Hostie, an AI-powered virtual concierge platform for restaurants, announced it has raised a $12 million Series A funding round led by Obvious Ventures, with participation from Gradient, Scribble Ventures, Burst Capital, and Behind Genius Ventures. The financing brings the San Francisco-based company’s total funding to $16 million.
The round also included investments from restaurant industry leaders, including Tim Stannard of Bacchus Management Group and Stuart Brioza, Nicole Krasinski, and Elizabeth DePalmer of Atomic Workshop.
The funding comes after a year of rapid expansion for Hostie. The company said it grew revenue 10x, expanded to hundreds of restaurant partners across the U.S., managed more than 2 million guest conversations and 24 million messages, booked over 400,000 restaurant covers, and handled more than 50,000 private event inquiries.
Hostie’s AI platform serves as a virtual concierge, helping restaurants manage phone calls, text messages, reservations, takeout requests, private event inquiries, and guest questions, so restaurant staff can focus on in-person hospitality. Its customer base includes hospitality groups and restaurants such as Flour + Water Hospitality Group, Riviera Dining Group, Bacchus Management Group, Cactus Club Cafe, Cunningham Restaurant Group, Merchants Hospitality, State Bird Provisions, Wayfare Tavern, Mirra, and The Progress.
The company is also supported by hospitality technology veterans, including former OpenTable CEO Thomas Layton, former OpenTable SVP of Sales and Resy board member Mike Dodson, and former Yelp VP of Engineering Mike Stoppelman.
Hostie plans to use the new capital to accelerate product development, expand its leadership team, and further develop its AI platform for restaurant guest engagement. Recent executive hires include former OpenTable executive Jeff Jones as Head of Sales and former BentoBox executive Hayley Foppiani as Head of Marketing.
KEY QUOTES:
“At Back to Back, I saw firsthand how difficult it became for restaurant teams to keep up with the growing volume of guest communication while still delivering great hospitality. Restaurants are being asked to manage more calls, texts, reservations, takeout, and guest questions than ever before. We built Hostie to help teams keep up with that demand while staying focused on the people in front of them.”
Randall Hom, co-founder and CEO of Hostie
“Hospitality is one of the most operationally complex industries in the world, and Hostie understands that deeply. Randall and Brendan are building an essential platform for restaurants at a time when operators are being asked to do more with less. What stood out to us was the team’s deep hospitality expertise, the product’s quality, and the clear market demand. Hostie has built the most thoughtful and intuitive AI solution in the category, and we’re excited to support the company’s next phase of growth.”
Kahini Shah, Partner at Obvious Ventures
“I first discovered Hostie when I called Flour + Water to say I was running late for a reservation, and the experience was so seamless I immediately wanted to know what was powering it. What Randall and Brendan have built is best-in-class technology grounded in a deep understanding of hospitality. From the beginning, operators weren’t just using the product; they were helping shape it. That combination of exceptional product and customer obsession is incredibly rare. We believe AI will transform how restaurants engage with guests, and Hostie is leading that transformation.”
Andrew Brackin, Partner at Gradient
