Nov 12, 2019

Big changes at BigDish the main market-listed food technology firm, which today announced the appointment of new CEO Tom Sumner, who joins next month. On paper Sumner’s experience looks like it fits the bill, having worked in the restaurant trade for a number of years most recently as Managing Director of TableNow, a dining app enabling diners to book discounted UK restaurant seats. Current CEO Sanj Naha remains with the company but in a new role focused on the ever-important acquisition of restaurant groups as well as technology integration with Electronic Point of Sale (ePOS) companies. BigDish raised just over  £2m from an institutional investor back in June  to help accelerate the expansion of the platform and the share price has been heading South ever since – down from a June high of £9.20 to £2.30 at close of play yesterday. BigDish’s proposition relies on achieving a critical mass of restaurants registered on the platform and had chosen a 'boots on the ground' approach to restaurant acquisition using territory managers. In simple terms, this approach appears not to be delivering fast enough resulting in not only a change at the top of the company but the decision not to retain seven of its nine territory managers. Out with the territory managers and in with a new telesales operation run out of Manchester to help accelerate restaurant acquisition. This approach was deployed successfully by Sumner at TableNow so we will see if he can repeat the trick at his new employer.