Settle

Settle positioned itself as a developer of a mobile application designed to streamline the food ordering process at restaurants. Founded in 2012, the company aimed to address the inefficiencies of dining for busy professionals, particularly during breakfast and lunch. Its core product was a mobile app that allowed users to pre-order and pre-pay for their meals, enabling them to dine approximately 60% faster by eliminating waits for table assignment, food preparation, and payment processing.

The service operated in San Francisco, USA, and Kyiv, Ukraine. For restaurants, especially popular establishments in high-traffic areas, Settle offered a compelling value proposition: fully prepaid orders, which reduced no-shows and guaranteed revenue. The platform also facilitated faster table turnarounds, opened up new online sales channels, and provided tools for more effective upselling and targeted marketing, such as offering specials during off-peak hours.

Settle's business model was adapted to its operating markets. In Ukraine, it charged a 15-20% commission to its restaurant partners. In the United States, it employed a hybrid model that was free for restaurants during peak hours but charged them a small commission during off-peak times. Conversely, users paid a small fee to use the service during peak hours and could use it for free during slower periods. The company's journey included several funding rounds, starting with a seed round in November 2012. Ultimately, Settle was acquired by Allset Technologies on September 1, 2015, marking its exit as a venture-backed startup.

Keywords: mobile food ordering, restaurant technology, pre-order app, dine-in efficiency, table turnaround, restaurant payment solutions, lunch pre-ordering, breakfast app, restaurant marketing, online food sales, foodtech, Allset Technologies acquisition, San Francisco startups, Kyiv startups, restaurant operations, prepaid food orders, skip the line app, corporate lunch solutions, off-peak dining promotions, restaurant commission model