A London-based firm which devised ‘delivery-only’ online restaurants has secured $8m (£6.3m) in funding.
Founded in 2017 by Anton Soulier – an early member of Deliveroo – Taster invests in food kitchens without a high-street location, built exclusively for sales through the platforms such as Deliveroo and UberEATS.
The investment in the company comes from Battery Ventures, Heartcore Capital, LocalGlobe, Marc Ménasé and existing investors.
Taster’s technology allow it to rapidly deploy its restaurants in new areas, integrating across the delivery platforms, and automating the supply chain and billings.
It has its own algorithm that can accurately predict the right amount of ingredients to order and prepare for each of their restaurants’ dishes on a daily basis.
The company said that this drastically reduces food waste, and also ensures restaurants operate as efficiently as possible.
Taster said it will use latest investment to recruit talent across tech and engineering, supply chain and marketing and research and development.
The company has seen a 30 per cent growth month-on-month, and currently operates three different restaurant brands across London, Paris and Madrid, with plans to expand its coverage across the entirety of the cities by the end of 2019.
It currently employs 115, of which 100 are chefs, and has served over 400,000 meals to date.
“Since launching Taster just two years ago, we have been bowled over by the incredible reception our restaurants have received”, said Taster CEO and founder Anton Soulier.
“This is testament to the passion and expertise our chefs bring to our kitchens every day, the huge consumer demand for quality food devised and crafted especially for on-demand delivery, and the benefits of a hyper-local business model.
“Delivery platforms are fast becoming the new high street, and the infrastructure is now in place for food to go online; with Taster, we want to build iconic restaurant brands for this new era.
“We couldn’t be happier to welcome a host of impressive investors with our funding, which will help us reach more people across the UK, France and Spain, launch exciting new restaurant brands, and double down on our technology offering.”