Menufy sale scales HungerRush to more than 500 workers, 20,000 restaurants, KC co-founder says

October 27, 2021  |  Channa Steinmetz

Sharmil Desai, Menufy

Growth isn’t new to the menu for Menufy’s Leawood based team, said Sharmil Desai, noting the online platform for restaurants had grown to 140 employees before its freshly announced acquisition by HungerRush.

“I can’t think of any point when Menufy has not been adding and expanding,” Desai, co-founder and CEO of Menufy, told Startland News. “We’ve always been bringing in new hires, so we’ve gotten used to managing a company with a growing team. The team here is used to change.”

Click here to read more about why Menufy sold to HungerRush, a Houston-based cloud software provider for the restaurant industry.

Menufy announced Tuesday that its e-commerce platform for restaurant ordering will be incorporated into the HungerRush 360 cloud point-of-sale (POS) system — which is complementary to solutions already offered by Menufy.

Details of the acquisition deal were not disclosed. The local team is expected to operate under the “Menufy by HungerRush” brand.

“We covered two different parts of the market with HungerRush being more mid-market and us being more SMB [small and midsize business] focused,” Desai explained. “We saw a lot of strengths that would be good for us and for both of the combined businesses.” 

“When you look at the combined businesses, the scale is impressive,” he continued, noting the 20,000 restaurants under the unified company. “The team now has over 500 employees.”

Click here to read more about how Menufy grew its operations with a diverse team built in Kansas City.

Although the company didn’t release specific hiring plans, Kansas City can expect to see more local job openings, Desai said.

“We have some job postings that are still open, and we definitely want to fill them,” he added. “We’re just going to keep growing.”

HungerRush’s headquarters is expected to remain in Houston, but Leawood, Kansas, will be added to the company’s list of offices. Other locations include: India, Austin, New York and Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

As organizational changes lie ahead for the company, Desai said, the Menufy team is ready to dive in while still focusing on its business and customers — old and new.

“We’re really excited about the acquisition,” Desai said. “I think it’s going to be great for our employees; I think it’s going to be great for our customers; and I think it’s going to be great for Kansas City.”

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

startland-tip-jar

TIP JAR

Did you enjoy this post? Show your support by becoming a member or buying us a coffee.

Tagged , ,
Featured Business
    Featured Founder

      2021 Startups to Watch

        stats here

        Related Posts on Startland News

        JUMP GEO

        Fund Me, KC: JUMP GEO uses whole-body movement to teach kids geography

        By Tommy Felts | March 22, 2018

        Editor’s note: Startland News is continuing its ‘Fund Me, KC’ feature to highlight area entrepreneurial efforts to accelerate businesses or projects. If you or your startup is running a crowdfunding campaign, let us know by contacting news@startlandnews.com. Today’s featured campaign from Kansas City-based JUMP GEO spotlights a product to teach young people (and adults) about…

        Melissa Roberts, the Enterprise Center in Johnson County, and Bek Abdullayev, Super Dispatch

        Immigrant entrepreneurs need path to US now, GOP senator behind Startup Act says

        By Tommy Felts | March 21, 2018

        Editor’s note: The following story on Jerry Moran’s Startup Act is part of a three-part series on the potential for immigrant or foreign-born entrepreneurs to help reshape Kansas City’s startup ecosystem. Read a warning from a leading Kansas City tech CEO about coming challenges within the local talent pipeline here. Check out a feature on…

        Neelima Parasker, SnapIT Solutions, talent pipeline

        CEO warning: Talent pipeline collapsing with fewer immigrants; tech training needed at home

        By Tommy Felts | March 21, 2018

        Editor’s note: The following story on challenges within KC’s talent pipeline is part of a three-part series on the potential for immigrant or foreign-born entrepreneurs to help reshape Kansas City’s startup ecosystem. Read more about how a Kansas senator’s Startup Act legislation could reduce barriers here. Check out a feature on an immigrant entrepreneur who…

        Leonard Graham and Hagos Andebrhan, co-owners of Taliaferro & Browne

        Engineering KC: Global talent builds success for Taliaferro & Browne

        By Tommy Felts | March 21, 2018

        Editor’s note: The following feature on Taliaferro & Browne is part of a three-part series on the potential for immigrant or foreign-born entrepreneurs to help reshape Kansas City’s startup ecosystem. Read more about how a Kansas senator’s Startup Act legislation could reduce barriers here. Check out a warning from a leading Kansas City tech CEO…