Flipdish deal with Live at the Marquee sees company expand further into hospitality sector

Digital food ordering platform Flipdish has continued its push into new markets with a deal that sees it provide online ordering at live music events.

The Irish unicorn’s technology is being used at Live at the Marquee, giving customers the ability to order and pay for drinks at the Rockshore Getaway Bar via a QR code, having them brought to their table or collected at a designated point. Customers scan a code at the table, which directs them to a menu where drinks can be ordered and paid for by card.

The technology not only allows customers to beat the queues, but Flipdish cofounder James McCarthy said it can also help with staff shortages, allowing bar staff to work more efficiently despite an going staffing crunch in the sector.

“Operationally it’s much more efficient, it frees up staff and it’s a better experience for the consumer as well,” said Mr McCarthy. “It’s just a much nicer experience, rather than having to queue up, especially at a time where it’s very difficult to find staff.”

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The issue is widespread throughout the hospitality industry,

“The constant conversation we’re having with restaurants is ‘what’s your biggest pain point?’. They’re always talking about staff, it’s incredibly difficult to find people to work in kitchens but also front of house,” said Mr McCarthy. “So having this option really is helping restaurants to survive a periods that is probably only going to get worse over the next 18 months.”

Live at the Marquee kicked off with the Coronas on May 27th and ends on June 29th with Olivia Rodrigo. Flipdish will provide its technology to the event for the duration.

“What’s really exciting is seeing the blend between consumers using technology at home on their phones and then bringing it to events like Live at the Marquee. It’s really exciting to see it come to life from an early stage,” said Bryan Bradley, account executive for Diageo Ireland.

The Live at the Marquee deal is also in line with the company’s strategy of expanding its services to other areas of the hospitality sector including entertainment venues and stadiums.

“We’re seeing lots of other industries try to digitalise. Hotels are reaching out to us, stadiums are reaching out to us. Hotels are trying to digitalise room service. They have QR codes, you can scan them, see the menus, place orders. Operationally it’s much easier for them. They get good customer data that they can use to be competitive in the market,” he said. “We’re getting approached by different types of businesses that need to digitalise their consumer experiences. Flipdish has the core product they need most of the time, we don’t need to change it that much to suit them.”

Flipdish, co-founded by brothers Conor and James McCarthy, followed in the footsteps of Intercom, Workhuman, Fenergo and LetsGetChecked in hitting a $1 billion-plus valuation in January this year. The company positions itself as an alternative to online fast-food delivery aggregators such as Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats by helping restaurant owners bring their online ordering capability in-house. The software allows direct ordering from restaurants via a “white label” app solution, enabling owners to retain control over business data while still tapping into the growing market for takeaways.