Success stories of apps that take off right away don’t come around very often. Usually, it takes years to build trusting relationships and a solid customer base. That wasn’t the case for Craver.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, mobile ordering app Craver has been making a big name for itself in the restaurant industry. Starting out just a few short years ago, Craver is now a sought after app not just in Canada, but across the United States.
We sat down with Craver CEO Amin Yazdani to get his take on starting the business, what he’s learned from building the app from the ground up, and where Craver is heading in the future.
Tell us about your business? What is Craver?
“Craver is a brandable mobile app for restaurants based out of Vancouver, BC, Canada. We help restaurants create their own branded app with features such as mobile ordering, payment, and loyalty programs. From these programs, restaurants can use that data in a way that works best for them, helping grow their loyal customer base.”
What pain point were you initially trying to solve?
“What's interesting is we started Craver in 2017 as a software development platform. We had no restaurant experience. What kicked it off is we had three potential customers come in inquiring about a mobile app for their restaurants. The maintenance and upkeep of doing it themselves didn't fiscally make sense; they wanted a third party to do that for them. We had an idea: instead of trying to solve the problem for those three restaurants, what if we created an app that works for everyone and allows them to customize it themselves? Now we have an app interface that is entirely customizable and allows each restaurant to have fully customized customer experience within their own app.”
What are some of the clients you work with? And where are they located?
“We work with restaurants and chains of all sizes—many local, well-known restaurants such as Luke's Coffee and the Railtown Cafe. And many restaurants in the states, such as Cosi, Rook Coffee, Coco Dolce and Dry Creek Mercantile. Actually, about 90% of our business is in the US, even though we started in Canada.”
What are some lessons you have learned about building this app?
“We started out with zero experience in the food industry. What we needed to do was listen to customers, which is how we started growing so fast. We took the feedback we were getting and actioned it right away. It created a very symbiotic relationship because what was working for one restaurant or chain could be applied to other restaurants or chains and help them grow in a similar fashion.
It's a very successful model. We started off as a mobile app, and by listening to our customers, we built on what they wanted. We added delivery capabilities, in-store pick-up, dine-in, curbside pick up. You name it!”
What's next for Craver?
“What started as a mobile app has grown so much, and we continue to build, adding web ordering and delivery. We are very excited to introduce an in-store offering built by Craver in 2021 - which will be a standalone kiosk for in-store that allows people to order without a person.
What is being applied to QSRs can be applied to any restaurant now. And same with table ordering services. With the pandemic and moving to QR scan codes and the like, contactless table ordering is really starting to take off, and that won't be going anywhere. Sure it keeps staff and customers safe and socially distanced, but the convenience of ordering your food at the table on your terms, when you want, will be widely recognized and adopted.”
Craver’s business model has no doubt led to their widespread success across North America. As they continue to bring innovation to the table in 2021, we are excited to support Craver through the next part of their journey.
For more information on Craver, please visit their website.