Smooth.

A modern restaurant technology stack.

Why the restaurant industry?

We have a personal passion for this space, and it's got great economics:

  • Consistent growth
    Even after receiving a cosmic bitch-slap in 2020, the industry is back to higher growth numbers than ever before.
  • Annual revenue +9% compared to
    pre-pandemic revenue
  • Maslow
    At the most basic level, restaurants are watering holes. It's where we gather to enjoy each other's company, and receive sustenance. As long as the zombie apocalypse tarries, it's not going anywhere.
  • Resilience at macro level.

    While money seemed to vanish overnight from the sit-down vertical in 2020, it re-surfaced through QSR and even increased through food delivery services.

Part 1: Positioning Smooth

Leveraging market opportunities requires a specific feature stack to be in place...

Features Phase 1

  • desktop_mac Next-gen Point of Sale

    Improve service. Enable the customer.

  • dashboard Kitchen Order Management

    Clear and efficient order flow.

  • access_time Time & Attendance

    Automated check-in, AI insights.

  • today Scheduling

    Plan shifts & leave with ease.

  • wifi "Africa-proof"

    Works online/offline + batteries :)

  • videocam Surveillance

    Smart surveillance, customer insights.

  • attach_money Accounting & Payroll

    with deep Xero integration.

  • chat Communication

    Integrated "Restaurant IM".

  • view_list Inventory

    Save many hours, and dollars.

Merge related verticals.

Restaurants need a unique set of tools to run effectively. Historically, these tools have been isolated products that the restaurant operator has to pay for and manage individually.

  • POS (per terminal per month) ~$50
  • Time & Attendance (pm) ~$100
  • Payroll (pm) ~$30
  • Scheduling (pm) ~$100


Smooth integrates these verticals into a single platform, at a flat rate of R999 a month ($99 abroad), with no device limits.

Smashing cost barriers.

By re-thinking the architecture for restaurant technology, we've reduced the typical hardware footprint and cost by an order of magnitude.

  • Industry avg. setup cost $15,000
  • Smooth Setup ~$1,500


Even current cloud-based vendors are still using the same clunky architecture, replacing computers with tablets, which really changes nothing at a fundamental level. To truly innovate in the restaurant space, you need to radically transform hardware costs, and take the industry into the cloud without sacrificing offline functionality. We are taking huge strides every day, accomplishing just that.

Runs offline, no problem.

We've created a tiny, super-fast signalling device that routes orders without the need for Internet connectivity or expensive traditional client/server architecture.

  • wifi

    FOH and Kitchen are always connected

    Smooth loves Internet, but doesn't need it.
  • local_laundry_service

    No clunky server and moving parts

    Our tiny order router is a game-changer in POS.
  • attach_money

    Massive cost saving

    A $50 device instead of the typical $2.5K server setup.
Smooth Pi
Smooth Pi

Printers? Bad news.

Most restaurants are still operating with old tech. It's expensive and cumbersome, prone to mechanical faults and pest infestation. But most cloud solutions don't meet the demands of restaurant environments either. Smooth does.

  • wifi

    Reliably runs on WiFi

    No network cables in the roof, just Smoothness.
  • smartphone

    Hardware Choices

    Use Smooth devices, or use our iOS/Android apps.
  • stars

    Epic order flow management

    Performance overhaul, not just "digital slips".
iPhone

Smooth Waiters

Ground-breaking tech in the waiter's hand.

We've developed innovative input methods that allow waiters to enter orders on mobile devices, as fast as they could scribble with pen and paper. No other digital ordering system has achieved that.

Smooth also makes smart suggestions, helping waiters to further improve efficiency, as well as increase up-selling.

Fully integrated to the Cloud

Smooth will connect to the Internet when a connection is available, making your business accessible wherever you are.

Real-time reports

See what's happing with your business as it happens, with insightful reports drawing up-to-the-second data.

Live action

Drop in on your kitchen to see current orders, speak to a waiter on the floor using Instant Message or Voice - you are connected to your business in real-time, from anywhere.

Current Stage...

Right now we are working hard to build the restaurant technology stack that every restaurateur will love.
We fight the same fight that restaurant owners fight day by day, and we've been developing solutions to those problems - from the inside!
There is a lot of room in this industry for disruptive innovation, but hardly anyone is doing more than "iPad versions" of the old way of doing things.

Smooth can propel restaurants to the next level, it really can, and we are right in the thick of it in our own restaurants, proving it one step at a time.

We have launched and are currently in a number of live locations that use Smooth as their primary restaurant tech stack to run their entire operation.
We're making continual incremental improvements, adding new features, and working towards the bigger picture.

Current Sales Model

We are currently engaging in a dual go-to-market strategy.

Cloud Sales

We advertise on Google and review platforms like Capterra to drive leads.

Direct Sales

We approach restaurant chains directly to go after large contracts. We are currently in pilot phase within the Spur Group.

Future-facing

We are actively working on commercials to engage larger strategic markets.

Payments platform

Once we've secured the right accreditation we can offer a broadly applicable payment processing solution to the broader retail market.

Aggregator

Enable restaurants to run their own delivery logistics and open a marketplace that wil bring aggregator costs down from ~30% to ~2% cost to restaurant.

We see our approach to the market as 3 distinct phases...

Phase 1

Re-define the restaurant hardware & software landscape by driving up the value of the software offering while simultaneously driving down hardware and software costs.

How do we do that?

  1. By creating new innovative features that restaurateurs and their teams will love.
  2. By improving [by an order of magnitude] the efficiency and UX of features that most POS apps already provide.
  3. By aggregating features from various vertical markets that belong together but are currently not offered together.
  4. By doing away with old school clunky client-server architecture in favor of smarter modern architecture.

Phase 1, current progress...

  • check_circle Next-gen Point of Sale

    Improve service. Enable the customer.

  • check_circle Kitchen Order Management

    Clear and efficient order flow.

  • access_time Time & Attendance

    Automated check-in, AI insights.

  • today Scheduling

    Plan shifts & leave with ease.

  • check_circle "Africa-proof"

    Works online/offline + batteries :)

  • check_circle Surveillance

    Smart surveillance, customer insights.

  • attach_money Accounting & Payroll

    with deep Xero integration.

  • check_circle Communication

    Integrated "Restaurant IM".

  • view_list Inventory

    Save many hours, and dollars.

EARLY STAGE STABLE

There is a gap in this market for someone to give restaurants all the tech they need, bundled at the right price. It's cost saving through aggregation, but it's much more: in Phase 1 we want to take each of these aspects of restaurant technology a big leap forward and set a new standard. So far, so good!

Phase 2



Our starting point was to take a big leap forward for restaurant software in terms of UX and functionality. But in Phase 2, we want to focus on the more innovative stuff like AI, enhanced customer experience, specialized hardware, etc.

We've prototyped and rolled out some hardware, like our POS and Kitchen devices, as well as our own surveillance cameras (Smoothcam) integrated into the main app, and an early version of our Smart Shelves. But there's much more to do. We can greatly improve restaurant performance through smart hardware, and we can make innovation affordable to restaurants by using modern architecture and open source.

What follows is a rough outline of what we have in mind...

PHASE 2 /automation

  • center_focus_weak Voice and Vision

    We've been tinkering with voice recognition, speech generation, and computer vision combined with machine learning. The effect of these technologies on the restaurant landscape is going to be absolutely transformative.

  • precision_manufacturing Restaurant AI

    If we give the restaurant a brain, it can manage inventory, do menial prep tasks, smart surveillance, customer-recognition, gesture and mood detection, automated cleaning, atmosphere control, energy management, pre-emptive reporting, and so much more.

  • money_off Cash Handling

    Cash remains a loophole for theft, and is the culprit behind some of the most time-consuming tasks. If we design the hardware and software specifically around restaurant cash handling, we can fully digitize cash management and reporting and shut down the loopholes.

PHASE 2 /transactions

  • credit_card Payment processing

    Smooth mobile payment devices will allow us to take full control of the billing experience in-store to avoid device bottlenecks, speed up check settlement and automate cash-up and accounting tasks. This unlocks our most important revenue stream.

     

    * Partially completed, ahead of schedule.

  • emoji_people Customer-facing

    Modern restaurants need to offer customers features like self-checkout, fully digital menus, direct communication with FOH and BOH, real-time loyalty earnings, deeper integration with social media, and much more. In the coming years we want to put a sharp focus on customer-facing user experiences, while taking a slice of the online payments economy.

    * Completed, ahead of schedule.

     

    See example ›

  • account_tree Control Money Flow

    Smooth is already at the heart of the operation. By managing the flow of money from restaurant to suppliers, restaurant to staff, customer to restaurant, etc., we'd be able to do instant clearance between connected parties, provide escrow between buyer and seller, and significantly reduce admin and accounting overheads. This opens another sizable revenue stream for Smooth while simultaneously reducing costs and complexity for our clients.

PHASE 2 /blockchain

  • deblur Decentralized Architecture

    With our own "offline-first" blockchain implementation, we can solve internet dependency problems and lower cloud/server costs by an order of magnitude, in one fell swoop. It's technically still SaaS, but it takes scalability and robustness to a whole new level.

  • emoji_events Crypto-based Rewards Program

    Instead of the same old paper rewards program, we're thinking "the crypto currency of the restaurant business". Customers can earn and spend their coins at restaurants everywhere, or trade them at an exchange for Bitcoin, USDT, or whatever they like.

  • currency_bitcoin On-ramp and Off-ramp

    We provide the on-ramp and off-ramp for restaurants between fiat and crypto, which eliminates the complexity around accepting crypto as payment. At the same time, we provide a means within Smooth (for the bold and brave) to track crypto on the balance sheet without needing your own CA to sort that mess out. We expect this trend to pick up sharply over the next decade and restaurateurs will need a simple way to deal with the related accounting and supply chain problems.

PHASE 2 /hardware

  • devices_other Next-gen hardware

    We believe part of taking restaurants to the next level is to create hardware that's up to the task. Just re-purposing existing products won't get us there.

     

    * Partially completed, ahead of schedule.

     

    People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware. ~ Alan Kay

  • power_settings_new Clean and cheap energy

    Current statistics, as well as our personal experience, clearly show that cheaper energy will go from important, to absolutely critical for restaurants within the next decade. Restaurant margins will not hold up under rising energy prices and its negative network effect. Financing an expensive solar system is also not viable for most restaurants. There are inexpensive alternatives to reduce and eliminate grid usage in the restaurant context.

  • hearing Wearables

    We can improve staff efficiency and customer experience through wearable tech. From buzzing a waiter's armband or smart watch for service, to a real-time in-ear voice system connecting BOH to FOH, to seeing or hearing augmented information to improve customer service. We see all kinds of opportunities in this space.

Phase 3

Goal: deeper integration with industry processes to deliver more value, and open new revenue streams.

  • Fully integrated and automated supply chain, both domestic and international.
  • Supplier bidding, best-price fetching, and automated fulfilment.
  • Off-ramps, on-ramps and liquidity to remove barriers for restaurants to participate in the decentralized economy.
  • Easy opt-in to Crypto ecosystem anywhere in the supply cycle (supplier, restaurant, consumer)
  • Native Crypto-based accounting.
  • Our own PCI compliant hardware that can take over card processing at lower transaction fees.
  • Card processing, linked to Crypto-based liquidity, as an interim bridge from fiat to DeFi.
  • Our own payment gateway with an international focus to position ourselves as a transaction platform, regardless of the country the restaurant is based in.
  • Short term cashflow sourcing at much lower interest rates.
  • Crypto-and-Crowd-based funding/lending initiatives to bolster restaurant cash flow (ie instant clearance DAO that manages agreement and risk parameters).

Unique Selling Points...

  • Flexible meets powerful

    Smooth's design, from the ground up, enables it to adapt to different environments. So while industry trends shift between sit-down, food trucks or QSRs, Smooth is poised to function well, adapting to the environment.

  • Everything in one place

    People don't realise the value of having every aspect of your restaurant in the palm of your hand, until they experience it for the first time. Smooth puts your sales, live order stream, reports, team communication, real-time surveillance, inventory... your entire business, in the palm of your hand.

  • Plug and Play

    Smooth can be set up in a matter of minutes. With an intuitive UI, and the ability to run on just about any device, it opens the door to a wide market - From pop-up shops and vendors, to large chains. Regardless of the type of location, we can provide a sophisticated tech stack to run the operation efficiently.

USPs continued...

Every time we present Smooth to Owners and Operators, they light up, they get it. Smooth is different, because it was designed from the ground up with the insider's perspective baked into how it works.

  • Less work for restaurateurs

    We're talking much less. We save hundreds of hours a year through integrated purchase orders, instant messaging, efficient stock taking, in-app payments, and more.

  • Happier FOH Staff

    Waiters who use Smooth are richer than waiters who don't. We're not kidding.
    We've proven that the way Smooth billing works produces better tips and increased sales, even for less-than-epic waiters.

  • Big Brother mode

    POS systems are passive in nature. You might be hemorrhaging cash, and the only way to find out why is to manually review your controls. Smooth, by contrast, keeps you in the driver's seat 24/7, even when you're not around, through proactive alerts and real-time surveillance.

USPs continued...

  • Level the playing field

    The pandemic revealed the power of large brands to survive tough times. Yet, enterprising independent owners embraced new business models and thrived. One of our key drivers going forward is to empower the independent with the tooling that is usually only affordable to larger brands, such as self service kiosks, customer-facing apps, delivery and driver management, etc. This enables the independent owner to compete on a level playing field with the big brands and make it about the product, as it should be.

  • Improved Ticket Times

    After switching from a Traditional POS to Smooth, we personally experienced an average 4min decrease in order turnaround, because Smooth eliminates inefficiencies and bottlenecks from the ordering process.

  • Fewer Mistakes in the Kitchen

    Traditional order slips and KDS systems are often confusing, because of the limitations of their display format. Smooth's way of displaying orders brings clarity and, as a result, reduces shrinkage significantly.

Sneak Peak

Here's a short video of Smooth in the wild.

Thanks for watching!

You can also find out more about our restaurants (where we actively develop Smooth)

@cappuccinosthabamall  •  @baseatblc

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