With a portfolio of more than 3,500 restaurants in 46 states in the US, Inspire Brands is bolstering its delivery game with the acquisition of Vromo.
Vromo is a delivery management software company that helps restaurant brands scale their delivery while enabling delivery tracking. Based in New York City, Vromo has partnered with big brands in the restaurant industry, such as Uber, DoorDash, and Toast.
The parent company of Dunkin’ and Buffalo Wild Wings can now escalate its delivery infrastructure investments with the right software, like Vromo.
Importance of Vromo acquisition
According to Wear Your Brand Inspire’s move is not surprising, in a landscape where technology is vital for faster deliveries. “This acquisition underscores Inspire’s commitment to its overarching transformation efforts, which have been geared towards driving growth and enhancing operational efficiency across its portfolio.”
In November, Inspire Brands introduced a new corporate structure. With a strong focus on brands, commercial and company restaurants, as well as growth. The aim was to coordinate the three core business areas while “fully leveraging the core strategic capabilities.”
Paul Brown, co-founder and CEO at Inspire Brands, believes this was a necessary and important move to get to where it is today. “Ultimately, we believe Inspire’s combination of strong, differentiated brands and highly innovative business model will continue to drive enhanced value for our franchisees and other stakeholders.”
Restaurant Dive reports that this acquisition is the first since it purchased Dunkin’ in 2020 for $11.3 billion. Inspire confirmed to the publication that Vromo can enable the company to make channels “more profitable.”
Restaurant industry investing in technology
Technology is integral to restaurants, from robot deliveries to drone drop-offs. The world is becoming more tech-savvy, and the restaurant industry is embracing to improve customer service. Restaurant companies have started investing in tech businesses and buying them, even before the COVID-19 shake-up in the food delivery industry, according to the latest Future Restaurants report.
There were many similar acquisitions before the Inspire Brands and Vromo venture that led the way.
One of the first of this trend was in 2019 when McDonald’s acquired Israeli artificial intelligence startup – Dynamic Yield. The tech company has a sharp focus on personalizing the customer experience as well as decision logic technology. It’s used for a “personalized drive-thru customer experience” – with digital menus changing food options based on the time of the day, weather, and traffic.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving restaurant competitiveness again. More recently, in December 2023, SoundHound bought SYNQ3, an AI voice company. SoundHound CEO Keyvan Mohajer says restaurant operators are turning to technology en masse. “Voice AI is now playing a key role in helping them drive sales, reduce costs, and alleviate the burden of increasing demand on their employees.”
NOW READ: White Castle on-boards AI voice bots to take drive-thru customers’ orders
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