ChowNow builds online ordering systems for independent restaurants. Founded in 2011, the company provides restaurants with their own branded ordering platforms - websites, mobile apps and social channels - through which orders are placed commission-free, allowing operators to keep direct relationships with their customers rather than ceding them to third-party marketplaces.
The technical work spans online ordering platforms, branded mobile apps and websites, social commerce integration and order consolidation. The Central order hub gathers orders arriving from a restaurant's website, apps and social channels into a single queue, removing the operational overhead of managing several disconnected channels. The company's stated scale covers more than 20,000 independent restaurants across North America, with upwards of $1 billion in annual gross food sales processed through the platform.
ChowNow positions itself against the commission model of third-party delivery apps: it reports that its partners have avoided more than $700 million in third-party commission fees. The founding story is rooted in challenging those commission structures, and the company continues to operate under new leadership with a stated focus on helping independent restaurants compete with national chains.
