Why we started KuulSeats, what we’re changing, and who we built it for.
We got into hospitality for the same reasons you did. The buzz of a full room. The satisfaction of a table that leaves happy. The pride of building something that becomes part of your community. A local that people call their local. A restaurant that families return to for anniversaries, birthdays, first dates.
We know what it costs to build that. The early mornings and the late nights. The margin that only works if the weekend goes well. The staff you go the extra mile for because they go the extra mile for you. The love that goes into every cover, every menu, every small detail that the customer never even notices, but you do.
We also know what it feels like when the system around you isn’t on your side. The booking platforms that charge you per cover, taking a cut of every table your team worked hard to fill. The hidden fees buried in the small print. The commissions that grow as you get busier, as if your success is something to be taxed. The feeling that the tools you rely on were built for chains and corporates, and independents like you were just an afterthought.
“We built KuulSeats because we lived that. Not as observers. As operators.”
We’ve worked the Saturday nights. We’ve done the stocktakes. We’ve stared at the numbers at the end of a month that should have been profitable and wondered where it all went. And we’ve felt the particular frustration of handing money to a platform that took zero risk, did zero service, and would happily send your customers to the restaurant next door if someone paid them enough.
That’s the system we’re disrupting.
Not with a gimmick. Not with venture capital and a growth-at-all-costs mindset. With something simpler: a flat monthly fee, a team that picks up the phone, and an absolute refusal to profit from your success at your expense.
One price. No commission. No hidden fees. No exceptions.
We believe independent pubs and restaurants are the heartbeat of their communities. We believe the people who run them deserve better than the tools they’ve been given. We believe that technology should put more money in your pocket, not less.
KuulSeats exists for the independents. The ones who care. The ones who show up every day and make hospitality what it is.
The landlord who knows every regular by name. The chef-owner who changes the menu with the seasons. The family who’ve run the same pub for three generations. The first-timer who mortgaged everything on a dream and is making it work.
You are not a small version of a chain. You are the reason people go out.
“We’re on your side. Fully. Without condition.”
And if you’ve been with one of the big platforms long enough to know what we’re talking about, you already know it’s time.
Simon & the KuulSeats team
Built by restaurant owners. For restaurant owners.
Every business discipline covered, all of it in the restaurant trenches before this.
Ex-restaurateur turned founder. His mission: revolutionise the way restaurants handle bookings.
Background in IT, operations and customer service with blue chip companies. Keeps the day to day running smoothly for our customers.
Combines deep technical expertise with a solid grip on business needs. Keeps the platform robust, reliable and responsive.
16 years in payments at WorldPay, Fiserv and Barclaycard. Owner of Payment Guru. Multi award winning in sales.
Runs his own restaurant consultancy since 2022. Competition Director for Young Chef, Young Waiter, Young Mixologist across 10 countries.
Michelin star chef, 32 years. Restaurant consultant, NED and advisor to London Cocktail Club (now Nightcap). Regular columnist for The Caterer, regular commentator on BBC and Sky News Business.
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