Superorder Receives Investment to Sustain Online Operations of Restaurants

When Raghav Poddar was studying computer science at Columbia University, he was intrigued by the challenges restaurant owners face in maintaining their online operations. A self-described "foodie," Poddar was a heavy user of food delivery and pickup services in New York City. Bringing all of his interests together, the successful entrepreneur laid the foundations for Superorder.

Poddar found a solution in Superorder (formerly Forward Kitchens), a platform that provides restaurants with websites, menus, photos and tools for order management, marketing, financial management and more. Superorder announced that it has raised $10 million in a funding round led by Foundation Capital with participation from Y Combinator managing director Michael Seibel, Cruise co-founders Kyle Vogt and Daniel Kan I2BF Global Ventures and others.

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Superorder Receives $10 Million Investment

The core of Superorder's mission is to help its restaurants grow their business from "off-premise" dining (i.e. delivery and pickup services). While restaurants have been forced to change, the pandemic has accelerated the growth of off-premise dining; two-thirds of adults say they are more likely to order takeaway food from a restaurant compared to before the pandemic, according to the report.

However, Poddar argues that many restaurateurs, burdened by new digital management tasks, are still leaving money on the table. Superorder is trying to make things easier by allowing restaurants to build an online presence, including food delivery, where they can create multiple digital storefronts and accompanying financial and operations dashboards, without having to contact each delivery platform.

Superorder also consults with restaurants, helping them create "virtual restaurants" or storefronts for the different brands operating in their kitchens. Poddar says Superorder uses data science to identify in-demand dishes in a restaurant's delivery sideline and works with the restaurant to create menus and photos for that brand, which Superorder then lists on third-party delivery platforms.