What's a Bostonian have to do to get a cheap meal in this town? With GoPapaya, an app that launched last spring, it takes just a smidgeon of spontaneity.
As a refresher, the app is like the Hotel Tonight for eateries in Boston. It lets people snag last-minute discounts at nearby restaurants. Users who successfully show up to their table within 30 minutes can save up to 50 percent off their bill. And now, it's opening up its services to more restaurant-goers on the prowl for food deals.
"Since we launched in May of 2016, we've gotten a lot of requests for an Android version of the app," Zachary Weiss, co-founder and COO of GoPapaya, told me. "Now, we can finally give people what they want."
The Boston startup officially released its Android app on Google Play Monday. The new version hasn't been the only thing GoPapaya has been brewing up the past several months. Since its initial launch, it's gone from a solo project started by Marik Marshak, a former director of engineering at EMC who's now the CEO of GoPapaya, to a team effort.
Weiss joined Marshak last July, and the venture now has 10 employees. It's grown its restaurant user base from 20 to 60 within that same time period. And it raised a pre-seed round at the end of last year.
It's clear what diners get out of using GoPapaya. (Saving $$$). Weiss was also quick to point out the benefits restaurants can reap from using the app.
"It's a huge opportunity for them," Weiss said. "When they're having slower times, they have a way to use dynamic pricing. They can bring in more customers while making it more affordable for people eating out at those less-busy times."
"We launched our iOS app to make sure it was working well," Weiss said. "We've been getting feedback, and people are enjoying it. We're bringing something to the market that's making both sides happy."
GoPapaya's next big push is to bring on more restaurants as customers, so consumers can have a broader range of eatery options. The venture will continue focusing on expansion within the Boston area. But in the near future, Weiss said, it will move toward geographic expansion.
