Fancy launching a pop-up Armenian cuisine restaurant for a fortnight from scratch? Or crowdsource an Egyptian chef to get your dream going in a corner of Koramangala?
Taking the plunge, city-based food tech is about to launch a model that lets you create a buzz, crowdfund and press 'start'.
Simply put, startup Bydbyt brings together micro entrepreneurs like the one seeking the Armenian pop-up outlet, chefs specialising in that cuisine and restaurateurs.
Essentially, Bydbyt becomes a platform where the network of chefs and restaurants can partner with individuals and put their craft and under-utilised assets to best use.
Having already aligned with seven chefs and many restaurateurs, Bydbyt is all set to kick off its platform in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi in a week, informs Naren Sridharan from the startup. “We will expand the scale once the lockdown rules are relaxed.”
Forget the Covid pandemic. Even in the best of times, a good and stable restaurant works barely at 60% capacity.
Why not then let the unused assets help people try out different food pop-ups/temporary restaurants of their choice? “These food outlets in micro-geographies can be put up at a slither of the commission paid to food aggregators,” explains Sridharan.
Online food delivery system
How different is this from the existing online food delivery systems run by the aggregators?
As he says, under the online aggregator model, consumers get only the variety they are offered. Chefs and restaurateurs have little knowledge of these patterns since the aggregators control their data.
Bydbyt’s platform will ensure that the micro entrepreneur gets an idea of how many people in his/her own locality like a particular kind of cuisine. This would mean consumers know that there is now a choice based on their own taste.
Once the entrepreneur calculates a minimum revenue goal based on the geography, interested consumers and the nature of the pop-up campaign, Bydbyt helps in crowdfunding to achieve a minimum viable revenue.
When the campaign succeeds, the chefs fly to the location and execute the operation.