Mr Yum

High-Level Overview

Mr Yum is a technology company building a web-based mobile menu, payments, and marketing platform tailored for the hospitality and entertainment industries.[1][2] It enables QR code contactless ordering, payments, loyalty programs, delivery/pickup options, and integrates with major POS providers, serving venues like restaurants, stadiums, airports, casinos, and events across Australia, UK, US, New Zealand, and South Africa.[1][3] The platform solves key pain points in a $630bn food and beverage market by offering visual menus with photos, translations, and ingredient details, streamlining operations amid rising labor costs and demand for efficiency.[1][4] Mr Yum has demonstrated strong growth momentum, reaching 11-13 million users by 2021 across 1,500+ venues, securing $77.5M in total funding including a $65M Series A and $11M post-seed, with $41M revenue and expansions via acquisitions and major clients like Sydney Airport and Sahara Casino.[1][5][6]

Origin Story

Founded in 2018 in Melbourne, Australia, by co-founders including CEO Kim Teo, Mr Yum emerged from the Pitchblak startup incubator.[3][4] The idea stemmed from a simple consumer insight: people crave visual, photo-rich menus that traditional paper formats lack, enhanced with language translations and allergen info.[4] Teo and the team—many with prior collaboration—pivoted quickly during COVID lockdowns; after a key customer requested takeout/delivery, their two developers built and launched the feature in days, enabling hundreds of venues to switch seamlessly and gaining massive brand equity.[1][4] Early hires from the incubator fueled an experimental culture, leading to rapid traction in Australia before international bets via digital ads in the UK and manual outreach in LA, where QR adoption was high but full ordering/payment solutions were scarce.[4]

Core Differentiators

• Visual, All-in-One Platform: Stands out with beautiful, photo-driven menus for QR in-venue ordering, payments, loyalty, pickup/delivery—evolving beyond static menus into a full efficiency tool integrated with all major Australian POS systems.[1][4]
• Vertical Expansion Beyond Restaurants: Targets high-volume non-traditional venues like stadiums (Australia Venue Co), airports (Sydney), events (Live Nation, music festivals), casinos (Sahara Vegas), hotels, cruises, and universities, broadening its $630bn addressable market.[1]
• Rapid Execution and Scalability: Proven playbook with explosive growth (0 to 11M+ users), global ops via tools like Airwallex saving $30K+ annually and accelerating UK rollout by 3 months; entrepreneurial devs enable quick pivots like lockdown delivery.[2][4][5]
• Growth Infrastructure: $77.5M funding, acquisitions for international speed, and a replicable sales model with product-market fit across geographies.[1][5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Mr Yum rides the contactless ordering wave accelerated by COVID, capitalizing on QR code ubiquity and hospitality's push for labor savings amid thin margins.[1][2][4] Timing is ideal in a digitizing $630bn industry slow to innovate, where operators demand seamless tools for dine-in, pickup, and delivery without heavy infrastructure.[1][4] Favorable market forces include global QR adoption (e.g., US/UK pilots), POS integrations as distribution channels, and adjacent verticals like entertainment/events hungry for mobile solutions.[1] It influences the ecosystem by setting standards for visual, efficient platforms, winning tenders at scale (e.g., stadiums/airports), and enabling operators to compete via data-driven loyalty/marketing amid e-commerce shifts.[1][6]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Mr Yum is primed for global dominance in QR/mobile ordering, leveraging its funding, client wins, and playbook to penetrate more casinos, events, and emerging markets while refining AI-driven personalization or deeper POS globals.[1][5] Trends like sustained contactless demand, rising venue tech stacks, and economic pressures on hospitality will propel it, potentially via further M&A or US/Asia depth despite past layoffs in tough markets.[5] Its influence could evolve from regional disruptor to category leader, redefining venue experiences as visual, frictionless ecosystems—echoing its founding bet on unchanged menus finally getting a modern upgrade.[4]