My Startup World speaks to Zaid Jawad and Ali Sinaei, the Co-Founders of RoundMenu about their entrepreneurial journey thus far.
Please tell us something about RoundMenu.
Zaid Jawad: The diner has a variety of ways to find restaurants through RoundMenu site or app. This includes Quick Search, wherein the user can type in the restaurant name, dish, area, cuisine or theme that’s on the diner’s mind. The user can also discover trending restaurants based on other diner transactions in the last 2 hours, new restaurants, featured restaurants, and top 10 restaurants that is updated weekly. A cool feature which we only provide is Discovery through friends by connecting via Facebook and seeing where their friends are dining. Also, Dine, which is our proprietary guidance tool. You as a diner know you want to order for delivery or book a table. We take you step by step to give you a list of restaurant that you can filter to select where you want to eat.
Zaid Jawad and Ali Sinaei, the Co-Founders of RoundMenu.
How was the idea behind the company conceived?
Zaid Jawad: RoundMenu was an experiment I carried out in my previous company (Zawya). The dining scene online was in its nascent phase in this region with just few players floating here and there. The restaurants did not have any fair representations and RoundMenu as a concept was to give restaurants an identity online. As an experiment RoundMenu was carried out for almost a year during which it generated a lot of interest amongst the restaurants. In 2012 I decided to turn RoundMenu into a real company, got the investors onboard and re-launched it. We started as a restaurant promotion and information platform but we have since expanded to provide diners with a powerful platform on desktop, mobile, and app experiences to fulfill their restaurant needs/questions.
How does RoundMenu differentiate itself from similar offerings on the market?
Ali Sinaei: It’s an expansive and busy market with plenty local as well as international players pitted against each other. However, we differentiate ourselves by offering to the various needs diners have, not just being a delivery or only booking special, we offer a a variety of value propositions which none of the counterparts have. Firstly, it is social discovery, so we have integrated Instagram, Facebook, Four square and Trip advisor, which collectively offers a better indication about the most popular places, photos and reviews. Secondly, we have a robust and seamless booking process. Thirdly, the promotions are strong differentiators which is accommodated by none of the big players in the playground.
Zaid Jawad: It’s your one-stop shop for dining solutions.
Which platform of RoundMenu’s services sees the most traffic? Website or mobile app?
Zaid Jawad: It’s almost even at this stage with faster mobile growth in line with the industry & the region.
Are there any fees involved when it comes to using RoundMenu’s services?
Zaid Jawad: The service is free for all users.
Which markets is the platform currently present in? Which markets do you plan to target next?
Ali Sinaei: Currently on our app and site we cover countries and cities such as UAE, Cairo, Beirut, Riyadh, Doha. Our aim is to continue a steady expansion into all major neighbouring cities and countries.
Who are involved in this project apart from you?
The co-founders are Zaid Jawad and Ali Sinaei. Zaid Jawad was the Co-Founder of Zawya, where he spearheaded the technology division for the next ten years. As a Partner at HBT Ventures, he brings his unconventional wisdom to help lead the technology behind Laimoon and is the founder and managing partner of RoundMenu. Ali started his career with Barclays Corporate in London before moving to head Strategic Planning at AOL UK. Most recently, Ali headed the advertising sales division of Bayt.com based in Dubai but covering MENA. Ali specializes in building commercial teams and structures and has overseen average sales growth of over 100% year on year over 5 years before RoundMenu.
Who is the target audience?
Anyone interesting in eating out or delivering food. It’s such a wide industry.
What is your revenue source?
Restaurants on a performance model (we charge only when we benefit the restaurant and send traffic) and ad sales. As well as sponsorships like CBD and Coca-Cola.
What are your future plans for RoundMenu?
Expanding in other key cities and improving our user experience on a daily basis.
What advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs?
Our advice would be: Keep the user and your clients as your core focus. You also need to be data driven and improve everyday.
