We can help you identify your business goals and challenges and come up with a most efficient solution
2021
NOW
Starter
Starter is a customizable app and website builder. It allows restaurants to sell online without paying high commissions to food aggregators.
platforms
food delivery
Starter is an online ordering solution created by HeyInnovations. With Starter, restaurants can launch branded apps and websites, integrate their POS systems, loyalty programs and QR menus, and use a fleet of partner couriers for delivery.
The platform fully integrates with a restaurant in 2 weeks, customizes the application and website interfaces, and in return takes a 3% commission from the total sum of each order.
restaurants connected to Starter
to start selling online
of all orders come through Starter apps
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01
HeyInnovations has been working with ghost kitchen chains, restaurants, and groceries creating kitchen management platforms, mobile apps, and websites. We noticed that many food business representatives wanted to launch online sales channels, but not always had the time and resources to develop their own platforms. Instead, they would turn to food aggregators such as DoorDash, Grubhub, or Uber Eats.
With food aggregators, restaurants can get discovered by more customers and start selling online in as soon as 10 business days, however, there’s a catch:
Competitive listing. Restaurants in the same area or of similar offering often get listed together. To stand out they have to pay for extra promotion and marketing tools.
High commissions. Restaurants have to pay heavy commissions that can reach up to 30% of one order.
Branding. Restaurants don’t own their customer data and analytics, and cannot customize their appearance to reflect brand identity.
Food Aggregator or Own Platform: Which Should Restaurants Choose for Online Ordering
Learn more
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02
We wanted to offer a better alternative to that way of doing business and came up with the idea of Starter. Our goal was to create a useful no-code solution that would allow restaurants to quickly launch online sales and optimize their businesses with data-driven insights.
Starter digital ecosystem
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03
We already had some groundwork projects that would comprise the core of Starter: a cross-platform mobile application, a mechanism of integration with POS systems, and a design customization function. All we had to do was to bring them all together and add some new features:
Create and implement a custom CRM system to optimize business processes and speed up data processing.
Switch to microservice architecture to withstand heavy loads during peak hours.
Connect external services and marketing tools: loyalty programs, online payment, and POS systems to cover all restaurant needs.
Connect delivery services to provide a delivery option for restaurants without their own couriers.
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04
Branding
Businesses use branding to create a recognizable image, forge a lasting relationship with customers, and distinguish the company from its competitors. Food aggregators not always provide an opportunity for that, depriving restaurants of their unique identity.
Although Starter is a no-code solution, restaurants can still customize it so that their apps and websites reflect their brand identity. A restaurant submits product photos, branded graphics, color palette, and a logo that it wants to have on its platform. Starter designers then add the features to the website or the app through the admin panel, and help create an app icon for Google Play and App Store.
Cafe
Fast Food
Restaurant
Bakery
Main screen
To help restaurants promote their offers and make customers choose the food faster, we placed all the key app functions right on the main screen.
01. Promotional banners
We put promotional banners on top of the page so that customers can view the restaurant’s updates and special offers first.
02. Quick order options
The section under the promo banners features quick order options with select menu items.
03. Full menu
The full menu is located under the special offers and quick order section. We divide all menu items into categories that we feature on top of the menu, and ask restaurants to submit their own product images for better representation.
Main screen
To help restaurants promote their offers and make customers choose the food faster, we placed menu items right on the main screen.
Promotional banners
We put promotional banners on top of the page so that customers can view the restaurant’s updates and special offers first.
Quick order options
The section under the promo banners features quick order options with select menu items.
Full menu
The full menu is located under the special offers and quick order section. We divide all menu items into categories that we feature on top of the menu, and ask restaurants to submit their own product images for better representation.
Ordering
Starter delivery orders help restaurants serve customers beyond physical locations, and gather useful insights into customer preferences. Starter does not withhold user data, so restaurants can study order statistics and follow their audience with personalized offers.
Ordering
Restaurants enable the takeout option to provide more flexibility to their customers: guests can choose to order delicious meals and take them home without calling delivery, or spontaneously order their food and get to the restaurant while it is being prepared.
Ordering
Table ordering helps restaurants keep steady work even when they are experiencing high loads and don’t have enough waiters. Guests make orders in the Starter app and the information goes straight to the kitchen, preventing customer frustration and easing the workload of waiters.
Ordering
Starter delivery orders help restaurants serve customers beyond physical locations, and gather useful insights into customer preferences. Starter does not withhold user data, so restaurants can study order statistics and follow their audience with personalized offers.
Ordering
Restaurants enable the takeout option to provide more flexibility to their customers: guests can choose to order delicious meals and take them home without calling delivery, or spontaneously order their food and get to the restaurant while it is being prepared.
Ordering
Table ordering helps restaurants keep steady work even when they are experiencing high loads and don’t have enough waiters. Guests make orders in the Starter app and the information goes straight to the kitchen, preventing customer frustration and easing the workload of waiters.
Couriers
Starter facilitates the whole spectrum of courier services so that restaurants can deliver their orders without wasting time and resources on third-party delivery. It supports both automatic and on-demand order delivery for restaurants that don’t have their own couriers or need an extra pair of hands during high loads.
Different payment methods for online checkout
Starter supports internet acquiring and allows integration of online payment services. Customers check out with bank cards, Google Pay, and Apple Pay, and restaurants receive order payments in real time.
Notifications to keep in touch
Starter works as an extra customer communication channel. Its customizable notifications update customers on order status changes, new offers, promotions, and discounts from select restaurants.
POS integration to automate workflow
Starter supports on-demand integration with point of sale systems. It synchronizes order statuses, menus, stop-lists, customer data, and bonus points, so that the restaurants don’t have to do it all manually.
Analytics and advertising to help with promotion
Starter gives restaurants free tools for boosting their online presence and monitoring their progress. It integrates Facebook SDK to track ad engagements on Facebook and Instagram, and uses Firebase for analytics.
Starter online ordering
Bonuses
Loyalty program works like cash back: customers pay for orders and receive a part of that sum back in bonuses. Then they use these bonuses to pay for next orders. This way, we incentivize customers to visit the restaurants again and make repeat orders. Restaurants can adjust the terms of the program depending on ordering options. For example, regulating the order share that can be paid with bonuses or using it for online orders only.
CRM
Food aggregators offer little to no insight into the restaurants’ customer data, which we think is not always beneficial for businesses. Knowing one’s audience helps forge a strong customer loyalty and drive sales growth with personalized offers and targeted campaigns.
Starter has its own order and customer management software, Starter CRM. It structures information about orders and customer preferences, so that restaurants can use it to form a closer connection with their audience through special promotions and user-relevant offers.
Customer behavior insights
Starter keeps all the information about online orders. It features a segmentation function that profiles customers and gives restaurants a deeper insight into their audience’s preferences.
Restaurants can view and download this data to launch push-notifications, email and SMS newsletters right from the Starter CRM.
Showing key performance indicators
The CRM also shows KPI’s, such as the number of customers, average ticket, and revenue, allowing restaurants to track their performance and optimize overall business processes.
Backend
We aimed to streamline the platform support and ensure its stable and consistent operation.
To do that, we used microservice architecture. Each service within the program is self-contained, deployed independently, and managed by a small team. This allows us to develop new services faster, quickly fix bugs without blocking the overall development process, and release new features as they arrive.
Microservice architecture helps us make Starter more resilient: it can withstand the load of more than 1,000 users, and take restaurant orders even if the CRM system fails.
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05
Since its launch, Starter has helped over 60 restaurants and diners cut their delivery expenses and increase turnover.
For instance, Pizzateca increased turnover rate 3 times and reduced its delivery expenses from 35% to 14% in just 3 months. And an Asian street food restaurant saw a 29% growth and received 3,054 new online orders after the first 3 months on the Starter platform.
We continue perfecting our platform and release system updates every 2 weeks so that we keep up with the fast-paced industry and deliver maximum efficiency to our clients.
60+
restaurants connected to Starter
14 days
to start selling online
70%
of all orders come through Starter apps
We can help you identify your business goals and challenges and come up with a most efficient solution
