We’ve had lots of feedback and lots of offers for people to get involved, so we’re going to be expanding in Salt Lake.
Think back to the last time you waited on a check while eating out. You were probably stuffed, possibly a little tipsy, and the last thing you wanted to do was wait 15 minutes for a server to remember your existence. Your only wish was to go home, unbuckle your pants, and fall asleep to the sweet, soothing sounds of late-night television. So how can that dream become reality?
With Cover — an app allowing you to pay electronically for dinner without having to jump through the normal hoops associated with dining out — your days of gloomily waiting on the check are over. All you do is log in at the beginning of your meal, tell the server you’re using Cover, and the rest is taken care of. No more hanging around post-meal or waiting for the check to be split — whenever you want to leave, you can do exactly that.
“We realized when Apple Pay and Google Wallet were being built, nobody was doing anything for restaurants, which is a very unique payment situation — most checks are split, you have to wait to get the check, and then they take the card away from you,” Cover co-founder Mark Egerman told Beehive Startups. “They’re not going to bring a tablet to the table so you can pay with Apple Pay.”
You know that awkward moment when you go eat with eight other people, then try to determine a fair way to split the check at meal’s end? And the whole time your server is just sitting there, wishing slow, torturous death upon your entire party? And then one friend complains he/she’s paying too much because he/she didn’t drink any alcohol or eat the appetizer, and then you have to start all over again? Cover easily divides your bill, factors in a tip, and lets you spend that time on more important things, like letting your friends know how annoying they can be when it comes time to split the check.
Cover has already partnered with many of the finest restaurants in both New York and the Bay Area, and has offices stationed in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. So where will their plans for expansion take them? Utah, obviously.
“We work with about 250 restaurant partners, mostly in New York and San Francisco, but now two in Utah,” Egerman said. “We have a sales team that works to bring on the best restaurants in the country to provide the best experience for their customers.”
As of now, Cover is attempting to break into the Utah food scene with a pair of our tastiest restaurants: SLC’s Eggs in the City, a smorgasbord of insanely-good breakfast/brunch options; and Provo’s Black Sheep Cafe, where one bite of the Bleu Burger will transform your entire life and possibly make you immortal.
“We have two restaurants in Utah and we’ve been overwhelmed by the interest people are showing,” Egerman said. “We’ve had lots of feedback and lots of offers for people to get involved, so we’re going to be expanding in Salt Lake.”
Backed by a OATV-led $1.5 million seed round in 2013 and a Spark Capital-led $5.5 million Series A round in 2014, Cover’s plan for expansion is imminent. And as more Utah-based restaurants forge partnerships with Cover, the terrible days of waiting for your check are nearing an end.
“We care a lot about customer service and the guest experience,” Egerman said. “We’re growing and we’re trying to bring coverage to as many markets as we can with the money that we’ve raised.”
For restaurateurs in Utah wanting to accept Cover, go to their homepage and click on the Apply Now link.
Published 2/12/2015
