Aparna P JayanMost of us would have had the experience of not finding the right seats in our favorite restaurants, and sometimes even not finding any seats at all. This can be quite a sad situation. How convenient would it be if we could just reserve them and save ourselves from the stress. Eazydiner has made all of our lives so much easier by doing just that!
The Indian food industry is growing at a rate of 20% CAGR and amounts to a total of 1.3 billion USD. The industry size is predicted to triple in the coming years. This is very much promising and leads to more and more opportunities to the restaurant reservation industry.
Back in 2015 is when Eazydiner was launched. The concept was pretty novel to the Indians as they were not used to the concept of making restaurant reservations as much as the westerners. So, there was not much of a competition for the team, but making the idea familiar to the people was the real challenge.
The Journey of EazyDiner
People in India has always used the conventional way of eating out. No bookings, just waiting for their favorite restaurant to have a free seat. People didn’t even know that there was an alternate way to do things. This is where the story of EazyDiner begins.
There is the hard work and vision of quite a few people behind the success of Eazydiner. Conceived in 2015, this restaurant booking platform was co founded by Vir Sanghvi, along with Rohith Dasgupta, Ruchika Dhamija, Sue itaz, Shruthi Kaul, Manish Kutula and Sachin Pabreja. They kickstarted the company by providing the customers with assistance in restaurant bookings but has evolved to so much more today.
Business Model
EazyDiner is without a doubt, leading the industry to a new era. Restaurant bookings have increased in frequency and people are getting acclimated to the concept. The organization has taken ample efforts to reach the customers in a way that stands out from the others.
One of the main advantages of booking through EazyDiner is that you get a wide range of offers and deals which you wouldn’t find otherwise. This seemed to attract a lot of customers. This is a complete win-win situation. The customers can book their seats proactively and also get discounts as an additional perk.
Apart from discounts, booking through EazyDiner makes the customer eligible for a free dessert or some other attractive deal. They also claim to provide complete assistance to the customers in finding the right restaurant for them. By doing so,they are able to grab the attention of the customers,
Yet another unique feature of the company is that it allows the customers to even purchase the food before hand. Again the bookings made through EazyDiner makes the customers eligible for Eazy points, which can be redeemed by the users accordingly. In total, the concept of EazyDiner allows a hassle free and smooth eating out experience.
Founders Background in the Industry
EazyDiner has the hard work of a group of people behind its success. Vir Sanghvi is an Indian Television and print journalist, who is a very eminent personality in the industry. He is also a leading food critic and has a column in the Hindustan Times magazine called the ‘Rude Food’.
Sue Reitz is a well known food writer across the globe. She was also a person who was very much passionate about the food industry and was looking for ways to improve the experience of dining out. This is how she became a part of Eazydiner. Rohit Dasgupta is the current CEO of the company and has spearheaded many events such as Mystery Box Challenge that helped EazyDiner make an impact on the public. The whole team of the founders are all food enthusiasts and have a collective goal of changing the dining out culture of Indians by taking it to the next level.
Company’s Growth
The dining out culture in India is growing every year and this trend has proven beneficial to EazyDiner. They started out in the major cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, but late expanded to over 100 cities and has made their presence in Dubai too. There are a total of 8000 restaurants listed in their site for the customers to choose from.
All one has to do is log in to their official website and enter your location. Suggestions of best hotels near by will pop up, along with reviews and feedbacks. They have come a long way from making table reservations in 2015 to making serious changes in the eating out culture of the nation. With a company such as EazyDiner making such great efforts to bring people out of their shells and break their normal habits, the industry is indeed on its way to a positive change.
Funding Raised
EazyDiner has raised a total of 14.6 million USD from around 6 rounds of funding over the years. Some of the major investors of the company include DSG Consumer partners, Saama Capital, BEENEXT and Denlow Investment Trust. Among these, DSG Consumer Partners is one of the very first investors of the company.
Deepak Shahdadpuri is the managing director of DSG, and he has played a major role in EazyDiner becoming a reality. Deepak found it extremely hard to find the right seats or any seats for that matter, when it came to his favourite restaurants. This made him ponder on the untapped potential in the hotel reservation industry.
He shared his views to some of the other food enthusiasts and the first spark for the concept came into being. The funding is used by the company to expand their services to cities across the country, such as the North East India. They also increased offers and deals, attracting more and more customers.
Latest Developments
The company is planning to expand there services acoss Dubai, which is a huge step in making the presence known globally. EazyDiner has recently been very much talked about in Twitter, due to their #dudewithasign, where a man holding up a card that says ‘EazyDiner is the only app you’ll ever need to eat out’. This has grabbed a lot of attention from the public.
The competition for EazyDiner has increased due to the upcoming of Zomato Gold and Dineout, which are now offering services similar to that of theirs. With an addition of their prime subscription, offering 25% to 50% discounts to the customers, EazyDiner is also upping their game.