By restaurants, for restaurants

Our story

I grew up in my dad’s restaurant. I was the cashier, the delivery driver, the marketer, website editor, digital menu board make, and the dishwasher.

Looking back, many of the roles I used to play can now be automated, even amplified, with AI. Building websites, researching keywords, optimizing SEO, menu engineering to increase upsells, responding to reviews, running marketing campaigns — all of it is pattern recognition, timing, and learning. This is the kind of work AI is great at, and we're excited for a world where owners can focus on what they love: great food, great people, and genuine hospitality.

Years later, while working at DoorDash, I saw how technology had flipped. The platforms that promised to help restaurants were quietly taking ownership of their customer relationships. Data disappeared behind dashboards, and the connection between guests and the people feeding them grew thinner every year. Restaurants like my dad’s were being intermediated out of their own business.

After that, I spent years building software for some of the biggest restaurant brands in the world — Dave's Hot Chicken, Applebee’s, IHOP, Blaze Pizza, and more. I was excited by what world-class technology could do for every restaurant in America — from the local pizzeria to the largest of national chains.

With the advancements in artificial intelligence, it was clear to see a new and large opportunity: the ability to build, market, and support digital experiences at scale.

That’s why we’re building Open — an AI platform that helps restaurants of every size capture, convert, and retain their own customers.

We believe the future of hospitality belongs to those who own it.

Georgee Jacobs, CEO & Co-founder