Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI), the private equity firm founded by restaurateur Danny Meyer, is taking a stake in reservations company SevenRooms.
The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
New York-based SevenRooms is a guest experience platform. It offers tools like reservations, online ordering and waitlists that allow restaurants to collect customer data that they can use to personalize their service and marketing.
It would appear to be a good fit for EHI, which looks to invest in companies that blend tech with hospitality.
“At EHI, we always pay close attention to transformative tech that advances high touch,” Meyer said in a statement. “Far more than a reservations platform, SevenRooms provides abundant tools to create highly customized guest experiences and equips both restaurant and hotel teams to do what they do best—deliver truly memorable hospitality.”
SevenRooms was founded in 2011 with the goal of helping restaurants use data to build relationships with guests. It has surged during the pandemic, with revenue up 300% over the past three years. It now operates in 75 countries with partners including Bloomin’ Brands, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Mina and TopGolf. It said it has seated nearly 1 billion people through its system since 2011.
It will use the funding from EHI to keep growing.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Danny and EHI, combining their industry-leading expertise with our all-in-one platform as we continue to innovate with them at our table,” said SevenRooms CEO Joel Montaniel.
SevenRooms joins EHI’s roster of fast-growing restaurants and tech companies, including Chip City Cookies, Slutty Vegan and Tacombi on the restaurant side, and ConverseNow, PreciTaste and 7Shifts on the tech side.
Past investments have included website builder BentoBox and biometrics company Clear.
Meyer has a history of investing in reservations providers. He was an early investor in OpenTable and served on its board. Later, his Union Square Hospitality Group partnered with Resy to make it the exclusive reservations system for USHG restaurants.
Meyer, who created Shake Shack and a number of other popular New York restaurants, in August announced he was stepping down as CEO of USHG. But he has continued his role as managing partner of EHI, which he co-founded in 2017, and as executive chairman of USHG.
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