The software that grew a single ghost kitchen into a licensable, multi-brand SaaS platform, and an exit.
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Crave’s model put many restaurant brands under one roof and let customers order across all of them in a single checkout, an operational idea with no off-the-shelf software to run it. Crave needed a platform that could handle multi-brand ordering, route complex kitchen fulfillment, give operators oversight across brands and facilities, and, crucially, be licensable to other operators. And it all had to be ready for the first kitchen’s opening.
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Devin Wade founded Crave to redefine food delivery: centralized kitchen facilities housing multiple restaurant brands under one roof, so customers could order across brands in a single, seamless transaction.
It was a bold operational model, but it lived on the ground, not in software. Crave needed a partner to translate it into a scalable, licensable platform. They chose OAK’S LAB to design, build, and scale the entire software infrastructure behind it.
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The mandate was a custom platform powering everything from consumer ordering to in-kitchen fulfillment and brand management: multi-brand ordering from one interface, complex kitchen routing, operational oversight across facilities and brands, and a foundation licensable to third-party operators.
And it had to move fast, ready for Crave’s first kitchen opening, while being future-proofed for enterprise expansion.
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We started with deep product discovery, mapping Crave’s physical operations to a modular platform design and a tech stack built for future licensing and franchise rollouts. We delivered the MVP in time for the first kitchen launch in Meridian, Idaho, then helped Crave open a second location, onboard enterprise partners, and evolve the platform into a white-label product for major US brands.
Web and mobile ordering apps that let customers check out across multiple brands in a single, seamless experience.
A custom POS and kitchen display system that routes multi-brand orders across shared prep stations in real time, integrated with kiosk, mobile, and QR ordering.
Tools for facility operators, franchisees, and partner brands to manage menus, pricing, inventory, and analytics.
Self-service ordering kiosks and QR-based table ordering that streamline pickup and dine-in.
Live for the first kitchen. MVP shipped on time for the November 2020 launch, with a full product rollout.
Rapid traction. $500K in monthly revenue within six months of launch.
Licensable SaaS. White-labeled for partners including Red Robin, Chef’s Local Harvest, and CitiKitch.
Raised $16M+, then acquired. Crave raised over $16M to scale, and was acquired in 2023.
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“OAK’S LAB has been integral to Crave’s success. They’ve implemented a structured product development process, built an awesome product, and are key to helping us scale as a business.”
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