Delivered food apps are convenient for customers but can cause headaches for restaurants. Commissions can be as high as 40%, and there is not much to help you build loyalty. Tablevibe is based in Singapore and aims to reduce the dependence on third-party delivery services and increase their return customers and direct orders. This startup is part of Y Combinators' current batch. It will host its Demo Day at end of the month.Two former Googlers are part of Tablevibes' founding team: JeroenRutten, who was previously head of Google Searchs product strategies in APAC and Sneep. He was responsible for the company's app development strategy and managed large sales teams. Guido Caldara is the chief technology officer at Tablevibes and a teacher at Le Wagon's coding bootcamp.Rutten, the chief executive officer of Tablevibe, saw a restaurant in Singapore using paper feedback forms. This inspired Rutten to create Tablevibe.TechCrunch asked him if he thought that if they used a paper feedback form, it would create a lot more hassle than entering all the data into Excel spreadsheets. How is the restaurant owner going get real feedback from customers based on Excel spreadsheet data?The first version of Tablevibe was developed by the team using simple Google Forms to allow dine-in customers as well as Google Data Studio dashboards. It was tested with three restaurants before COVID-19. The team discovered that Tablevibe was more effective than paper forms and had the advantage of creating repeat customers. They also found that they were given incentives to fill out surveys.The pandemic struck, and restaurants were forced to shift to delivery. While the team retained the same concept behind their feedback forms they started using QR codes attached to takeout containers. Customers can scan the QR codes and complete a survey to receive a discount or free item. However, they cannot be used through third-party delivery apps. Only direct orders at the restaurant are eligible for the discount or free item.Restaurants have the option to customize surveys. However, about 80% of respondents use Tablevibes templates. These are easy to use and quick to complete. Most questions only ask for a rating between one to five stars. Customers can also fill out an optional form to share their opinions. For dine-in, customers fill in their names and email addresses and then rate the food and atmosphere. Customers are also asked which app they used to order delivery.Tablevibe integrates with Google Reviews. If someone gives a restaurant a high ranking, they will be asked if they would like to make it public. You can also follow the restaurant's Instagram or Facebook profile.Tablevibe caters to dine-in customers by primarily working with F&B restaurants that have multiple locations, such as Merci Marcel and Lo and Behold Group. Most users of Tablevibe's delivery survey are small restaurants with one location. It also offers cloud kitchens such as CloudEats for the Philippines.Sneep, chief operating officer of Tablevibes, stated that a restaurant should be able to build and maintain relationships with customers. First, you need to know who your customers are and what they have experienced. The second part is how you can reach them. We also help customers by providing a reward if they place a second order with the restaurant.Tablevibe has received over 25,000 reviews from customers so far. This data allows the company to determine what incentives might be offered to encourage people to scan a restaurant QR code and complete a survey.Tablevibes founders claim it can provide more than 100x ROI to its clients. Merci Marcel, for example, did an evaluation to determine that Tablevibes had a 103x return on investment. This was based on how many customers claimed incentives, average order values, how many people left five-star Google Reviews, and how much business these reviews drove to their venues.The startup intends to expand into English-speaking markets. It will first focus on North Europe and then North America later in the year. Customers in Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium already use it.Rutten stated that Tablevibe is building its development team with the goal to become a Salesforce for restaurants. This will allow them to increase engagement through delivery and dine-ins, as well as capture data and turn it into useful insights.He said that our roadmap has two levers. One is to obtain more data, and the second is to provide greater intelligence. Tablevibe integrates with point-of sale systems through API integrations. A second step is to draw in more publicly-available data from sources such as Google Reviews. We'll also be adding more marketing tools to leverage customer data so businesses can send emails about new restaurants, etc. Tablevibe plans to also use AI to help restaurants decide what to do to make their customers happy, such as changing a menu item.
