Latest news with #restauranttech
Entrepreneur
15-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
How Popmenu Is Changing the Restaurant Tech Game
Tunji Junard was skeptical of a new restaurant tech, but before long, he was convinced it could be a game-changer for his restaurant brand, Steam Boys. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Tunji Junard lost a client — not to a rival agency, but to a software platform. It stung. Junard had been running marketing for a restaurant when it dropped him in favor of a tech tool. But instead of brushing it off, he got curious. That decision changed the trajectory of his career and led to him co-founding Steam Boys, a fast-casual Chinese comfort food brand that grew from three to nine locations. The tech? Popmenu. Built by two founders who spent time inside dining rooms, not just behind laptops, Popmenu wasn't flashy, but it worked. And Junard, once skeptical, became one of its strongest advocates. Related: Jon Taffer Teamed Up With This $300 Million Franchise Company to Build Something Bigger Than Restaurants Tech built by listening Brendan Sweeney and Tony Roy didn't just want to build restaurant tech. They wanted to build it with restaurant people. As CEO and COO of Popmenu — and co-founders — that distinction shaped everything. From the beginning, Sweeney and Roy spent time inside dining rooms, not just behind laptops. They weren't interested in software that looked good on a pitch deck but fell apart during a dinner rush. They wanted tools that solved real problems like clunky menu updates, disconnected marketing and the constant question: Is any of this actually working? Sweeney brought a product background and a willingness to go deep with operators. Roy, who came from an operational mindset, brought energy and a travel schedule that could rival a touring musician's. Toronto, Miami, Atlanta — wherever owners were talking, he was listening. They built around a truth: Most operators are flying blind. So they created Popmenu, a platform that connects a restaurant's website, menu and marketing through email, text, social media and AI-powered campaigns. Everything lives in one place and is tied to real results. What fueled the company's growth wasn't just the product. It was proximity. Roy and Sweeney stayed close to the pain points. They listened, built and kept showing up. "We're not separate from our customers," Roy tells Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ Media. "We're part of the same world." That mindset continues to shape the company. Employees get equity. Product managers attend trade shows. Feedback loops are real. And it's resonating with operators across the country, though not always right away. Related: How This Massive Food Company Turned Its Fleet of Trucks into Rolling Billboards — And the Lesson It Teaches About Brand-Building Asking for help isn't a weakness Junard knows firsthand what it felt like to be dropped from doing a restaurant's marketing in favor of Popmenu. "I took it personally," he says. "But after a minute, I had to admit, I was curious." What he found was more than automation. It was a smarter, connected system that actually showed what worked. That discovery stuck with him. So when Junard became chief marketing officer and co-founder of Steam Boys — a growing dumpling concept based in the Southeast — he brought Popmenu with him. By the time Steam Boys opened its third location, Junard knew the team needed more clarity. That's when they rolled out Popmenu. As the brand expanded to nine restaurants, he finally stopped guessing what was landing. He had real data to work with — down to the dollars. "I used to be a good guesser," he says. "Now I have the numbers." Popmenu gave him back time and confidence. Instead of worrying about every post, he could focus on the brand's identity. What does Steam Boys sound like? What does it stand for? That's what he wanted to scale. As the company grew, so did the partnership. Junard began relying on Popmenu's backend patterns — what the founders call a growth playbook. It outlined things like how big a guest database should be to support $3 million in revenue, or how often a restaurant should message its audience to avoid churn. It wasn't dogma, but it was direction. And that direction changed how Junard thought about marketing. The most telling part? Junard is now one of Popmenu's biggest champions. And the founders who built it aren't leading with hype. They're leading with humility. "Eventually," Junard says, "I realized asking for help doesn't make you look weak. It makes you faster." That's the kind of mindset Popmenu was built to support, not by replacing people, but by giving them the space to focus on what matters: the food, the story and the guest. Related: A Conversation About AI With Sam Altman Blew Their Minds — So They Wrote the Playbook for Businesses That Want to Use the Tech About Restaurant Influencers Restaurant Influencers is brought to you by Toast, the powerful restaurant point-of-sale and management system that helps restaurants improve operations, increase sales and create a better guest experience. Toast — Powering Successful Restaurants. Learn more about Toast. Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Olo stock soars after Thoma Bravo agrees to acquire company for $2 billion
-- Olo Inc (NYSE:OLO) stock surged 13% Thursday following the announcement that the restaurant technology provider has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by software investment firm Thoma Bravo in an all-cash transaction valuing the company at approximately $2.0 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Olo shareholders will receive $10.25 per share in cash, representing a premium of 65% over Olo's share price of $6.20 as of April 30, 2025, the last trading day before media reports about a potential deal emerged. The transaction, unanimously approved by Olo's Board of Directors, is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2025, subject to shareholder approval and regulatory clearances. Upon completion, Olo will become a privately held company while continuing to operate under its current name and brand. Founded in 2005, Olo provides digital ordering, payments, and guest engagement solutions to the restaurant industry. The company currently serves over 750 restaurant brands across 88,000 locations and maintains a network of more than 400 integration partners. "By partnering with Thoma Bravo, we believe we can build on our success to date and accelerate our vision of helping our customers create a world where every restaurant guest feels like a regular," said Noah Glass, Olo's Founder and CEO. Brandon Gardner, Chair of Olo's Board, noted that the company's strong market position enabled it to achieve a significant premium through this transaction, which the Board unanimously determined to be in the best interest of shareholders. Goldman Sachs is serving as the exclusive financial advisor to Olo, while Goodwin Procter LLP is providing legal counsel. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal counsel to Thoma Bravo. Related articles Olo stock soars after Thoma Bravo agrees to acquire company for $2 billion BofA sees improving ad market boosting Roku's outlook as it lifts target Morgan Stanley sees 'a compelling catalyst' for Salesforce stock rally
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Deliverect Kiosk Arrives in UK: The Cloud-Based Lifeline for Restaurants Facing Ongoing Operational Pressures
New plug-and-play solution streamlines restaurant operations, boosts order value, and elevates in-store guest experience LONDON, May 21, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Deliverect, a leading global food tech SaaS company, today announced the UK launch of Deliverect Kiosk, a fully integrated self-service solution designed to streamline in-store operations and elevate the customer experience. This launch, building on Deliverect's acquisition of European kiosk innovator Tabesto in late 2024, marks a strategic expansion of Deliverect's omnichannel capabilities in the UK market, helping restaurants meet growing demand for efficient, tech-enabled service. At peak times, restaurants saw queues disappear and ticket sizes soar 32%, within a few weeks of installing Deliverect Kiosk. Further, early customers noted a 17% reduction in average order time, while 50% of kiosk orders included an upsell and 38% contained at least one paid add-on, a powerful combination that lifts revenue while reducing operational pressure. With Deliverect Kiosk, restaurants gain more than just a self-service screen, they unlock a cloud-based, fully integrated ordering experience designed to drive conversion and scale with ease. Operating entirely in the cloud, the Kiosk ensures that menus are centrally managed and updated in real time across all locations, with built-in upselling and smart bundling to grow ticket sizes, no staff involvement required. Whether counter-service, QSR, or dine-in, the Kiosk offers flexible hardware options, floor-standing, wall-mounted, or countertop to suit any restaurant layout. It supports multilingual ordering, localised promotions, and loyalty integrations to engage customers across diverse markets. Real-time stock synchronisation with your POS ensures diners only see what's available; creating a smoother, more satisfying guest experience from first tap to order fulfilment. "The timing of this launch couldn't be more relevant," said Joe Heather, Regional General Manager at Deliverect. "With the recent increases to the National Minimum Wage and National Insurance contributions coming into effect in April, operators are feeling the squeeze. Deliverect Kiosk gives restaurants a practical way to manage rising labour costs, streamlining front-of-house operations, speeding up service, and allowing staff to focus on more valuable, customer-facing tasks." The launch comes at a critical time as UK operators face mounting pressure from labour shortages, operational bottlenecks during peak hours, and rising consumer demand for fast, tech-powered experiences. With built-in upselling, real-time menu sync, and full integrations with POS, KDS, and delivery aggregators, Deliverect Kiosk puts operators in control, offering centralised configuration, smart product availability sync, loyalty integrations, and access to real-time transaction dashboards, offering greater flexibility for restaurants. It's a unified solution that optimises performance both on- and off-premise, while simplifying day-to-day management for restaurant teams. Key Benefits of Deliverect Kiosk: Faster service: Self-ordering reduces queue times and improves order throughput. Higher order value: AI-powered upsell prompts and event-based promotions encourage add-ons and upgrades. Rapid deployment with plug-and-play hardware: Powered by Fox Kiosk, the most operator-friendly, modular solution on the market. Deliverect Kiosk features an all-in-one design with built-in NFC (Near Field Communication) for secure contactless payments (via Deliverect Pay) and printer-free QR code digital receipts. Its sleek 22" touchscreen is available in wall, counter, or floor-mounted formats, enabling flexible installation with minimal setup. Restaurants can go live in under four weeks with minimal IT involvement—ideal for fast-paced, high-volume environments. Full ecosystem integrations: Syncs with Deliverect's full platform, including delivery channels, POS, and CRM tools. The Kiosk will be offered as part of a bundled product suite with Deliverect Restaurants, ensuring operators benefit from an end-to-end, fully integrated system that connects in-store and digital ordering workflows. Deliverect Kiosk is already available to restaurants across Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Belgium. It is live across the UK starting in May, with further international expansion planned later in 2025. For more information about Deliverect Kiosk, visit ABOUT DELIVERECT Deliverect is a global ecosystem of on and off-premise solutions for digital sales. Its API-first software helps enterprises of all sizes to sell anywhere and deliver everywhere across 52+ global markets. Currently, Deliverect powers 60,000+ establishments, including renowned chains like Taco Bell, Burger King UK, Little Caesars, and Pret A Manger. To find out more information, visit View source version on Contacts Media Contact: Olivia Civiletto Erwindeliverect@
