Choice secures $7.1M Series A to expand its restaurant operating system across Europe
Prague-Based SaaS Powerhouse Choice Secures €23 Million to Revolutionize Restaurant Operations Across Europe
In a major move that’s sending shockwaves through the restaurant technology sector, Prague-founded all-in-one SaaS platform Choice has successfully closed a €23 million Series A funding round, bringing its total capital raised to an impressive €11.6 million since inception.
Founded five years ago in the heart of Central Europe, Choice has transformed from a simple customer communication tool into what industry insiders are calling the “operating system” for modern restaurants. The platform’s meteoric rise reflects a fundamental shift in how independent and multi-location restaurants approach digital transformation.
The Problem Choice Solves: Restaurant Tech Fragmentation
The restaurant industry has long suffered from what technology experts term “tech stack fragmentation.” Traditional restaurants typically juggle between five to ten different software solutions—one for QR payments, another for reservations, a separate system for online ordering, and yet another for loyalty programs. This fragmented approach creates operational headaches, data silos, and ultimately, lost revenue opportunities.
Choice identified this pain point early and built its platform as a comprehensive alternative to standalone restaurant tech solutions. Rather than forcing restaurants to replace existing systems or manage multiple vendor relationships, Choice offers an integrated ecosystem that consolidates everything under one subscription.
A Deep Dive Into Choice’s All-in-One Platform
What makes Choice particularly compelling is its breadth of functionality, all accessible through a unified admin panel:
Website Builder with Custom Domain Integration – Restaurants can create professional, mobile-optimized websites without technical expertise, complete with their own domain names for brand consistency.
Commission-Free Takeaway and Delivery – Perhaps the most attractive feature for restaurant owners tired of paying hefty commissions to third-party marketplaces. Choice enables direct ordering without the typical 20-30% fees.
QR Code Ecosystem – The platform generates dynamic QR codes for menus, payments, and ordering. Customers simply scan to browse, order, and pay—all without downloading apps or creating accounts.
Google-Integrated Reservation Management – Seamlessly syncs with Google to allow customers to book tables directly from search results and maps, reducing friction in the reservation process.
Marketplace Integration Layer – Choice doesn’t force restaurants to abandon existing delivery partnerships. Instead, it integrates with major platforms including Wolt, Bolt Food, Foodora, Glovo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat Takeaway, centralizing orders from all channels.
Cross-Channel Loyalty Programs – Customers earn and redeem rewards regardless of whether they order online, via QR, or in-person, creating a unified brand experience.
POS/EPOS Integration Without Replacement – Choice works alongside existing point-of-sale systems rather than requiring costly hardware upgrades or staff retraining.
Impressive Scale and Growth Trajectory
Choice’s traction speaks volumes about market demand. The platform currently serves over 30,000 registered restaurants, with 7,000 paying customers across nine active markets in Central and Eastern Europe. These include the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, and Romania.
The numbers get even more impressive: Choice processes over 1.5 million monthly orders, representing approximately €35 million in monthly gross merchandise value (GMV). The company has achieved a remarkable doubling of year-over-year growth, and management targets reaching €500 million in monthly turnover within the next three to four years.
European Expansion Strategy: One Market at a Time
With fresh capital in hand, Choice is embarking on an ambitious expansion across Europe. The strategy is methodical rather than scattershot—beginning with Portugal, where Alea Capital Partners will provide strategic support for scaling efforts across Southern Europe. Spain and Italy follow in the immediate pipeline, with France, Germany, and the Netherlands planned for subsequent phases.
This measured approach reflects Choice’s understanding of Europe’s unique market dynamics. As Alex Ilyash, Founder and CEO of Choice, explains: “We understand the fragmentation of the European restaurant market and the need for localisation. But we see this as a competitive advantage. We know how to scale in Europe.”
The company’s European DNA gives it a crucial edge. By combining strong local sales teams, efficient capital deployment from its Central and Eastern European base, and AI-driven product innovation, Choice believes it can win market by market rather than trying to conquer everything simultaneously.
The Investment Round: Who’s Backing Choice
The €23 million Series A was led by Alea Capital Partners, with participation from Reflex Capital, Smartlink, and J&T Ventures. This investor lineup brings together deep expertise in both technology and restaurant operations, providing Choice with not just capital but strategic guidance for its expansion journey.
Rui Escaleira, Co-Founder of Alea Capital Partners, articulated why Choice represents such a compelling investment opportunity. “The Choice app is addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing restaurants today: operating efficiently in a highly dynamic market with structurally tight margins.”
Escaleira emphasized that Choice helps restaurants achieve greater control over digital ordering, generate additional revenue streams, and establish a more balanced relationship with delivery platforms. “By giving restaurants greater control over digital ordering, additional revenue generation, and a more balanced relationship with delivery platforms, Choice App helps operators protect profitability while improving the end-customer experience.”
Product Roadmap: AI and Beyond
The new investment will primarily fund two critical areas: product development and geographic expansion. On the product side, Choice is particularly excited about integrating AI-driven modules that could further enhance restaurant operations—from predictive analytics for inventory management to AI-powered customer service and personalized marketing.
The company also plans to significantly expand its sales and marketing capabilities in target countries. Rather than relying solely on digital acquisition, Choice plans to hire local sales and support teams in each new market. This on-the-ground presence ensures cultural alignment, local market understanding, and high-quality customer success—critical factors in the relationship-driven restaurant industry.
Why This Matters for the Restaurant Industry
Choice’s rise comes at a pivotal moment for the restaurant industry. Post-pandemic, restaurants have accelerated their digital transformation, but many struggle with the complexity and cost of managing multiple technology vendors. Meanwhile, delivery marketplaces continue to squeeze restaurant margins, creating pressure to find alternative revenue streams.
Choice positions itself as the solution to these converging challenges. By providing an integrated platform that reduces dependency on high-commission marketplaces while improving operational efficiency, Choice helps restaurants protect their profitability in an increasingly competitive landscape.
The platform’s success also reflects a broader trend in B2B SaaS: the shift from point solutions to comprehensive platforms. Just as businesses in other industries increasingly prefer integrated software suites over best-of-breed point solutions, restaurants are discovering the benefits of unified operating systems.
The Road Ahead
As Choice expands across Europe, it will face competition from both established players and well-funded startups targeting the restaurant technology space. However, its combination of proven traction, strategic investor backing, methodical expansion approach, and deep understanding of European market nuances positions it well for continued growth.
The next 12-24 months will be critical as Choice enters new markets and scales its operations. If successful, Choice could emerge as the dominant restaurant operating system across Europe, fundamentally reshaping how restaurants approach technology and digital operations.
The €23 million investment represents more than just capital—it’s a bet on Choice’s vision of a more integrated, efficient, and profitable future for restaurants across Europe. For restaurant owners tired of juggling multiple tech vendors and paying excessive marketplace commissions, Choice offers a compelling alternative that could finally deliver on the promise of digital transformation without the operational complexity.
Tags: SaaS, restaurant technology, QR ordering, Prague startup, Series A funding, Alea Capital, European expansion, restaurant management software, commission-free ordering, POS integration, AI in restaurants, food tech, Central Europe, multi-location restaurants, digital transformation
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