Bite Ninja Secures Pre-Seed Funding for Restaurant Tech

Addressing Restaurant Staffing Challenges with Remote Work

Will Clem, intimately familiar with the difficulties of restaurant staffing, frequently encountered situations where employees were unable to make their scheduled shifts. Common reasons included vehicle malfunctions or the need to care for ill children, particularly during weekends, while he was co-founder of Memphis Meats and owner of Baby Jacks BBQ in Memphis.

Faced with an uncovered shift one Friday evening, Clem innovatively utilized his laptop to remotely access the restaurant’s order system from home, operating the drive-thru. Remarkably, no customers detected that the orders weren't being processed directly from the kitchen. This experience sparked the creation of Bite Ninja, a technology platform designed for remote restaurant hiring.

Bite Ninja's Launch and Funding

Clem partnered with Orin Wilson to establish the company in 2020, dedicating a year to technology development before its official launch in March. The company recently announced the successful completion of a $675,000 pre-seed funding round, spearheaded by Y Combinator, AgFunder, and Manta Ray.

The impetus behind Bite Ninja was to assist restaurants struggling with workforce shortages exacerbated by the global pandemic. Clem and Wilson aimed to enable businesses to restore normal operating hours or even reopen closed locations. Simultaneously, the platform allows workers – dubbed “Ninjas” – to manage drive-thru or counter service during peak hours from a remote location, appearing on-screen to customers through menu boards, as Wilson explained.

“During peak demand, restaurants require a substantial workforce, but it’s unrealistic to expect employees to quickly commute to work for short shifts of just an hour or two,” Wilson stated. “The platform empowers them with schedule flexibility, allowing them to select shifts that align with their availability, and is incredibly popular, often attracting five to ten applicants per shift.”

Expanding the Workforce

Bite Ninja offers an improved work experience and attracts individuals who might not typically consider traditional fast-food employment. Currently, the company’s network of 3,000 Ninjas includes many stay-at-home parents and retirees possessing customer service skills, but unable to work on-site, according to Clem. Furthermore, the company is collaborating with the Nurse-Family Partnership to facilitate re-entry into the workforce for women.

Following successful pilot programs, Bite Ninja has broadened its services to encompass curbside pickup and front cashier positions. The newly acquired funding will be used to expand ongoing initiatives, recruit additional software engineers, and prepare for a nationwide rollout with major food chains.

Since its launch earlier this year, Bite Ninja is currently utilized in several thousand restaurants.

The Impact on the Restaurant Industry

Manuel Gonzalez, a partner at AgFunder, highlighted the significant role restaurants play in entrepreneurship, but acknowledged the devastating impact of the pandemic, which resulted in the closure of over 110,000 establishments.

“Bite Ninja’s solution provides a dual benefit: reducing costs for restaurant owners while simultaneously increasing income for workers,” Gonzalez explained. “It also supports entrepreneurs and the broader community, as restaurants are vital for economic, cultural, social, and communal reasons.”