Arab News | Money20/20: Foodics launches ‘Capital 2.0,’ turning restaurant performance into access to funding

Foodics, a leading restaurant operations and financial technology platform in the MENA region, launched Capital 2.0 at Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh, introducing an automated funding solution that uses restaurant performance data to pre-qualify businesses and accelerate access to capital.

The launch marks the next step in Foodics’ evolution from a restaurant operations platform into a financial partner for restaurants, using each restaurant’s operational and financial performance to pre-qualify businesses and provide faster, simpler access to funding.

Access to financing remains a challenge for many restaurants, particularly smaller operators, as traditional processes can be lengthy and may not fully reflect how restaurant businesses operate and generate revenue. With an AI layer embedded into the Foodics platform, Capital 2.0 uses intelligent credit-scoring technology to assess restaurants based on their actual business performance and automatically identify operators who qualify for funding, removing the need for a traditional application process. Eligible operators can then select their funding terms and complete the process digitally, with funding approved and disbursed within four hours.

Ahmad Al-Zaini, co-founder and CEO of Foodics, said: “Restaurants generate valuable performance data every day, and we believe that data should do more than help them understand their business; it should help them grow it. Capital 2.0 is an important step in how we turn that insight into financial value for our merchants. With a target of SR375 million in funding in the first year, our ambition is to make Foodics a financial partner that supports the growth of our restaurants across the region.”

Abdullah Tahboub, CFO at Foodics, said: “For too long, access to capital for restaurants has been disconnected from the strength of the underlying business. A restaurant can be growing, generating healthy revenues and demonstrating strong performance, yet still struggle to secure funding at the moment it needs it most. We believe financing should move at the speed of the business. Capital 2.0 is about closing that gap and making capital a tool for growth rather than a constraint.”

The solution can support different types of financing, including working capital and invoice factoring for suppliers, with funding ranging from approximately SR20,000 in working capital to SR2 million or more for expansion. Repayments are made through small deductions from each daily settlement, spreading repayments over time rather than requiring restaurants to manage a larger monthly payment.

Capital 2.0 is part of a wider set of financial capabilities Foodics is showcasing at Money20/20. Foodics is also unveiling expanded omni-channel payment solutions and new reconciliation and instant settlements capabilities, while giving attendees a first look at the evolution of “MyFoodics App” into a single account for managing sales, cash, payouts and access to capital.

These new financial capabilities build on Foodics’ core Restaurant Management Suite, expanding what merchants can manage through the Foodics ecosystem while the core platform continues to support their day-to-day restaurant operations.