ezCater is a Boston-based company that connects businesses with restaurants and caterers through an online marketplace. It was co-founded by Stefania Mallett, CEO, and Briscoe Rodgers, Chief Strategy Officer, in 2007.[2][3][4][5]
Method
With its online platform, ezCater connects corporate catering orderers and sales representatives with nearby restaurants and caterers.[6][7][3]
It allows companies to review menus from restaurants and then place an order for meetings or company events.[7][8] Restaurants are required to have the appropriate catering menus and web presence to join the platform.[9][6][10] ezCater has over 75,000 restaurants and caterers signed up on its platform[11][12] and its catering management software helps caterers manage orders and deliveries.[13][14]
The website also stores receipts and order histories, and gives companies the ability to let others order food for clients and events with set maximum amounts and tipping policies.[7][15] Once an order is placed, ezCater tracks it to be sure there are no issues.[13]
History
In 2011, Mallett and Rodgers raised $2.7 million in Series A investment.[2] Seven years later, in 2018, the company raised $100 million.[3] That funding round was led by Wellington Management Company, with existing investors such as ICONIQ Capital and Insight Venture Partners participating as well.[13][6] This brought ezCater’s total funding to $170 million with a valuation of $700 million.[6][13]
In 2019, ezCater acquired Monkey Group, a cloud platform for take-out, delivery, and catering.[2][20] That same year, a $150 million Series D-1 funding round saw ezCater reach a $1.25 billion valuation.[2][9]
In April 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic shuttered corporate offices across the country, ezCater laid off over 400 staff across its Boston, Denver, Paris, and Vancouver offices.[21]
During the pandemic in 2020, ezCater launched its app and website, Relish by ezCater, which allows workers to place food orders from local restaurants.[22][23][24] The individually-packaged meals arrive in a designated space at a designated time to cut down on the number of delivery people entering a business.[25][22]
In December 2020, ezCater partnered with Subway to offer a new online catering platform.[26][27]
In July 2021, ezCater launched its first-ever TV commercials, advocating for food as an incentive to motivate remote workers to return to the on-site office environment after the pandemic.[28][29]
In December 2021, ezCater announced a successful $100M Series D-2 funding round led by SoftBank, raising the company's post-money valuation to $1.6 billion.[30][31][32]
