Foodies Are Dangerous for Restaurants, Says Dining-Data King

A graduate of La Salle University and Harvard Business School, Damian Mogavero started analyzing restaurant data in his studio apartment in 1999, counting Danny Meyer and Tom Colicchio among his first customers, back when they were at Gramercy Tavern together. His software company, Avero, now serves 10,000 restaurants in 70 countries. Ahead of his new book The Underground Culinary Tour (Crown Business, publishing on Jan. 24, 2017), which delves into the key industry trends for the future, he spoke with Peter Elliot from Bloomberg Reserve, a Bloomberg Briefs publication. Comments have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Back in 1999, what was the problem you were trying to solve?
I was a frustrated restaurateur. I'd ask simple questions, things like "Who are your top and bottom servers?" or "Why do your food costs go up?" And I would get blank stares and wrong answers. It was an industry problem, so I brought together a team—a chef, a sommelier, a restaurant manager, and three techies—to create Avero, which is essentially a software company that helps restaurateurs answer the most basic business questions so they can drive profitability and better the guest experience.