NEW YORK, Aug. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nowait, the
first mobile network for casual-dining restaurants, today announced
a partnership with Yelp Inc. (NYSE: YELP), the company that
connects people with great local businesses, enabling Yelp users to
enjoy the Nowait experience of viewing nearby restaurants' wait
times and "getting in line" remotely with the Yelp app. Catering to
restaurants that don't take reservations, Nowait helps them replace
traditional pen-and-paper and buzzers with its front-of-house,
iPad-based system.
"Our partnership empowers us to exponentially expand the
consumer side of our network overnight, while adding immediate
value for both businesses," said Ware Sykes, CEO of Nowait, which
he describes as a 'hospitality-first' company. "In joining forces
with Yelp, we have a strategic partner who shares our passion for
delighting guests with amazing experiences at their favorite
restaurants, nationwide."
As part of the partnership, Yelp will be making an $8 million strategic investment. Nowait offers
thousands of casual-dining restaurants, including national chains
such as Chili's and First Watch, as well as independent hotspots
such as in New York City's Clinton
St. Baking Company, P.J. Clarke's on
the Hudson, and Penelope.
"Nowait shares Yelp's love for helping people discover the best
places to eat. Our partnership expands Yelp's consumer offerings in
the restaurants category," said Chad
Richard, SVP of Business & Corporate Development at
Yelp. "In the coming months, the Nowait experience will be
integrated into Yelp, enabling people to see current wait times at
thousands of restaurants nationwide and 'get in line' remotely via
the Yelp app when there is a wait."
Since launching their guest app, Nowait has seated more than 500
million guests to date and continues to seat more than 30 million
guests every month.
About Nowait:
Backed by Yelp, Drive Capital, and
Birchmere Ventures, Nowait is a mobile platform for casual-dining
restaurants. The Nowait guest app is used by millions of guests to
"get in line" from their mobile phone, while the Nowait host app is
used in more than 4,000 casual-dining restaurants across the
country, including national chains such as Chili's and First Watch,
as well as popular independents. To date, Nowait has seated more
than 500 million diners and regularly seats more than 30 million
diners every month. The app is available for Android, as well as
iOS. For more information, please visit nowait.com.
About Yelp:
Yelp Inc. connects people with great local
businesses. Yelp was founded in San
Francisco in July 2004. Since
then, Yelp communities have taken hold in major metros across more
than 32 countries. Approximately 23 million unique
devices accessed Yelp via the Yelp app, approximately 73
million unique visitors visited Yelp via desktop computer and
approximately 69 million unique visitors visited Yelp via mobile
website on a monthly average basis during the second quarter
of 2016. By the end of the same quarter, Yelpers had written
approximately 108 million rich, local reviews, making Yelp the
leading local guide for real word-of-mouth on everything from
boutiques and mechanics to restaurants and dentists. For more
information, please visit www.yelp.com or send an email
to press@yelp.com.
CONTACT:
Centerpiece Public Relations
Lisa Hagendorf
917-623-7091
lisa@centerpiecepr.com
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visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nowait-partners-with-yelp-to-drive-tens-of-millions-of-hungry-guests-to-casual-dining-restaurants-receives-8-million-strategic-investment-300312233.html
SOURCE Nowait