So what is Waffle all about? 🔮

Waffle
Waffle
Aug 22, 2017 · 3 min read

Hello people — welcome to the Waffle blog. This is a space where we will share updates about our product, journey and whatever we happen to be talking about at Waffle HQ. Since this is our first blog post, we thought it would be a good idea to bring you up to speed about what Waffle is all about and what we’ve got in the pipeline. We’ve spent the last few months well and truly behind the scenes but with the first edition launch of Waffle (our Facebook chat bot 🤖) last week, there’s lots to discuss. Let’s jump into it!

How was Waffle created?

Waffle was born from the problem that empty seats in restaurants are an enormous problem in an industry with high overheads. With the typical margin on food being 65–70%, there is room to move in the price at certain times. On the flip side, we discovered the #1 reason why people don’t eat out more is because they are trying to save money (1). So what’s the solution? With Waffle, we are working with restaurant managers to help them fill their empty tables during quiet times of the day. We allow restaurants to connect with diners in real time, so they can attract people when they need them most. Couple this with instant messaging — something we use throughout the day and a Waffle was created.

So why the bot?

Just because there is an “app for that”, doesn’t mean that we’ll use it. In fact, people are abandoning downloaded apps more than ever. According to a report by Personetics, “Close to a quarter of all downloaded apps were deleted after just one use.” Not good….However chatbots are different and there’s no need to download a new app for every service. Chatbots allow us to access all of our programs in just one app — allowing for totally superior user experiences. If you want to compete in the digital age, you’ll want to build experiences where people are. That place is now inside messenger apps.

“People are now spending more time in messaging apps that in social media and that is a huge turning point. Messaging apps are the platform of the future and bots will be how their users access all sorts of these services”

Peter Rojas, Entrepreneur in Residence at Betaworks.

Not only this but since chatbots are conversational, we are able to harness the true power of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Waffle will learn our habits, understand our taste preferences and can be a much more pleasant interaction than a sequence of taps and clicks to get to where you want to go — as well as improving the overall experience for us over time.

When you’re out and about, Waffle works by scanning nearby restaurants for live offers. When he finds an offer near you, he’ll send you a message to let you know about the opportunity. Then let him know if you’re coming on your own or with friends and he will sort the rest out while you make plans with your friends — all within messenger. Alternatively if you want to search for something particular, you can message Waffle directly and he’ll do his best to source a relevant deal. It’s that simple. Think of him as your personal assistant for finding real-time restaurant offers.

Oh and Waffle is fun and easy to use 😎 . For those of you who haven’t yet met him — please say hello here — https://m.me/joinwaffle

Please bear in mind that Waffle is still only young and cannot find you offers just yet. We’re still teaching him back at Waffle HQ and will not be releasing his superpowers until when we release our public beta in Brighton— our first city. Stay tuned for more updates!

Love from

The Waffle Team ❤️

www.joinwaffle.com

(1) — https://trajectorypartnership.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/SaclaReport_v19FINAL.pdf

)

Waffle

Written by

Waffle

Your best friend for eating out

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade