9.21.2020
The startup’s name is the Persian word Bazaar, meaning “place of prices,” and that is exactly what they are providing via their mobile app.
Co-founders Sai Mandava and Juan David Palomares, colleagues from the University of California, Berkeley, had talked to countless people in the restaurant industry and asked them what their biggest problems were. They kept hearing from multiple restaurateurs that liquidating restaurants is a pain, lots of the used equipment go by the wayside and aren’t accessible to existing restaurant owners and opening restaurants, and the current best solution for sellers is either listing on Craigslist and Facebook or selling at low prices to middlemen dealers such as equipment warehouses.
“After speaking to all these people, the general consensus was that they would love a platform that directly connects both sides, so they can do business as they see fit,” said Palomares, who now serves as president of the startup. “They don’t want middlemen involved, they’re sick of the price gouging, and they have a tight schedule in which they need to liquidate. So Sai and I decided to build them this solution.”
Bazaar gives restaurants, bar owners, coffee shops, and anyone in the food service industry direct access to one of the first B2B marketplaces for food service equipment. It provides users with an open and dedicated platform to find the best deals on equipment both in their local cities as well as across the country. Using the app is simple: after making an account, restaurateurs set up a business profile, leading to maximum marketing and exposure.
For buyers, items are sorted by proximity and can be filtered by various categories. For sellers, they are able to seamlessly liquidate their equipment by setting a firm price or accepting best offers. The days of painfully sifting through Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and hyperlocal websites are over. Restaurateurs don’t need to drive hundreds of miles to visit multiple warehouses, as the entire supply and demand will now be aggregated on Bazaar.
Bazaar is mobile-focused and the app (click here to access) is currently only available for iOS users, but they plan on releasing an Android version in the next few months. The benefits of using such an app are tremendous. The occasionally overlooked foodservice industry has been itching for a technological change to the status quo and Bazaar is doing just that.
Bazaar operates from Los Angeles, CA, but is a nationwide marketplace. The company maintains a team of programmers, designers, foodies, and restaurant lovers. They can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 901-651-3652.
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