Three entrepreneurs are launching an app which they hope will help restaurants, cafes and takeaways recover post-Covid-19.
Ali Datoo, Thomas Edde and George Martin say their app, called eKitchenette, helps food businesses upload menus and special dishes, which social media influencers can then choose to promote on their Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, or Twitter feeds.
If the influencer’s followers like what they seem they can click on a link attached to the post to arrange a delivery, a click & collect, and advance order, or make a reservation at the featured restaurant to dine in.
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Influencers get a fee of up to 10 per cent of the price of any food ordered, while eKitchenette takes a 10 per cent fee on each order.
The new tool will be unveiled on Thursday at an accelerator demo day being organised by Leicester Startups Accelerator, which supports local businesses through mentorship, networking, peer support and funding.
Thomas Edde said: “In a nutshell, eKitchenette combines the incredible force of influencer marketing and online ordering.
“We aim to build a trusted community between food business owners, influencers, and of course the consumers.”
The team want to have dedicated account executives in each town or city who are responsible for getting local food businesses on board.
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In turn, they will help influencers sign up to the digital platform and guide them through using the app.
Co-founders Ali Datoo and Thomas Edde came up with the idea because they wanted to help the food industry after striving to make their own projects work.
They then brought in George Martin, who has experience in vegan food alongside his family’s takeaway business.
Mr Datoo said: “We started to make sense of the intricate connections between restaurants, influencers and consumers and discuss issues and concerns in the food industry, so that we could build ideal solutions for them.”
Thomas Edde said: “Essentially we aim to take some of the stress away from managers during this tough time in the food industry by taking care of the marketing.
“Thanks to the engagement data collected on the eKitchenette platform, restaurants will gain a much better understanding of their customers and can create marketing activities around their business, meaning they save time and money on things like customer acquisition, promotion, and expenses related to IT.
“We were delighted to be selected as part of the Leicester Startups Accelerator Programme and want to thank them from the bottom of our hearts.
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“We went through a six-week intensive program, where we were provided with mentorship workshops and a great database source of potential experts to reach out to for advice while building eKitchenette.”
“Leicester Startups not only believed in us, but really helped us in our journey towards building a solid foundation and equipping us with the tools needed to meet our stakeholders: restaurants and influencers – and of course, consumers’ expectations.”
The app’s next phase is to launch a pilot programme in Leicester.
The Leicester Startups Accelerator is being funded by the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership’s Business Gateway Growth Hub, and supported by the British Business Bank.
Leicester Startups spokesman Manish Verma said: “We at Leicester Startups love shouting about innovative new businesses that come from our city.
“Our accelerator programme started in February and took 14 new businesses – of which eKitchenette is one – on a six-week programme of developing their startups.
“We’ve been delighted with the progress that Thomas, Ali and George have made and we’re really looking forward to hearing more from them at our Demo Day.”
A shortlisted group of the startups will go through to the Demo Day final session, where they’ll have the chance to pitch to a panel of professional investors and expert entrepreneurs.