SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions

About SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions

SYNQ3 Restaurant Solutions provides conversational artificial intelligence and technology for the restaurant industry, targeting clients from fast casual to drive-thru chains and convenience stores. The company was established in 2007 by Steve Bigari, a former McDonald's operator with over two decades of experience in the restaurant industry. His journey began around the year 2000 when, as a McDonald's operator, he sought to improve the speed of his drive-thru. This pursuit led to the concept of moving order-taking off-site to a call center, laying the groundwork for what would become SYNQ3.

The company's core business revolves around deploying a sophisticated voice AI platform that automates the food ordering process across multiple channels, including phone calls, drive-thrus, and kiosks. This technology is designed to handle guest orders, recognize emotional cues in a customer's voice, and adapt its responses accordingly to manage specific situations. The platform integrates with a restaurant's existing point-of-sale (POS) systems, aiming to increase the average check size, reduce operational costs, and enhance efficiency. By automating order taking, restaurant employees can be reallocated to focus on customer-centric tasks and food preparation, which is particularly crucial amid industry-wide staffing shortages.

A significant milestone in the company's history was the acquisition of Novo Labs in June 2021, a Dallas-based provider of conversational AI, which enhanced SYNQ3's technological capabilities. Further cementing its position in the market, SYNQ3 itself was acquired by SoundHound AI in a definitive merger agreement announced in December 2023 for a total consideration of $25 million. This transaction created a major provider of voice AI for the restaurant sector, combining SYNQ3's industry relationships with SoundHound's two decades of AI innovation. The merger expanded their combined market reach to over 10,000 signed restaurant locations and a pipeline of over 100,000.