Weekly Roundup: Restaurant Supply Chain, Choco, Gets Major Boost in Funding
Here’s your weekly roundup of tech related news pulled from various restaurant industry sites around the web for July 19-25, 2021.
Restaurant Supply Chain, Choco, Gets Major Boost in Funding
Choco, the technology company building a connected global food system, announced that it has raised $100 million in Series B funding. The new round comes just over a year after Choco’s $63.7 million Series A and brings the company’s funding to a total of $171.5 million in just three years.
Choco has become an indispensable technology tool for hospitality operators, enabling more efficient food procurement processes and reducing operational expenses between restaurants and suppliers. The company’s core product is a digital ordering workflow and communication tool for restaurants and suppliers to facilitate food procurement. Choco has over ten thousand active restaurants and suppliers on its platform across the US and Europe. You can read more here.
Chipotle’s Digital Sales Rise in Q2
During the second quarter of 2021, Chipotle’s digital sales rose by 10.5% the company announced.
Digital sales grew 10.5% year over year to $916.5 million and represented 48.5% of sales. A little more than half of the digital sales were from order ahead transactions as guests increasingly appreciate both the value and convenience offered by this channel, as well as the added convenience of more Chipotlanes.
Revenue in the second quarter was $1.9 billion, an increase of 38.7% compared to the second quarter of 2020 and includes a 31.2% increase in comparable restaurant sales. You can read more here.
Los Angeles Bars, Restaurants Start to Turn Away Unvaccinated
More and more bars in the Los Angeles area are asking for proof of vaccine and only allowing those that have been vaccinated to come in according to Eater LA.
Places like the Blind Barber, Bar Henry in Echo Park, the Short Stop, and Footsie’s have all decided to ask for proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test before allowing entry to customers. While the decision could mean some customers are turned away (either because they are unvaccinated or because they cannot show proof of their vaccination) precisely when small businesses need them, the decision to only allow vaccinated people inside is being done “in an effort to keep our guests and staff safe,” says the Blind Barber in an Instagram post. You can read more here.
