SAN FRANCISCO, July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Hostie, the AI-powered virtual concierge for restaurants, today announced a $12 million Series A funding round led by Obvious Ventures, with participation from Gradient, Scribble Ventures, Burst Capital, and Behind Genius Ventures, bringing total funding to $16 million. The round also includes investments from leading restaurant operators Tim Stannard of Bacchus Management Group and Stuart Brioza, Nicole Krasinski, and Elizabeth DePalmer of Atomic Workshop, underscoring Hostie’s growing role in modern restaurant operations.

The funding follows a year of rapid growth in which Hostie increased revenue 10x, expanded to hundreds of restaurant partners nationwide, and helped operators manage more than 2 million guest conversations and 24 million messages, book over 400,000 covers, and support more than 50,000 private event inquiries. The company is advised by Thomas Layton, former CEO of OpenTable; Mike Dodson, former SVP of Sales at OpenTable and Resy board member; and Mike Stoppelman, former VP of Engineering at Yelp.

Since launching, Hostie has become a trusted virtual concierge for hundreds of restaurants and hospitality groups nationwide, including Flour + Water Hospitality Group, Riviera Dining Group, Bacchus Management Group, Cactus Club Cafe, Cunningham Restaurant Group, Merchants Hospitality, State Bird Provisions, Wayfare Tavern, Mirra, and The Progress. The platform helps operators manage calls, texts, reservations, takeout inquiries, private events, and guest questions while delivering a seamless guest experience and freeing teams to focus on in-person hospitality.

“At Back to Back, I saw firsthand how difficult it became for restaurant teams to keep up with the growing volume of guest communication while still delivering great hospitality,” said Randall Hom, co-founder and CEO of Hostie and co-owner of Back to Back in San Francisco. “Restaurants are being asked to manage more calls, texts, reservations, takeout, and guest questions than ever before. We built Hostie to help teams keep up with that demand while staying focused on the people in front of them.”

“Hospitality is one of the most operationally complex industries in the world, and Hostie understands that deeply,” said Kahini Shah, Partner at Obvious Ventures. “Randall and Brendan are building an essential platform for restaurants at a time when operators are being asked to do more with less. What stood out to us was the team’s deep hospitality expertise, the product’s quality, and the clear market demand. Hostie has built the most thoughtful and intuitive AI solution in the category, and we’re excited to support the company’s next phase of growth.”

“I first discovered Hostie when I called Flour + Water to say I was running late for a reservation, and the experience was so seamless I immediately wanted to know what was powering it,” said Andrew Brackin, Partner at Gradient. “What Randall and Brendan have built is best-in-class technology grounded in a deep understanding of hospitality. From the beginning, operators weren’t just using the product; they were helping shape it. That combination of exceptional product and customer obsession is incredibly rare. We believe AI will transform how restaurants engage with guests, and Hostie is leading that transformation.”

With the new funding, Hostie plans to accelerate product development and grow its leadership team, including recent additions Jeff Jones, a former OpenTable executive, as Head of Sales, and Hayley Foppiani, formerly of BentoBox, as Head of Marketing. The investment also accelerates Hostie’s broader vision of transforming how restaurants connect with their guests at every touchpoint, across every channel.

About Hostie
Hostie is the AI-powered Virtual Concierge for restaurants, helping operators manage calls, texts, reservations, takeout orders, private event inquiries, and guest communications while keeping hospitality at the center of the experience. Headquartered in San Francisco, Hostie partners with independent restaurants, hospitality groups, and enterprise restaurant brands across the country.

Learn more at Hostie.ai or follow on Instagram.

Media Contact:
Hayley Foppiani
hayley@hostie.ai

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SOURCE Hostie AI