August 18, 2011
Textaurant Wants to Ease the Pain of Waiting at Restaurants, Eyeing Expansion into Other Markets
When I go out to eat I usually have a one-track mind, which circles around my upcoming meal. Depending on the restaurant, I might even know what I’m planning to order before I arrive. Then the occasional ‘waiting for a table’ wrench is thrown into my eating plans. I don’t necessarily mind waiting to be seated, but if that wait is extensive and I am stuck carrying a clunky, archaic beeping device that only works within a radius of 50 feet, I might start to get antsy.
Josh Bob, founder and CEO of Textaraunt, feels the same way. That is why he created Textaurant so that people like me can call ahead or check into a restaurant and then roam freely whenever, wherever, until the table is open. A simple text to your phone will alert you when you need to return.
After a few recent additions, the team of four is looking to expand beyond the twelve restaurants they have already partnered with including local favorites Finale Desserterie & Bakery, Fire + Ice, and Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar and Grill. Textaurant is currently making this all happen as a finalist in MassChallenge.
The texting feature is certainly a convenience factor but the application doesn’t stop there. Merchants that have signed up for the service can push deals to their customers for the meal that night or to use at another time. This pre and post marketing component acts as a huge value-add for the participating restaurants.
Restaurants that have installed the service will be able to leverage it as a integrated loyalty and CRM component as well as to serve its original purpose of acting as a convenient service for the customer. Managers can see how frequently their customers visit the store, at what times, and if they abandon their wait all together for a different option. “The average consumer has a wait tolerance of about 35 minutes and anything longer causes an immense drop off in people sticking around”, Josh Bob explained. If managers know this about the customers, they can alter their services to best service their clientele.
Looking at the future of Textaraunt, Josh Bob sees opportunities beyond just restaurant wait times. His team is looking to expand their repertoire to any service that struggles with the same bottlenecked service such as spas, DMV lines, and more. There will still be a focus on the restaurant business, however, just with more advanced technological features such as location based tools and different channel delivery options.
As for potential partnerships, a logical move might be a player in the daily deal space, many of whom feature restaurant deals quite often. “We’ve had conversations with the big players in the daily deal space, as we recognize the value they bring” Josh Bob told me. He went on to explain that when Textaurant is ready, they will look to make the right partnerships, either in the daily deal space or somewhere else.
Some exciting things are brewing for this young company and as they make their way into your favorite local restaurants, make sure to get on Textaurant so you never have to carry around a beeper again.