Blackbird lanches a Visa debit card
4 Min Read
Customers can use the FlyCard at any restaurant. Photo courtesy of Blackbird
October did not lack for news in the restaurant tech industry.
Uber and DoorDash announced plans to acquire ezCater and Instacart, respectively, Olo launched its ordering app, and Toast was hit with a lawsuit by the FTC.
That’s about four months’ worth of headlines in four weeks.
And with all of that going on, some notable news also fell through the cracks. Here’s a look at what you may have missed last month.
Blackbird launches a debit card
The high-tech restaurant loyalty network from Resy/Eater founder Ben Leventhal is looking to spread its wings with FlyCard, a Visa card that customers can use at any restaurant, not just the 1,500 or so in the Blackbird network.
The card is free, and there is no spending limit or credit check. Users just have to have the Blackbird app to get one. The FlyCard can be loaded with Fly, which are loyalty points that double as digital currency. 100 Fly is equal to $1.
When a customer pays with the FlyCard, they will earn at least 2x Fly for every dollar they spend. Earning more Fly also unlocks more benefits through Blackbird.
Their FlyCard spending data will be linked to Birdie, a new AI tool within the Blackbird app that learns users’ preferences and can recommend new restaurants in the network.
Popmenu drops a TikTok-style menu
The software company’s new Spotlight Menu allows restaurants to bring a social-media style feed to their websites.
Menu items can be highlighted with a vertical video that also includes customer reviews and other details like how many times the dish has been ordered that week. Customers will be able to add the item to their order from within the video.
The company says the videos will not only be more eye-catching but also help restaurants show up better in both Google and AI-based searches.
It’s the latest digital menu innovation for Popmenu, which built its brand on interactive websites that allow customers to rate and review menu items. More than 12,000 restaurants worldwide use Popmenu.
Ex-Tock chief gets a new gig
Restaurant tech veteran Matt Tucker announced that he is now the CEO of Provi, an online alcohol marketplace for restaurants and bars.
In a LinkedIn post, Tucker said Provi has an opportunity to help bring the alcohol supply chain fully online. The company was founded in 2016 and currently works with about 50,000 restaurants and retailers, 1,400 distributors, and 1.4 million products.
Tucker spent nearly seven years leading reservations platform Tock. He left in May after Tock’s owner, American Express, began to migrate the service over to Resy. Before that, Tucker was president and COO of Olo for eight years.
SpotOn’s new product for Spanish speakers. | Photo courtesy of SpotOn
SpotOn learns Spanish
A new feature, SpotOn en Español, allows restaurant employees to toggle SpotOn’s POS, KDS, back office, and timeclock systems between English and Spanish. Each device in a restaurant can be programmed individually by whoever is using it.
SpotOn said it’s the most comprehensive in-product Spanish offering for restaurant staff in the U.S., based on its evaluation of similar products from Toast, Square, and Clover.
It’s designed to make things easier on employees, about 21% of whom speak Spanish at home, according to SpotOn.
Sauce partners with Grubhub for delivery fulfillment
Online ordering provider Sauce now integrates directly with Grubhub, allowing restaurants to connect their first-party web orders to Grubhub couriers for delivery.
The companies said the more seamless handoff will enable smoother operations for restaurants and a better experience for customers, and ultimately help restaurants grow their first-party delivery business.
The partnership will also make Sauce a preferred online ordering supplier for restaurants that use Grubhub.
DoorDash gets into the insurance business
The delivery company now offers Business Owners’ Policy (BOP) insurance for restaurants. A BOP includes general liability and commercial property coverage and is typically a requirement for businesses.
DoorDash says it can offer restaurants better coverage and rates than traditional insurers. It said it can also speed up the application process using info from restaurants’ accounts and will help operators cancel their existing policies.
It’s DoorDash’s latest move into more parts of the restaurant business. In addition to delivery, the company also offers business loans, online ordering, websites, reservations, and marketing services.
