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Restaurant tech startup Tre'dish raising $30M Series A

Richard Collings
Illustration of a hundred dollar bill with Benjamin Franklin wearing a chef's hat.

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Tre'dish, the Toronto-based restaurant tech provider, is raising a $30 million Series A round, CEO Peter Hwang tells Axios exclusively.

Why it matters: Independent restaurant operators need software tools that help them manage costs, like the increase in the price of labor and ingredients.

Details: Proceeds from the round, to be raised over the next three to four months, will primarily be invested in growth, Hwang says.

  • The startup raised a $10 million seed round in 2021.

Driving the news: Tre'dish is launching a SaaS platform today that encompasses a suite of tools and infrastructure to help small businesses operate more cost-effectively.

  • It includes a buying group, where small businesses can leverage their collective power to lower their food costs, and cost management tools.
  • Also on offer is an e-commerce store builder to create a digital storefront, AI marketing tools to reach a wider audience, and pop-up kitchens for food preparation.
  • In addition, there are health and safety tools to help a restaurant operator comply with commercial-grade food preparation standards and regulations.

How it works: In exchange for using Tre'dish's platform, the SaaS provider extracts an 8% commission fee from sales.

What's next: Data collected from businesses will guide Tre'dish on where to launch local marketplaces for these restaurant operators, Hwang says.

  • The first market is being launched in Toronto, to be followed by cities such as Chicago, Vancouver, San Diego and Los Angeles, he says.
  • For now, Tre'dish is focused on the North American market, but international is on the horizon with the United Kingdom at the top of the list.

Be smart: Even before the challenges posed by the pandemic, independent restaurant operators' margins were below 5%, Hwang says.

  • With the increase in costs across the board, 2023 will remain a difficult operating environment for mom-and-pop shops.
  • Meanwhile, the market opportunity to create an independent operating system for these operators is worth some $150 billion, Hwang says.

The bottom line: "Countless food entrepreneurs work day and night, seven days a week, to keep their businesses afloat. This is a huge driver behind why Tre’dish was founded," Hwang said in a statement.

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