The food and beverage industry has been among the hardest hit by COVID-19, as diners have stayed away from restaurants due to movement restrictions, but foodtech company kaykroo is shifting to a different concept.

Kaykroo, which has announced its official launch of four new brands, has fulfilled 1 million orders since the start of 2020 and is planning to expand across the GCC after raising $4 million in pre-Series A funding.

The company describes its ‘shift from brick & mortar to brick & click’, serving food prepared in 15 cloud kitchens and at outlets including kiosks and pop-up stores across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain.

It has today launched four more food brands to add to its existing portfolio of six – a pizza concept, a vegan restaurant, a noodle concept and another serving plant-based Middle Eastern food.

Food will be prepared in cloud kitchens fitted with artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to improve efficiency.

Jihad El-Eit, Founder & CEO of kaykroo, said: “For many, 2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges. 

“For us, it was the year of reinvention. The high demand we have witnessed since the start of the year, with more than one million orders fulfilled by our existing brands, proves that it is now more important than ever for our customers to be able to enjoy the food they love, anywhere and at any time. 

“We are moving from traditional ‘brick & mortar’ to an innovative ‘brick and click’ platform that makes the ordering process much easier and quicker, while allowing us to gather insights and create new experiences that satisfy different tastes at various price points.”

kaykroo has raised $4 million in its pre-Series A funding round, with contributions from family offices and regional investors. The capital will be used to further develop proprietary technology and fund expansion across the GCC.

(Writing by Imogen Lillywhite; editing by Seban Scaria)

(imogen.lillywhite@refinitiv.com)

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© ZAWYA 2020