A Florida-based startup is giving restaurants a way to keep serving customers during the pandemic without requiring any physical contact, and it is offering the entire platform for free.
The coronavirus outbreak has forced restaurant owners across the country to rethink how they serve their communities. Dine-in service has disappeared overnight in many cities, leaving small businesses scrambling to set up takeout and delivery options with whatever tools they can find. For restaurants in Gainesville and Miami, a mobile-ordering platform called BYPPO has become an unexpected lifeline.
Restaurants such as Dumpling King in Miami, Cilantro Tacos, Sublime Tacos, Patticakes, and Prum's Kitchen in Gainesville, Florida are now using BYPPO's mobile-ordering and concessions app so that restaurant customers can decrease their chances of acquiring the coronavirus by using express pick-up and curbside pickup services. The platform allows customers to browse menus, place orders, and pay from their phones before arriving at the restaurant, eliminating the need to wait in line or exchange cash or cards at a counter.
"Our online curbside pickup service allows for absolute minimal contact," said Victoria Liu, Founder and Lead Designer of BYPPO Technologies. "And as a public service, we are offering our services for FREE for the entire community. All restaurants and customers can use it for FREE right now to help mitigate the effects and spread of the coronavirus."
The decision to waive fees entirely is notable at a time when most third-party delivery and ordering platforms continue to charge commissions that can eat into already thin margins. For small restaurants operating on razor-thin profits during normal times, every dollar matters even more when revenue streams have been reduced to a fraction of what they were just weeks ago.
BYPPO has also removed the technical barriers that often prevent small restaurants from adopting new technology. To onboard a new restaurant, Liu said, no hardware or software download is necessary. The only thing a restaurant needs is a tablet, iPad, or laptop to log in to the BYPPO vendor portal via their website to track orders coming in. BYPPO onboards new clients and can have their online store up and running in less than 48 hours. They also provide custom links to their clients. For example, app.byppo.com/cilantrotacos and app.byppo.com/patticakes takes you directly to their store so that customers can order immediately.
That speed matters. Restaurants that previously relied almost entirely on foot traffic and dine-in customers do not have the luxury of waiting weeks for a technology rollout. Every day without a contactless ordering option is another day of lost revenue and missed opportunities to serve a community that still needs to eat.
"We are also very excited about our expansion into the Miami market," said Liu. "We want to welcome Dumpling King in Miami, and we want to share the news that we are offering this service for free to all restaurants in South Florida at this time. I believe this can really help the current situation and keep everyone safe."
The Miami expansion signals broader ambitions for the startup, but for now the focus remains squarely on providing immediate relief. Restaurants that can quickly adapt to contactless ordering and curbside pickup are better positioned to weather a crisis that has already forced permanent closures across the industry. Tools like BYPPO will not solve every problem restaurant owners face right now, but they remove one significant barrier: the technology itself.
To become a BYPPO vendor you can register on the website at http://www.byppo.com
Also Read: Swiggy and Zomato Among Food Delivery Apps Going Contactless to Assure Customers of Safety
