Luke Johnson takes chair at TellTheChef
Pioneering hospitality pre-ordering service TellTheChef has appointed leisure industry entrepreneur Luke Johnson as non-executive chairman.
Johnson, who has taken an undisclosed stake in the business, is chairman of Risk Capital Partners. His UK hospitality industry successes include chains such as Pizza Express Strada, Giraffe, Patisserie Valerie and Gail's Bakeries.
TellTheChef was founded in 2009 by restaurateur Andrew Norton, when he couldn't find a simple system to automate and manage pre-orders at his Oxford restaurant the Jam Factory. The online operation removes the need for manual order-taking and paperwork and generates data and feedback.
TellTheChef is used by more than 300 businesses and venues across the UK, including Malmaison hotels and the Royal Opera House, as well as in Norway and Australia.
Johnson said: "Managing group bookings is time-consuming and prone to human error. TellTheChef makes pre-orders easy and creates a direct link with each customer that helps restaurants grow their customer base and obtain detailed feedback data. As a simple innovation that solves a big problem."
The company is now seeking further growth capital to invest in sales, develop its technology, and refine its data business.
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