Union Square Hospitality Group and Affiliates Invest in Resy, the ‘Most Innovative’ Hospitality and Reservations Technology Company in the U.S.
New York, NY – February 21, 2017 – New York based hospitality and reservations technology company, Resy, announced today an investment from Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) and affiliates. USHG is the restaurant company founded by Danny Meyer, and owns and operates some of New York City’s most beloved restaurants. The investment complements an existing partnership between the companies to develop and deploy best-in-class restaurant operations software and solutions.
Number 38 on Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies 2017, Resy was founded in 2014 and now operates in more than 50 cities around the U.S., providing reservations and operational software to fine dining restaurants including Union Square Cafe. The company now seats approximately 1.5 million diners per month at 1,000 restaurants.
The USHG investment completes a larger Series A equity financing led by Airbnb, Inc. with participation from First Data Corporation, RSE Ventures, and Lerer Hippeau Ventures. The new capital will accelerate both engineering and product investment as well as expansion into international markets, like London and Barcelona.
The partnership between USHG and Resy pools the resources of one of the world’s most well respected restaurant companies with a guest and restaurant facing technology quickly becoming known for its industry-first approach to building software. Together the companies have already deployed a ground-breaking app for the Apple Watch, using a variety of data sources to capture and communicate micro-events to service staff, helping Union Square Cafe deliver superior hospitality to guests.
“USHG is continuously on the lookout for technologies that bridge the worlds of high tech and high touch,” said USHG CEO Danny Meyer. “When we opened the new Union Square Cafe we opted to road test Resy and we’ve loved seeing the overwhelmingly positive reaction from our staff members and guests alike.”
“Our partnership with the USHG team has already been transformative,” said Resy co-founder and CEO Ben Leventhal. “As we build our organization, having the company that has become synonymous with hospitality as a collaborator will continue to ensure we ship world class software to all of our restaurant partners. The next generation of software must be built in close consultation with the people and places that will use it. The future of Resy, and of restaurant software overall, is very bright.”
About Union Square Hospitality Group
Union Square Hospitality Group has created some of New York’s most beloved restaurants, cafes, and bars. Founded by CEO Danny Meyer with the opening of Union Square Cafe in 1985, the company now extends beyond the walls of its eateries. In addition to creating Shake Shack, USHG offers operational and strategic consulting, and runs a multifaceted catering and events business. With operations in Chicago, Las Vegas, and Washington, D.C. in addition to New York, USHG has long supported hunger relief initiatives and civic organizations within its communities. USHG holds 28 James Beard Awards and numerous accolades for its distinctive style of hospitality.
About Resy
Built ‘by restaurants for restaurants’, Resy challenges longstanding reservation tools like OpenTable, disrupting the status quo created by clunky, expensive reservation services. Resy uses technology to redefine hospitality by offering a cutting edge real-time cloud-based system with flat pricing, resetting industry expectations about how much value restaurants should expect from technology partners. Resy’s Hospitality Board, which includes representatives from the best hospitality companies in the world, works in close consultation with the Resy team as they build features. Resy was co-founded by Ben Leventhal, cofounder of Eater and restaurant industry entrepreneur; Gary Vaynerchuk, an entrepreneur, investor, author; and Michael Montero, founder of CrowdTwist and Fotolog and noted CTO.
