ChowNow Introduces First-Ever 'Diner Impact Score' Feature on Its Marketplace

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ChowNow introduces the first of its kind Diner Impact Score, through which diners can see how much money they are saving their local restaurants by choosing to order through ChowNow's app and website. With the release of this feature, ChowNow continues to help inform diners on a better alternative to other food ordering platforms.

The Diner Impact Score, the first of its kind feature in the industry, cumulatively tracks the impact a diner can create just by placing an order through ChowNow instead of other ordering apps. The score is personalized and is updated after every order.

It is calculated by adding the estimated commission rate a restaurant would have paid for an order if the order was placed on another platform - 20% for delivery, 10% for pickup - based on the diner's ChowNow order history.^[1]

"How you order matters more today than ever before, as local restaurants are still in recovery," said J Goel, Vice President and General Manager of Marketplace for ChowNow. "We know that every dollar saved adds up, and allows restaurants to generate carryout and delivery orders that are actually profitable. Ordering through ChowNow is good for restaurants, good for diners, and good for the community."

"This year there was a real push for people to be more aware of what they paid for third-party services," said Marcos Carbajal, owner of Carnitas Uruapan in Chicago, a local restaurant that opened in 1975. "People want to help out. Diners have become more understanding of the situation that commissions and fees put us in. We have saved around $40,000 so far by using ChowNow instead of other third-party services."

"ChowNow helped us more than triple our to-go orders. We would not have been able to do this with another platform," said Jose L. Arellano, Jr., CFO of Casa Garcia's Mexican Restaurant and Cantina. "Because of our to-go sales, we're doing better now than we were before the pandemic started. ChowNow has worked perfectly for us, so we've never needed to bring another service online because ChowNow met all of our needs."

"Our zero-commission marketplace is open to any independent restaurant - for free," said Chris Webb, co-founder and CEO of ChowNow. "They can take unlimited orders without having to pay commissions or fees. Restaurants also have direct access to their customer data and can create more meaningful relationships with their diners. We built this to be an easy decision for restaurants and invite every independent restaurant in the country to join ChowNow Marketplace for free."

ChowNow Marketplace remains the only fair-for-all app and website built for local restaurants at a national scale with more than 20,000 restaurant partners and growing. The company continues to offer its ChowNow Direct product, providing restaurants with marketing software and tools to power online ordering for a monthly subscription fee, as well as the Order Better Network, a standalone product that enables restaurants to set up a one-stop-shop storefront on high-traffic channels already frequented by consumers.

Restaurants can get started today by visiting get.chownow.com/marketplace.

About ChowNow
ChowNow helps over 20,000 local restaurants across North America sustainably grow their delivery and take-out business and connect directly with customers in their communities. Founded in 2011 by Chris Webb, CEO, and Eric Jaffe, COO, the company offers restaurants a range of digital tools and services, marketing support, and access to valuable customer data. From the beginning, ChowNow has been committed to a fair, transparent, and respectful relationship with its restaurant partners. Headquartered in Los Angeles, ChowNow has processed over 150 million online orders to date. For more information, visit chownow.com.

Contact: Phoebe Ng, 412-728-2907, [email protected]

^[1] The 20% value for delivery was based on New York City legislation that was passed restricting commission for delivery services, but commission rates can vary widely - up to 40% in some cases.

SOURCE ChowNow