I never imagined that Olo would go public. Let’s rewind. On June 1, 2005, I hit pause on business school to pursue the idea of Olo. I thought, best case, we get acquired, and worst case, I resume my education. Through the years, I found that our customers’ digital channels were growing rapidly and reaching a mission-critical moment in which many could anticipate 50% or more of their business migrating to digital. And we lived through 2020, when digital adoption became table stakes as restaurants sought to remain close to their customers despite social distancing. In that crucible moment, I realized Olo was no longer simply an entrepreneurial venture: it was my life’s calling. Taking inspiration from my namesake, I came to imagine Olo as the ark to help restaurants navigate the digital transformation, weathering whatever floods they faced and ultimately reaching dry land. Taking Olo public in 2021 came to feel like the most genuine expression of that desire to be an independent, open, and reliable platform for our customers and prospects and to cement that role for the long term. A series of revelations has evolved into our brand promise – to “accelerate the future.” For Olo, that means reimagining the restaurant business through digitally-enabled operational efficiencies and greater profitability, while increasing hospitality, not eroding it. Hospitality, the way a restaurant makes a guest feel, is an idea deeply rooted in how I grew up and why I loved my first restaurant job as a delivery driver at Pizzaman in 1998 in my hometown of Newton, MA. Fast forward to today, Olo leverages troves of guest data to help 81,000 restaurants across 700 enterprise restaurant brands make every guest feel like a regular by personalizing guest experiences in an industry that has grown to $1.2 trillion in sales. 19 years into our journey, this is the mission that drives me as I run Olo as a public company with a great climb ahead; the digital age is still just dawning within the restaurant industry. So much of our story remains unwritten and I’m excited for Olo to play a leading role in the future of hospitality. As we begin Olo Year 20, we have miles to go before we sleep! #HospitalityAtScale #Happy19Olo
Karen Bird
3w
I remember the first time I spoke with you Noah, when you were working to solve the drive thru, speed of service problem in Quick Service Restaurants. What an amazing journey from then to now, with so many great accomplishments! I am very honored to have known you and have worked with you and your company over the years. Best wishes for your continued success and for your company's continued innovation to provide value added services for the Restaurant industry!
Melissa Lupo
3w
Working at Olo was truly a life-changing experience. I am so lucky to have been apart of that story. Outside of the amazing product we built, you also cultivated a wonderful team and I’m thankful to have met and stayed connected with some of the best colleagues in the world!! This was bc of the culture you created, where we all had a unified team vision and purpose — empowering restaurants with technology that drives growth while extending hospitality. We worked to make a difference. So proud to have been a part of the team that took Olo public & excited to watch what comes next! 🥂 here’s to the next 20 yrs! Thank you for being a leader with a vision we could rally behind! Happy Birthday 🎂 Olo 💙
Dave Olander
3w
Noah, you should be proud of all that you've accomplished with Team Olo thus far. Your vision and drive have been instrumental to Olo's success and I look forward to what's to come! I'm proud to have been able to contribute to Olo's mission. Happy Anniversary and Excelsior!
Juan George
3w
Happy 19, Olo! Founders with grit and resilience can and will maneuver their way to success, and there’s no better case study in restaurant tech than the story of Noah and Olo. Miles to go 🤜🏾
A lot of us in this industry have jobs today because of your vision 20 years ago, thanks for that 🙏
A great read Noah. It's the journey that is most rewarding. We are so happy to have been a a part of it along the way designing your workplace at 26 Broadway in New York City. The runway is long to continue to have an impact. Let's do this. https://spectorcompanies.com/portfolio/olo/ Olo SPECTOR Companies #nycstrong
An amazing journey!
What an amazing journey and success. I recall talking with you and your team when setting up Carvel as one of your firsts on the platform.
SaaStr.Ai Summit is Sept 10-11 in SF Bay!! See You There!!
3wLove it: https://www.saastr.com/saas-maybe-plan-for-30-years-as-a-founder/