The global experience over the last two years has shown us that one necessity is the digitalization of the restaurant industry. It is in this context that Parrot, a startup from Monterrey, Nuevo León, emerged. They are offering software services to exactly this sector.
Parrot has just raised a Series A financing round of US$9.5 million. The series was led by F Prime Capital, according to Crunchbase, with whom the startup has already raised a total of US$11.7 million. The funding will be used to further develop its ParrotConnect platform, and continue expanding in Mexico.
Parrot Wants To Reduce Order Errors
The pandemic caused many restaurants to enter into crisis. In fact, by the end of 2020 – the year that saw the most critical point for the industry – around 90,000 restaurants closed in the country, according to the Cámara Nacional de la Industria de Restaurantes y Alimentos Condimentados (Canirac).
Those that survived had to modify their business or operating model. Some of the most common implementations were to build websites or digital solutions so that their customers could buy online; expand the number of delivery drivers; and, of course, rely on delivery platforms, said Deloitte Mexico.
While many of these businesses work with the most popular food delivery services, Roberto Cebrian, co-founder of Parrot, told TechCrunch that there are often connectivity issues and menu errors. This has led to 10% to 15% of orders being incorrect and having delays.
The solution ParrotConnect brings to the table (sic) is to centralize all the operations that restaurants have fragmented on a single platform. These include services per-diner, online ordering, menus, kitchen management, payments and even reporting.
There are around 581,530 restaurants in the country, according to the report Conociendo la industria restaurantera by Canirac and INEGI. Of this figure, Parrot is already working with 500.
Parrot is just one of the companies that has seen this need among restaurants and proposed software solutions. Other players include Brazil’s Zak, which optimizes delivery and payment operations.
There is also the newcomer to Latin America from Spain, Katoo, which allows restaurants to have better control and communication with their suppliers.
The company, founded by Roberto Cebrián and David Villarreal, started operating with 10 employees in 2021. And now, it already has 60 people on the team. It also has a presence in Monterrey, Mexico City, and the Riviera Maya.
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