Startups

Delect celebrates beta launch at Chef Tony’s in Bethesda

The app is now one step closer to redefining the restaurant experience. We tried it out, warts and all.

Members of the Delect team at the launch event. (Photo by Tajha Chappellet-Lanier)
There’s something special about seeing an erstwhile concept make its first steps into the world, even if, in practice, beta launches are almost always halting, awkward events with regard to the tech itself. Last Wednesday evening this was precisely the milestone that Delect, the 1776-based company looking to reinvent the future of payment in restaurants, celebrated.

A group of friends, mentors and colleagues descended on Chef Tony’s seafood restaurant in Bethesda for dinner and to test out the newly released iOS app. “Everything that can go wrong is going to go wrong tonight,” founder and CEO Serge Amouzou said, by way of a welcome. The room giggled collectively.


But while this was probably a reasonable expectation to set, the evening actually went quite smoothly.
All guests had been directed to download a beta version of the app before arriving at the restaurant — unless they have an Android phone, of course (the team hopes to release an Android version of the app next month). After walking in the door I clicked the button to sign in, then found a table.
My tablemates and I, all previously strangers, chatted about everything from startups to bikeshare to edible marijuana over our short ribs or pasta primavera. One particularly terse member of the table peppered Jason Spengler, Delect’s social media and marketing guy, with questions about the app’s appeal and business model. “You know how you sometimes have to wait 20 or 30 minutes to get the check?” he explained, “that’s why you should download Delect.” She nodded.
Sensing my cue, I bid farewell to my new friends and left the restaurant. It was that easy. In fact, perhaps it was a little too easy — despite continued attempts to load the app, I still haven’t actually paid for anything (get at me, Delect).
So what’s next for Delect? Undoubtedly, rolling out in as many new restaurants as possible is top of mind for the whole team. An app I can use at Chef Tony’s is a fun gimmick, but an app I can use at restaurants around the city is an app I might actually download. As always in startup life, there’s a long road ahead. But on Wednesday, for at least one evening, the Delect team got to celebrate how far it has already come.

Companies: 76 Forward

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

19 tech and entrepreneurship events to check out before the holidays

DC’s year in tech: An interactive timeline for 2024

EDA officials are ‘hopeful’ Tech Hubs program will live on under Trump

AI is being used in more and more of the hiring process, especially at high-volume companies

Technically Media