TL;DR: I teamed up with Andrew at Boozy Burbs and BistroUX to create a commission and subscription free online ordering restaurant marketplace for independent restaurants in the greater North Jersey area.
There are also no surprise fees that appear during check out for guests.
A few numbers to share:
- It's been live for 100 days
- 50+ restaurants activated
- Served more than 1,000 unique guests
- $100k+ in gross sales
It's called Baboo - www.orderbaboo.com
THE STORY:
One day last April, I went to place an online order with a great local restaurant where I live called Suprema. Turns out… they didn't have online ordering.
So I sent them a DM. They told me they do online ordering via UberEats. Suprema is already priced on the high end of the market. In the case that they raised prices to be on a 3rd party marketplace and / or UberEats was taking 20-30% commission, I just wasn't ok with it.
Plus I didn’t want to pay a $7 service fee in addition to inflated order, tax and tip just save me the 4 minutes it takes to drive to the restaurant.
They took my order via DM (thanks Suprema!) When I went to pick up the order, I realized that all the restaurants in my town do this. I thought “there has to be a better way.”
So I called Andrew at Boozy Burbs and I said “We need to get commission free online ordering with lower fees for guests around here where we live. If anyone can figure this out, it's you and me.” He agreed.
We got on the phone with Indra and Purba from BistroUX, an online ordering platform used by independent restaurants all around the country.
They assured us they could build a marketplace and long story short, they did.
We did a couple of softball tests in late Q4 2023 that worked and decided we could make this happen.
Baboo officially launched in January of 2024. Read the press release below for more.
If you are an independent restaurant located in the greater North Jersey area (this includes Bergen, Passaic, Hudson and Essex counties in NJ as well as Manhattan, Rockland, Orange and Westchester Counties) and want commission and subscription free online ordering with a ton of promotion behind your restaurant, hit us up.
Boozy Burbs launches Baboo - a commission free, online food ordering and food delivery platform for independent restaurants
Bergen County, NJ - Boozy Burbs unveils Baboo, a new commission free online ordering and food delivery platform for independent restaurants only in greater North Jersey.
Unlike the competition, Baboo restaurants do not have to pay a hefty commission for participating and there are no large surprise fees for guests when they check out.
Baboo online ordering - What It Is and Why It Matters?
The restaurant business is tough — there is high demand, lots of competition and small margins — especially when you are an independent restaurant. It's hard enough to operate an incredible guest experience and grow the business while mitigating an ever changing landscape of labor challenges, cost of goods and consumer preferences. But we love it.
Third-party marketplaces have made it easy for restaurants to connect with local hungry consumers looking for where to find their next meal. They are easy to use, have lots of choices and are virtually everywhere. It allows restaurants instant availability to more guests without marketing or employing drivers.
But it comes at a high cost. These marketplaces often demand 25-30% commissions — plus they are dominated by large chains with deep pockets who pay their way to the top of the website with discounts and deals. They are also costly for guests. Once you’ve added everything to your cart to check out, they add a large service fee in addition to the food, tip and delivery.
Baboo eliminates much of this and makes it better for everyone.
Key Features and Benefits for Restaurants
- No commissions: Restaurants receive full value for their menu items.
- No subscription fees: Restaurants do not have to pay a monthly fee to use Baboo. Its essentially free
- Drivers included: No delivery drivers are needed — Baboo’s partnership with a large driver network works on a small per delivery fee.
- No chains: Baboo works only to support independent restaurants. You’ll never have to battle the marketing budget of a large multi unit restaurant.
- No contracts: Agreements are month to month and can be canceled at any time with no penalties.
- Quick go live: Restaurants can be live on Baboo in 2-3 weeks.
- Unlimited updates: Restaurants can update their menu as often as needed at no charge
- Free marketing: Restaurants using Baboo receive spotlight features on the Boozy Burbs website, email and social media as well as on Rev Ciancio’s Instagram and TikTok channels.
- Free photos and videos: Boozy Burbs & Rev Ciancio will visit participating restaurants for a photo/video shoot and provide them to ownership for their own marketing use.
Key Features and Benefits for Guests
- No surprise fees: You only pay for the food, tip and delivery. Pick up is also available for free.
- Discover new local restaurants: For the true food lovers, Baboo only works with local, independent restaurants serving the best, freshest and most delicious food.
Who is Baboo?
Baboo is a partnership between MACV Technology, the parent company of Boozy Burbs, Rev Ciancio, founder of Yeah! Management, a hospitality marketing agency and Cybervation, a tech development company based in Columbus, OH, that owns the easy to use online ordering platform for independent restaurants, BistroUX.
Check out Baboo: https://orderbaboo.com/
About Boozy Burbs:
Boozy Burbs is an online media platform dedicated to dining and nightlife in Bergen County and surrounding areas.
About Yeah! Management:
Yeah! Management is a hospitality marketing agency in partnership with Branded Hospitality Ventures, founded and run by David “Rev” Ciancio. He is a hospitality marketing consultant, customer and technology evangelist at Branded Strategic Hospitality, with more than 20 years experience in B2B digital marketing and business development, specializing in hospitality marketing, content, local SEO, reputation management and demand generation. He helps technology companies, brands and restaurants to acquire and retain more customers.
About BistroUX:
BistroUX, developed by Cybervation, is an online ordering platform used by independent restaurants all around the country. Cybervation, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has been providing technology solutions to businesses of varying sizes and industries for more than 25 years. BistroUX was developed to offer multiple products: online ordering, gift cards, coupons, loyalty programs, pay-at-table, etc. in one package.
Contact Information:
orders@boozyburbs.com
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Rev Ciancio
WHAT DOES REV DO?
*I help restaurants to build guest marketing programs.
*I help hospitality tech companies with lead generation and content marketing.
Need help? Email me: rev@brandedstrategic.net