The company Tablex shows that perseverance can pay off for companies: it was founded in Gramastetten in 2000. However, growth and success have only occurred in the last ten years. “The beginnings were a bit poor,” says Martin Raber. He joined founder Martin Roither around ten years ago. The company has been working on software for the catering industry for years.
Martin Roither and Martin Raber are behind Tablex. Both have gastronomy experience: While Roither comes from a family of innkeepers, Raber was self-employed for years and has also gotten to know businesses and their challenges in other countries. “Hardly legible handwritten entries in the reservation book, numerous pieces of paper with information and a pointlessly high level of personnel expenditure make simple processes that should actually be pure everyday routine difficult,” says Roither.
At the same time, more and more guests would prefer to make their reservations online instead of calling, says Raber. The Tablex software handles the reservations and enables automatic assignment to a table. If there are more reservations for a certain time than the kitchen can handle, the system automatically blocks this slot. The recording of special requests or statistical evaluations are also possible.
Around four years ago, the software company also entered the hardware sector. The result is a small tablet that functions as a table stand. The inconspicuous device resembles an analogue reservation card; you will look in vain for an on or off button. “We didn’t want anything that screamed for attention,” says Raber.
When an online reservation is received, the software automatically transfers it to the table displays, including time information. This saves the restaurateurs time and unpleasant conversations because the guests can see for themselves when the table will be needed once more.
Bild: Ness Rubey
The mini tablet is powered by batteries and produced in Upper Austria. Data protection was also an issue during development: the table display and name were to be classified like a doorbell and therefore unproblematic. The data belongs to the restaurateurs; for tax reasons, they have to store it for seven years before it is anonymized, says Raber. Tablex itself deletes the reservation data following it has passed through the server.
Prominent restaurants are among the customers
The company earns money from the service and the software can be adapted to the needs of different companies. “As a regional provider, we want to clearly differentiate ourselves from the anonymous software giants or online reservation tools from search engines. Despite all the technology, we are human,” says Raber.
With the software alone, the company with nine employees generated 500,000 euros in the last financial year. The approximately 500 customers are at home in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and in Italy. These include the Promenadenhof in Linz, the Mühlviertler Mühltalhof and the Schweizerhaus in Vienna. “We are growing most strongly in our home market of Upper Austria,” says Raber. But there is currently a lot of potential in Bavaria too.
Author
Verena Mitterlechner
Verena Mitterlechner
