Follow-up: Bite of Seattle attendees fed up with food ordering app from tech startup
A culinary event is returning to the Emerald City this week — with a mobile-ordering twist, courtesy of a Seattle startup.
Bite of Seattle, a longstanding food festival that launched in 1982, is taking place at Seattle Center this weekend from July 21-23. The event features more than 100 participating food vendors and over 50 musical performances, including Seattle icon Sir Mix-a-Lot and a bevy of other local bands. Around 500,000 people are expected to attend.
The event went on a pandemic hiatus and is returning for the first time since 2019 under new ownership.
Seattle startup CHEQ, which sells point-of-sale systems and mobile ordering software for stadiums and restaurants, paid $90,000 to Elliott Bay Asset Solutions to acquire intellectual property and location contracts with the city from Bite of Seattle after it went into receivership, said CHEQ CEO Thomas Lapham. The company is now the owner and operator of the festival.
CHEQ saw an opportunity to boost the event with its technology to improve efficiency and facilitate shorter lines, Lapham said.
“We’ve developed a platform that’s really good at processing lots of people at scale,” Lapham said.
The festival, described as a “mobile-first experience,” will put CHEQ’s mobile-ordering platform to the test. Vendors are required to use CHEQ’s platform for transactions. Attendees can scan menus and place orders ahead of time through the app.
CHEQ created a credit card-sized NFC payment tool for vendors. Customers make purchases on their phones and tap the card to automatically transfer funds to a vendor.
The addition of mobile-ordering to this year’s event received criticism on Reddit. Some users complained about potential network connectivity issues and the slog of having to download an app.
Attendees can still use cash or credit card to buy food, but they’ll need to obtain vouchers at a customer service booth.
“It’s fully accessible for anyone who does or does not have the app,” Lapham said.
Lapham said the city is onboard with the “mobile-first” concept because it is easier to track and collect tax revenue, whereas cash transactions can often obscure transactions.
CHEQ will have more than 100 volunteers and employees helping attendees and vendors with their transactions.
The event is free to attend but VIP tickets ($60-$75) are available. Sponsors of the event include Pepsi, Downtown Seattle Association, and Chateau Ste. Michelle.
This is CHEQ’s first time producing an event. The company’s traditional business is selling its ordering platform to sports teams and restaurants.
Clients include the Seattle Mariners, Miami Dolphins, University of Washington. The startup said its app has more than 3 million users.
CHEQ’s technology includes a Venmo-like feature allowing customers to “gift” an item to another user, like sending a drink remotely for a birthday party.
Founded in 2021, the startup raised $8 million last year to fuel growth through partnerships and events.
Lapham is the former CEO and board advisor of Asia Clean Capital, a solar panel developer in China. He is joined by CTO Jim Castillo, a former software engineering leader at OpenTable; Chief Revenue Officer Jake Stone, who previously worked as CRO at Independent Sports and Entertainment; and Chief Business Officer Jonathan Macey, a co-founder of a London-based startup that modified luxury cars called Evolotu.
