Most companies aren’t started because of some grand idea. They’re started because there was a problem to solve. We saw a problem in the restaurant industry that we couldn’t help but spend the past few months thinking about it to the point where we realized we just had to start a company to try and tackle the issue, or else we would regret it because we knew someone else probably would.
So what’s the problem in the restaurant industry? To explain it in a few ways:
- Normal marketing channels will just bring more people in during peak hours. There aren’t any solutions that bring in patrons at times restaurants need them when they have available seating.
- Patrons don’t know where there is open availability, nor do patrons ever remember where there might be a great happy hour or special. Never ask ‘where to eat’ again.
- Happy hours are inefficient for restaurants. The patron may have decided to go there not realizing there was a happy hour, yet will take full advantage of it.
- There’s no price elasticity in restaurants meaning perhaps a $5 beer on Friday night shouldn’t cost the same as it does on a Tuesday. Supply/Demand has no effect on restaurants…yet. Restaurants are pretty much bound to their menu and happy hour prices, and there’s no solution that offers pricing agility to fit availability needs.
So that’s why we created our new company, The House, to share with the world (or at least Chattanooga for now). What is the House? It’s a marketplace on iOS & Google Play that allows restaurants & bars to invite members of The House who have downloaded the app to visit their establishment with an offer when they have open availability. The restaurant has full control over what they offer, how many tables allowed to partake in the offer and what times the offer is live. An example might be a restaurant offering a free appetizer or $2 pints to fill their 6 open tables they have within the next hour. Restaurants win because they’re selling their open real estate without having to offer up a special to everyone that walks in the door and members of The House win with exclusive offers to the best spots in town.
We couldn’t be more excited to launch. We have an incredible group of about 25 great Chattanooga restaurants & bars that have believed in the vision of The House and will participate on the platform. Thank you to these people.
If you’d like to help in our humble beginnings, then please download the app in the app store by searching, “EAT ON THE HOUSE”, support your local establishments when they have open availability and see what you can get on THE HOUSE.
Thanks & Cheers,
Matt Patterson & Matt Harb, Co-Founders
