US-based restaurant and food distribution e-commerce platform Cheetah Technologies has announced the sale of its physical distribution business, Pleasanton, to Palo Alto Foods.
The divestment of the distribution business, called Pleasanton, to second-generation owner of Palo Alto Foods Paul Jensen allows Cheetah to focus on scaling its AI-enabled commerce platform across the foodservice sector.
The move aims to increase the profitability and efficiency of distributors while also reducing their carbon footprint.
Cheetah plans to commence AI-enabled commerce platform distribution, offering tools for distributors and restaurants to enhance efficiency, analytics and profitability.
The platform features digital product catalogues, personalised insights, routing management, integrated payment processing, automated inventory tracking through point-of-sale integration and in-app support.
Cheetah CEO Kim Spalding said: “We built our restaurant application and distribution commerce platform to support our distribution business.
“We saw firsthand how our platform uplevelled our own customer experience and drove unprecedented NPS scores [net promoter scores] - 58 - in an industry that often averages NPS scores around 10.
“Over the last decade, the front-of-house of this industry has been digitised, while the back-of-house has remained unchanged. The food supply space, which is the largest portion of restaurant back-of-house, is an opportunity.”
The pivot towards a technology-centric approach has been spearheaded by Cheetah’s new CEO, Spalding, who joined in 2023.
Palo Alto Foods CEO Paul Jensen said: “This is the best of both worlds. I get to continue to do what I have loved my entire career: helping independent restaurants succeed, but now with an even greater platform.
“With their new focus, Cheetah's technology won't just be an irreplaceable asset for my business, but will be an absolute game-changer for the entire foodservice industry.”
Cheetah developed the restaurant supply app to provide an affordable way for restaurants to get their daily supplies.
