Abdallah Alyousef
Abdallah Alyousef is the founder and CEO of Zay Revenue Group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the creator of Zayos, a commission-free online ordering platform for independent restaurants. He started the company after a friend nearly sold his restaurant over delivery commissions.
What he builds
Zayos lets an independent restaurant take orders on its own website instead of handing a delivery marketplace 15 to 30 percent of every order, which lands closer to 25 to 35 percent once delivery, promotion and processing fees stack. The restaurant keeps 100 percent of food revenue and tips, and the small service fee is paid by the diner at checkout rather than the restaurant.
The design decision that matters most is the one nobody markets: direct orders arrive on the same kitchen tablet the restaurant already runs for DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub, through Otter. No second screen, and no new routine for a line that is already busy.
Why he started it
A friend was going to sell his restaurant. He was working harder than anyone and still going backwards, because his own regulars were reaching him through an app that charged him for the privilege. He did not end up selling.
Where Zayos is today
Naya Grill, in Pompano Beach and West Palm Beach, is live and taking orders on Zayos, keeping more than $48,000 a year that used to leave as commission, on the commission model run at 3,000 orders a month. Seven more storefronts are built and open ordering at their launches. Zayos is early, and Abdallah says so rather than overstating it.
Abdallah speaks English and Arabic, and Zayos publishes a full Arabic site for Arabic-speaking restaurant owners.
Contact
Email hello@zayrev.com, phone 321-666-1102, LinkedIn, or his personal site abdallahalyousef.com. He answers client threads himself.
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