Company: Popmenu
Company Description: Popmenu specializes in transformative online and on-premise technologies that help restaurants increase brand visibility, guest engagement, revenue and profitability. The company is a leading innovator in digital marketing and ordering technology that works with over 6,000 independent restaurants and hospitality groups. For more information about Popmenu, visit get.popmenu.com.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Technical Innovation of the Year - At Organizations With Up to 1,000 Employees
 Nomination Title: Popmenu Helps Restaurants Answer Every Call and Revenue Opportunity
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since January 1 2021, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 197 words used.
Founded six years ago, Popmenu quickly made a name for itself in hospitality by helping over 10,000 restaurants grow their brand reach, customer base and sales. Its suite of online and on-premise tech solutions tackle restaurants’ biggest challenges—creating new efficiencies and producing stronger, more profitable financial outcomes.
Popmenu started by transforming static online menus to dynamic, interactive menus that feature all the decision-making criteria that consumers have come to expect when making any purchase: photos, reviews, ratings, social validation, etc. Each dish is a unique and indexed page for search engines like Google. This increases traffic to the restaurant’s website and the interactive experience translates into higher customer conversions.
Popmenu quickly added new technologies and created the first-of-its-kind, all-in-one digital platform for restaurants with: interactive menus, website design/hosting, online ordering/delivery, digital remarketing, Google Business Profile integration, digital waitlisting and more. In December 2021, Popmenu launched a new AI phone answering product that has been a literal game changer for the restaurant industry, which has been struggling with a significant labor deficit since before the pandemic.
Popmenu secured $65 million in Series C funding in 2021 and was ranked No. 57 on Deloitte’s 2022 Technology Fast 500.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 247 words used.
One of the biggest challenges restaurant owners/operators face is answering calls during a labor shortage, especially when you consider that 42% of consumers will eat somewhere else if they get voicemail.
Popmenu Answering makes sure missed revenue opportunities never happen with AI technology that can field calls with custom responses. The technology can send the caller a link if they want to place an order or make a reservation. It also records voicemails via text so you can quickly see which calls you need to respond to first.
With Popmenu Answering, restaurants are reducing labor costs associated with managing phones and freeing up staff to focus on other priorities. Think of it as an employee who works 24/7, never calls in sick, and answers questions exactly the way you want for less than 50 cents an hour.
Results customers have seen:
The Deck on Laguna Beach answered over 21,000 calls and saved 182 hours that would have been spent fielding calls; 40% of calls were sent reservation links to help guests book a table.
Alfred’s Restaurant captured over 600 reservations in three months, generating ~$41,000 in revenue.
Phat Eatery - fielded thousands of calls, with nearly half being sent a link to place an order online or make a reservation, capturing $59,000 in revenue.
Teppan Steakhouse answers over 800 calls monthly; an average of 25% are sent a link for reservations.
Monk’s generated $31,000 in online ordering through links sent via Popmenu Answering.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 235 words used.
Other players that offer phone answering technology are point solutions. Popmenu integrates our AI answering technology into our platform, connecting with online ordering and automated marketing solutions. Restaurants are not only able to drive an immediate transaction such as an online order or reservation, they’re able to capture guest data and remarket to those callers over time. They’re also able to measure business performance.
For example, Max’s Group, Inc. is a multi-location restaurant group. They created 200 custom responses to anticipated questions from guests and fielded over 35,000 calls with Popmenu’s technology. More than one-third (35%) of the 35,000 calls resulted in online orders. Their Houston location experienced 18% higher sales year-over-year because of this AI technology. Lana Marcaida, Senior Business Head of North America, shared her experience in this webinar, starting at 23 minutes in. Webinar On-demand (popmenu.com)
Another important point on this integrated approach is real-time updates, which are critical for restaurants. The AI technology is connected to their website and Google Business Profile. If a restaurant adds something like “gluten-free options” to their Google Business Profile, it’s reflected in the AI answering tech.
Alex Young, Owner & Chef at Phat Eatery, said, “I love that Answering syncs with Google and online ordering. When we closed for a couple of days, it caught that change and informed our guests as they called the restaurant. We don’t miss a beat.”
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
Demo video: Popmenu Answering Custom Responses Product Explainer on Vimeo
Website page: Popmenu: Answering
Case studies:
The Deck on Laguna Beach - John Nye, Owner: “When the idea came that we could reduce the amount of calls and have the system answer ‘are you open’, ‘do you take reservations’, some of these things that don’t require a human answer, we were excited.”
Alfred’s Restaurant - Linda Prosser, Co-owner: “Answering has been a godsend and saved me so much time on the phone.”
Teppan Steakhouse - Timothy Chu, owner: “Answering came at a great time. Everyone on our team is doing more than one job and were getting called for some of the most simple questions that could have been found had guests looked at our website. Answering being there to filter those questions and make sure the calls that do come through are genuine needs, it makes answering the phone more worthwhile.”
Monk’s - Demetri Kopley, Co-founder and General Manager: “We don’t have a host stand, so servers are the ones answering the phones. Popmenu Answering relieved the need to have someone sitting at the front, which really isn’t in my budget, especially during the slower season.”
Phat Eatery – see quote above.
News articles and podcast:
https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/4-strategies-for-restaurants-facing-labor-shortages/626987/
https://www.fsrmagazine.com/video/never-miss-call-and-free-staff-popmenu-answering
https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/the-digital-divide-3-reasons-why-some-restaurants/426684
The National Restaurant Owners Podcast: NRO #124: Brendan Sweeney | Co-Founder & CEO, Popmenu - Using AI To Turn Phone Calls Into Dollars on Apple Podcasts
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