Eat Out Kenya has entered into a promising business partnership with Kopo Kopo and Safaricom’s M-PESA services. The partnership, which has been officially launched today at a breakfast meeting held at Safaricom’s Michael Joseph Center, will enable restaurant patrons to conveniently pay for their bills via M-PESA.
Safaricom’s CEO Bob Collymore
Since inception in 2010, Eat Out has become the largest online restaurant guide and booking engine in Kenya. In 2012, Eat Out sat over 100,000 diners at hundreds of restaurants, generating over Ksh 200 million in revenue for its restaurant clients.
CEO Mikul Shah of Eat Out
Kopo Kopo launched its core platform in Kenya in February 2012. They are the official partner of Safaricom and offer a service that enables small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets to accept, process, and manage mobile money payments. Kopo Kopo is the first company to offer this service on a subscription basis and is positioning itself to be a leader in providing merchant services in emerging markets.
KopoKopo presentation
M-PESA is a mobile phone based money transfer and service launched by the Kenyan mobile network operator Safaricom that allows users with a national ID card or passport to deposit, withdraw, and transfer money easily with a mobile device. M-PESA has made is easy for Kenyans to go about their daily routines with the comforting thought that they have a safe, convenient, quick and innovative way of handling any transactions.
Ritesh of Naked Pizza discusses business with the CEO’s
This partnership will afford restaurant owners the opportunity to attract a vast number of clientele as well as process their payment by the seconds.
Awesome turnout from the restaurateurs
The briefing attracted a number of Key players in the industry including Safaricom’s CEO Bob Collymore who was positive that the service will be of great use to Kenyans who now more than ever are embracing mobile technology. He sited that since the launch of MPESA service more and more people have come to trust it is as one of the safest money transfer services and even a more convenient way of catering to your day to day cash transactions.
KopoKopo, Eat Out get interviewed
Mikul Shah, Eat Out Kenya’s CEO who admitted to once being saved by the MPESA service after he one day left his wallet at home, is optimistic that this partnership will encourage more people to venture and dine out without the hassle of carrying physical cash or worrying that they have insuffient paper money to cover for their restaurant bills.
”We’ve built fantastic relationships with hundreds of restaurants over the past few years, and when we see a product that could truly benefit our clients we are more than happy to help facilitate it’s adoption. MPESA should be an option that every restaurant offers, especially when KopoKopo have streamlined the management and reporting process. Over the next few months we will be launching further products with Safaricom so stay tuned,” he concluded.
Geraldine Dunford of Tamarind with Tahir Karmali of Eat Out
KopoKopo in discussion with potential clients
Breakfast + Networking Time!
Romal Shah-Left and Kiran Jethwa of Seven Sea Food-Right
Kunali and Winnie part of Eat Out Team
Further Coverage
1) M-pesa deal deepens turf wars with banks (Business Daily). Click Here to read.
2) Safaricom signs M-Pesa deal for restaurants (Business Daily) Click Here to read.
3) Kopo Kopo partners with Safaricom and Eat Out Kenya (Fountain media) Click Here to read.
