Lunchbox Technologies

Lunchbox builds in-house ordering solutions on restaurant websites and apps to facilitate direct ordering by customers and reduce dependency on third-party apps. As per the company, it has been able to bring down the process of building ordering systems for customers to 44 days from the initial 100 days.  As of August 2022, Lunchbox is slated to process over half a billion doll ars in restaurant sales per month.

In August 2021, the company acquired Spread, an online marketplace that connects restaurants (over 1,500 restaurants in New York) with diners. The acquisition will create a commission-free food delivery platform, with Lunchbox’s software processing the transactions while Spread will handle the deliveries. The acquisition will transition Lunchbox beyond a white-labeled ordering platform. The company, which currently services multi-unit restaurant chains such as Bareburger and Fuku, will widen its customer base to mom-and-pop eateries and independent, single-location restaurants. In June 2022, the company acquired the North Carolina-based enterprise digital ordering provider NovaDine. The acquisition was to enable the company to offer an enterprise solution that enables restaurant operators to manage all digital guest experiences from a single operating system across the entire customer lifecycle. In the same month the company launched Lunchbox Essential, a commission-free online ordering site for mom and pop stores, which allows users to create their own online ordering sites. In April 2023, Lunchbox announced the launch of “OPEN Payments” ecosystem, a solution which enables restaurants to select their preferred credit card payment processor for all online and mobile app orders. 

Key customers and partnerships

Lunchbox has autonomous delivery partnerships with the food services and facilities management company Sodexo and the delivery robot provider Kiwibot to pursue autonomous food delivery. The company’s enterprise clients include large American chain restaurants such as Firehouse Subs (operates over 1,200 restaurant units), Steak 'n Shake, Braum's, Taco Bueno, Frisch's, and Torchy's Tacos. 

Funding and financials

In February 2022, the company raised USD 50 million in a Series B funding round led by Coatue. The proceeds were to be used to expand into mid-market, enterprise customers, and cloud kitchens. The company also planned to invest in product R&D and make additions to its current workforce, which has grown significantly during the last few years to ~250 (from 51) across the US, Canada, and the UK.