On-demand food delivery and restaurant technology platform Waitr announced this week $10 million in funding, which was led by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and other Gulf South-based investors. The Waitr app is being used in 18 cities across the country with dozens more locations set to be announced in the coming weeks.
As of now, Waitr is partnered with 1,600-plus restaurants in cities across four states, including Louisiana and Texas, but according to the announcement, the new funding will help Waitr expand to more than 40 cities across the United States by the end of this year.
“Waitr’s commitment to growth from its Louisiana roots has added hundreds of quality tech jobs to the Gulf South economy,” Brees said in a statement. “When we launch a new city, it brings jobs and a positive impact to our restaurant partners and the community. I have seen firsthand how Waitr’s software platform can give a restaurant new revenue streams they might not have otherwise. We have seen the growth in our own restaurants after signing on with Waitr.”
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Added Chris Meaux, Waitr’s Chief Executive Officer and founder in a statement: “It is extremely gratifying that we have investors as excited about Waitr as we are. It’s almost unheard of to obtain this much funding outside of Silicon Valley, and we’re especially thrilled to have Drew Brees leading the round. We’ll be using these funds to take our already proven business model to new locations across the country.”
Beyond investing in the two-year-old company Waitr, which was founded in Lake Charles, La., Brees is an investor in a string of Louisiana-based Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Louisiana along with the sports-themed Walk-Ons Bistreaux & Bar.