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

        Shanti Elangovan, InquirED

        VIDEO: Education startups earn $60K in LEANLAB grants at revamped Launch[ED] Day

        By Tommy Felts | November 12, 2018

        The work doesn’t end with LEANLAB Education’s Launch[ED] Day celebration, said Katie Boody. Four of the accelerator’s fellows will continue their startups’ research thanks to $60,000 in grant investments. The entrepreneur-led education ventures took the stage Thursday to pitch their companies to the Launch[ED] crowd at Plexpod Westport Commons, as well as to describe the…

        2017 Kritiq fashion show

        VIDEO: Kritiq designs more emotional KC runway show with Goodwill crossover

        By Tommy Felts | November 9, 2018

        When the Kritiq fashion show returns to the runway later this month, it will be an event styled with creativity and an intimate feel, said Mark Launiu, noting a new partnership with Goodwill stores across Kansas and Missouri. “For me, I grew up shopping at Goodwill, my family still shops at Goodwill, so it kind…

        Sans Bar

        Against the grain: Coworking leader bringing alcohol-free ‘Sans Bar’ pop-up concept to KC

        By Tommy Felts | November 8, 2018

        Entrepreneur events should focus less on alcohol, and more on connections, said Melissa Saubers. “Part of my goal is to help educate and bring awareness to people who are hosting events — and also have alcohol in the workplace — to help them be more sensitive and inclusive for people who don’t drink,” said Saubers,…

        GEW most popular

        On the agenda: What are GEW’s 10 most popular events so far? Practical workshops

        By Tommy Felts | November 8, 2018

        With more than 170 events planned, organizers of Global Entrepreneurship Week already are seeing registration trends from those building their weeklong agendas at GEWKC.org Topping the most popular are GEW’s kickoff breakfast — set to explore the future in terms of emerging Latino markets, transportation and the Hyperloop, and sports technology — and Marquita Miller’s…