SeamlessWeb
Encyclopedia
Seamless is an online food ordering
web site and suite of mobile apps that allows users to order food for delivery and takeout from restaurants.
Seamless was launched in 1999 as SeamlessWeb, providing companies with a Web-based system for ordering food from restaurants and caterers. Starting in 2005, Seamless was made available to the individual users and they currently partner with over 7,000 restaurants, serve over 3,500 companies, and have over 1,000,000 members in the United States
and in London
. The service is also available for personal orders in New York City
, London
, San Francisco, Los Angeles
, Chicago
, Boston
, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Houston, New Jersey
, and Connecticut
. They were acquired by Aramark
in April 2006. On June 8, 2011, Spectrum Equity Investors
made a $50 million minority investment in Seamless and the company has now been spun out of ARAMARK into an independent entity.
On June 28, 2011, SeamlessWeb notified their clients they will change their name to "Seamless."
Users enter their address and Seamless returns a list of restaurants that will deliver to the submitted address. Users then select a restaurant, create an order from the online menu, and submit the order electronically by entering their credit card or a company billing code. Ratings, reviews, photos, tags, and other information is provided to help the user find the most appropriate meal.
Seamless does not prepare or deliver any food. Once a user submits an order, it is automatically sent to a dedicated computer terminal or fax machine at the restaurant. The restaurant confirms the order with Seamless and then prepares and delivers the order. At many restaurants, users also have the option to pick up their meals from the restaurant. The ordering process works in the same way, except that the user goes to the restaurant for his food instead of having the food delivered.
had the highest rate of revenue growth among New York state technology companies
in the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program
, and was selected as one of Time Magazine
's 50 Coolest Web Sites for 2006. In August 2009, SeamlessWeb was featured on the MSN
web series Cool Runnings. In the episode, entitled "Carving a Niche in Online Food Delivery", host Antonio Neves interviewed key personnel at SeamlessWeb, along with the restaurants and companies they work with, providing important insights into how SeamlessWeb began and how it thrived.
In addition to company-wide recognition, Jason Finger, co-founder and president, won the 2007 Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Award for E-Services, and has received a number of other honors.
Online food ordering
Online food ordering services are websites that feature interactive menus allowing customers to place orders with local restaurants and food cooperatives. Much like ordering consumer goods online, many of these allow customers to keep accounts with them in order to make frequent ordering convenient...
web site and suite of mobile apps that allows users to order food for delivery and takeout from restaurants.
Seamless was launched in 1999 as SeamlessWeb, providing companies with a Web-based system for ordering food from restaurants and caterers. Starting in 2005, Seamless was made available to the individual users and they currently partner with over 7,000 restaurants, serve over 3,500 companies, and have over 1,000,000 members in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The service is also available for personal orders in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, San Francisco, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Houston, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. They were acquired by Aramark
Aramark
Aramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American foodservice, facilities, and clothing provider supplying businesses, educational institutions, sports facilities, federal and state prisons, and health care institutions. It is headquartered at the Aramark Tower in Center City,...
in April 2006. On June 8, 2011, Spectrum Equity Investors
Spectrum Equity Investors
Spectrum Equity Investors is a Boston-based private equity and venture capital firm founded in 1994. The firm focuses on business services, entertainment, communications, information services, media, and related growth sectors. The firm currently has a capital base of approximately $4.7 billion...
made a $50 million minority investment in Seamless and the company has now been spun out of ARAMARK into an independent entity.
On June 28, 2011, SeamlessWeb notified their clients they will change their name to "Seamless."
Operation
Users have the option of ordering from the website or from a Seamless mobile app for iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry.Users enter their address and Seamless returns a list of restaurants that will deliver to the submitted address. Users then select a restaurant, create an order from the online menu, and submit the order electronically by entering their credit card or a company billing code. Ratings, reviews, photos, tags, and other information is provided to help the user find the most appropriate meal.
Seamless does not prepare or deliver any food. Once a user submits an order, it is automatically sent to a dedicated computer terminal or fax machine at the restaurant. The restaurant confirms the order with Seamless and then prepares and delivers the order. At many restaurants, users also have the option to pick up their meals from the restaurant. The ordering process works in the same way, except that the user goes to the restaurant for his food instead of having the food delivered.
Recognition
SeamlessWeb was recognized as the 4th-fastest growing private company in the United States in the 2004 Inc. 500 list. The companyhad the highest rate of revenue growth among New York state technology companies
in the 2005 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program
Deloitte Fast 500
The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Awards are run and moderated by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. They recognize the 500 fastest-growing technology companies in regions around the world...
, and was selected as one of Time Magazine
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
's 50 Coolest Web Sites for 2006. In August 2009, SeamlessWeb was featured on the MSN
MSN
MSN is a collection of Internet sites and services provided by Microsoft. The Microsoft Network debuted as an online service and Internet service provider on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of the Windows 95 operating system.The range of services offered by MSN has changed since its...
web series Cool Runnings. In the episode, entitled "Carving a Niche in Online Food Delivery", host Antonio Neves interviewed key personnel at SeamlessWeb, along with the restaurants and companies they work with, providing important insights into how SeamlessWeb began and how it thrived.
In addition to company-wide recognition, Jason Finger, co-founder and president, won the 2007 Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms, along with Deloitte, KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers ....
Entrepreneur of the Year Award for E-Services, and has received a number of other honors.