Leading AI-Driven Chatbot Product Provides Unmatched Support to Restaurant-Level Teams to Drive Guest Satisfaction
OhWaiter Inc, the innovative hospitality company easing the labor challenges and driving profitability for restaurateurs, announced today that it has raised a seed round of $1.5m, led by NYC-based Wider Wake angels. OhWaiter connects customers directly with staff at their favorite restaurant, bar, hotel, club or resort. A text-first communications platform that seamlessly integrates into any POS system, guests simply scan a QR code and text directly with the whole staff, with no downloads required or website link. OhWaiter results in more satisfied guests, reduced stress and headaches for staff, and labor ease and increased revenue for owners. The company’s seed raise is to further scale its operations and launch a new AI-driven chatbot product.
OhWaiter launched in mid-2020, when lauded restaurateur, Jonathan Chu, realized that no existing off-the-shelf technology provided the kind of service that supported servers in the way he wanted to conduct business at his restaurant. Additionally, Jonathan was seeking a way to combat rising wages, solve for an untrained workforce, and fight dramatic labor shortages affecting margins. With that in mind, and with the help of co-founders Tony Abell and AJ Vernet, Jonathan deployed the technology out of his Santa Monica-based restaurant, “The Independence,” with the guiding principle of getting guests what they want when they want it and making them feel heard and happy.
OhWaiter can identify repeat users, helping with real-time promotions, and showcasing staff responses and response times to managers as a way to track feedback. OhWaiter already has a number of direct POS integrations underway, with many more coming online later this year so that operators can have a more streamlined experience and unified reporting.
“After launching OhWaiter in our own restaurants, our review scores went up, we sold 20% more food and cocktails, and streamlined our staff, and our margins are now much better,” said Chu. “The best part is when people text us that they are happy with an emoji because now I have a system that can measure happiness!”
Other hospitality veterans are seeing the benefits as well:
“OhWaiter increased our club’s pool business by thirty percent on the weekends and made our members very happy. It is easy to use, and members can now have service in hard-to-staff areas. We are currently rolling it out club-wide across two pools, our tennis courts, and upper lounge areas. John Myers, SVP of The Griffin Club, one of Los Angeles’ premiere private family clubs.
OhWaiter’s new AI chatbot named Lynda, launching in October of 2022, will act as a virtual member of any team it joins. With the introduction of machine learning, Lynda supports time-based promotions, featuring daily specials, and driving more positive guest reviews on Yelp & Google. Since Lynda interacts directly with the guest, operators can open up more tables and save money on staffing.
OhWaiter is now quickly popping up across the US in golf, tennis clubs, resort hotels, vacation communities, and fast-casual restaurant chains, with the goal of helping business owners improve sales, reviews, tips, and table turn times, while increasing customer satisfaction. With high labor challenges still being a critical factor in the hospitality industry, OhWaiter benefits these establishments by allowing a business to go all scan order pay one day, or hybrid scan and order, streamlining the service process without replacing servers.
OhWaiter is scaling quickly across the US, with golf & tennis clubs, restaurants, hotels & vacation communities all finding OhWaiter to be the solution to improve guest experience in the face of rising wages and labor shortages. For more information on OhWaiter, please visit http://ohwaiter.com.
