Leawood-based online restaurant platform Menufy acquired by hungry Houston cloud company
October 26, 2021 | Startland News Staff
A rapidly scaling Leawood tech company that helped dozens of Kansas City restaurants, as well as eateries across 3,000 other cities, survive the pandemic has sold to a Houston-based cloud software provider for the restaurant industry.
Sharmil Desai, Menufy
Menufy’s vast online food ordering platform and network is expected to be incorporated into the HungerRush 360 cloud POS system as part of the undisclosed deal, which was announced Tuesday morning. The move is expected to help tens of thousands of restaurants grow their businesses, expand their capabilities and improve their profit margins, the companies said in a press release.
Click here to read more about how Menufy scaled its operations with a diverse team built in Kansas City.
“HungerRush opens a multitude of doors for the Menufy team and our customers,” said Sharmil Desai, co-founder and CEO of Menufy. “By joining a company with an impressive roster of both technology offerings and restaurant customers, Menufy’s customers now have access to a holistic suite of solutions and deep industry expertise designed to strengthen restaurant operations and improve business outcomes. Together, HungerRush and Menufy will bring restaurateurs seamless mobile and online ordering capabilities, with the goal of ultimately empowering them to grow independently and rapidly.”
Since 2009, Menufy has been helping independently-owned restaurants drive both growth and profitability through transparent pricing, a compelling online website and mobile app ordering experience designed around a restaurant’s brand. Menufy is led by Desai and Susan Escher, CFO and head of strategy.
The company supports more than 12,000 independently owned restaurants and was named one of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce’ 2021 Top 10 Small Businesses — putting the company in the running for its coveted Mr. K Small Business of the Year Award.
Ashishh Desai, Menufy
Menufy’s foundation of adaptability is one of the key reasons the bootstrapped-company thrived in the heaviest days of the pandemic, co-founder and director of sales Ashishh Desai told Startland News this summer, citing a quick rollout of features that streamlined curbside delivery and contactless pickup services for locally owned restaurants in 3,000 cities nationwide.
“From the beginning, we’ve always talked to our clients about what they needed and just adjusted the software to make sure we’re meeting the needs of the majority of our customers,” he said.
In addition to having access to HungerRush’s cloud POS system, Menufy’s customers now will have access to additional integrated cloud solutions including AI-driven text ordering, marketing and delivery.
Click here to learn more about HungerRush and its focus on data-driven restaurant management, and machine learning-empowered ordering solutions
“Today’s news to acquire Menufy further builds out our portfolio with the talent and technology capabilities to continue meeting the fast-growing needs of our restaurant customers,” said Perry Turbes, CEO of HungerRush. “The addition of Menufy’s proven online ordering offerings further helps HungerRush’s customers navigate an ever-changing industry landscape. This is a time when restaurants are embracing innovation and digital solutions more than ever. This acquisition expands HungerRush’s market presence and allows us to offer our combined customers one place for a complete all-in-one solution.”
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
2021 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Sit Foundry takes a stand for ‘lost art’ of upholstery amid fast furniture’s climate threat
Alex Krause Matlack is bringing what she teaches in the classroom to Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as she pursues Sit Foundry — an all-inclusive reupholstery design studio. “In the first week of my Intro to Entrepreneurship class, I tell my students to go out into the world and take notice of the problems they face.…
De-risking a dangerous job: How a window washing startup is raising the bar (and hose) with drones
It’s a nightmare to clean the windows of multi-story buildings, said Andrew Brain. “It’s incredibly unsafe for folks to be hanging on the side of buildings — and it’s incredibly expensive for them to be there. Insurance liability has gone up 300 to 400 percent. … I was thinking that there’s got to be a…
Callie England’s latest venture has no name or website; When odds are you’ll die next week, you learn to prioritize, she says
Sometimes hypothetical questions become all too real, said Callie England, a serial entrepreneur who frequently posed a speculative query to herself and clients: “If you were going to die next week, what decisions would you make?” It was a question she was forced to answer honestly in July 2021, when the veteran Kansas City startup…
Wingman’s twice-fried chicken flies south, finding its sweet spot in Johnson County
A pandemic-battered, Westport fried chicken restaurant is on the move, chasing new opportunities in Overland Park and frying up a second chance that could be the secret ingredient to franchise expansion, its owner said. “Wingman is the food provider for the entire district,” said Duane Jordan, owner of a Wingman Kitchen franchise, detailing the restaurant’s…