For small restaurants, cooking fantastic food on a regular basis is difficult, but trying to fill seats and retain customers is a whole different issue. Many of these restaurants are cornerstones of communities, and Ola Ayeni, founder of Eateria, has made it his mission to help keep their doors open.
“Independent restaurant operators and small chains do not have the time, knowledge, and resources to effectively promote their business in this digital age,” explains Ayeni. “As a result, many people stick to the traditional and antiquated marketing techniques, which no longer work.”
Set up as a business-to-business digital loyalty tool, Eateria provides an opportunity for small restaurants to do their own marketing on an incredibly simple platform. Emails, text messages, social media blasts, and coupons can be sent by the restaurants directly to their customers via the Eateria dashboard. Since everything is designed on pre-existing templates, restaurants save time and maximize their marketing efficiency.
“The dashboard is so simple a 10-year old can effectively use it,” boasts Ayenia. “Not only will Eateria automatically send out coupons, emails, texts, and social media alerts, it also sends welcome emails, anniversary reminders, and special birthday offers. One click and you’re done.”
Eateria also has a built-in coupon validation system for users who receive offers. Restaurants can use their landline, smartphone, email, text message, or Internet browser to verify the coupons for legitimacy. To avoid blocking up busy work schedules, the Eateria team provides fast and efficient service no matter what platform verification comes to them from.
The validation service factors into Eateria’s most powerful tool available to restaurants: data collection. Anything sent out to customers is tracked so restaurants know who opens a message, where they are located, or if an offer is redeemed. The critical component to all of this is that the individual restaurant owns all of their data.
“It is absolute, and there is no guess work behind it anymore,” a triumphant Ayeni explains. Having unlimited access to this data allows a restaurant to get a grasp on exactly where they stand within their market to better attract and retain customers.
Other companies like Groupon and LivingSocial collect the same data, but disallow access to companies. Because of this, small restaurants can have a hard time retaining customers and do not get a clear picture of their business as it relates to their market. As an obvious result, profits begin to fail. There is a strong need for a company like Eateria. Small restaurants need to know that somebody has their back, especially in the wake of news showing a darker side to Groupon.
With Ayeni’s model, small business can rest assured their best interest is at heart. Ayeni wants to take his business one step further and use Eateria’s efficiency, affordability, and accountability to help teach small restaurants stronger tactics for success.
The Eateria team plans on taking their service nationwide in the future, and since everything operates on a web-based platform it can be accessed anywhere Internet is found. So the next time you are in the neighborhood, give Eateria a whirl and see what special offer might come your way. You will get some great food and help a small restaurant towards success in the process.
Eateria was a showcased startup at our Tech Cocktail Chicago mixer.