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Microsoft’s Bing Fund announced today that is making a strategic investment in New York City-based BuzzTable, marking the sixth Bing Fund investment since it was started last summer.

Bing Fund, the newly-formed investment vehicle of Microsoft’s search engine that supports mobile and Web-based startups, recently invested in Sonar in Feburary and Seattle-based LikeBright one month prior to that.

The BuzzTable platform consists of three systems that work together: A wait-list system for restaurant hosts, a mobile app for guests and control center for analytics.

For restaurant guests, here’s how BuzzTable works. The host will take down your name and phone number, and a text message notification alerts you to download the BuzzTable app — this establishes a digital communication line. From there, you’ll be notified when a table is ready.

While you’re waiting, the app allows you to see how many groups are ahead of you in line. It also features entire menus with pictures, so you can decide what you want before sitting down.

bingfundFor hosts, BuzzTable makes it easy to see who’s in line. There are also profiles for each customers, so restaurants can see favorite dishes, birthdays, etc. Meanwhile, the back-end analytics part of BuzzTable shows overall wait-time performance, customer data and other valuable information.

The platform is intended to help hospitality businesses retain customers and provide a better overall experience. There are certainly competitors in the space, but what may set BuzzTable apart is that it lets customers communicate with the restaurant and leave feedback, whether you loved the dessert or hated the wait time. It’s a function similar to Seattle-based Talk to the Manager.

Previously on GeekWire: Apps for Autism: Results from a Bing Fund hackathon

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