility before those lessons ever reach a customer environment.
See the Stress LabBeyond the Terminal
More Than a POS System
As the POS and payments industries changed, John saw independent businesses and value-added resellers facing many of the same challenges. Restaurants were navigating rising costs and shifting technology, while longtime POS resellers watched established products and business models disappear.
Today, Round 2 POS combines modern point-of-sale technology with tools designed to support both merchants and the VAR community — creating an ecosystem where businesses, resellers, and the people building the technology can succeed together.
Explore Round 2 CRMRound 2 CRM brings together:
- Lead management
- AI-powered statement analysis
- Electronic merchant applications
- Portfolio visibility
- POS fleet management
Independence
Built for the Long Term
Self-Funded
Round 2 POS is self-funded, letting the team make technology and business decisions around the long-term needs of customers rather than outside investment priorities.
Employee-Owned
John has committed to building Round 2 POS as an employee-owned company — an organization where employees, customers, and resellers share an interest in its long-term success.
Milestones
A Career Built Around POS Innovation
John Giles founds Future POS in Butler, Pennsylvania, and begins developing point-of-sale software for the hospitality industry.
Future POS grows from a startup into an established restaurant POS provider with more than 13,000 restaurant customers worldwide and a top-five position in the POS software market.
John sells Future POS and steps away from the company he spent nearly two decades building.
After evaluating a new generation of technology, John launches Round 2 POS and begins building an entirely new point-of-sale platform.
John continues to lead the development and technology strategy behind Round 2 POS, Round 2 CRM, and the POS Stress Lab while working with businesses and resellers to build the next generation of point-of-sale technology.
In the Industry
John Giles in the POS Industry
John has remained an active voice in the point-of-sale and retail technology community throughout his career. His work building Future POS and Round 2 POS has been featured by industry organizations and publications covering POS technology, restaurant technology, reseller strategy, and the future of the retail IT channel.
RSPA Trusted Advisor Podcast
Strategy and Leadership with John Giles
RSPA CEO Jim Roddy sits down with John to discuss building Future POS into a top-five restaurant POS platform, the Round 2 POS Stress Lab, leadership, and his approach to the retail technology industry.
RSPA Trusted Advisor Podcast
John Giles Envisions the VAR of the Future
John joins RSPA's Trusted Advisor podcast to discuss Round 2 POS, the future of the VAR community, changing business models, and what resellers need to build sustainable businesses for the next generation.
RSPA Feature
Future POS Celebrates 20 Years of Success
RSPA looks back at the first 20 years of Future POS, including its growth to more than 13,000 restaurants worldwide, its reseller network, industry recognition, and John's role in building the company.
Butler Eagle
Round 2 POS Brings John's Experience Back to Butler
The Butler Eagle covers John's return to the point-of-sale industry with Round 2 POS and the thinking behind his second POS venture.
This Is Round 2
Round 2 Means Doing It Better the Second Time
John has already spent decades building POS technology. Round 2 POS is what happens when that experience becomes the starting point rather than something learned along the way — a new platform, a modern technology stack, and a second opportunity to rethink what point-of-sale technology can be for the businesses and resellers that depend on it.
