Fueling the future of neighborhood restaurants
Neighborhood restaurants are the soul of our communities.
Neighborhood restaurants are more than places to eat. They give our communities their flavor and character. Take them away and a city, neighborhood, or Main Street loses its taste, its warmth, its soul.
Independent restaurants are where craft meets care. Where recipes are handed down like treasures and new dishes are created with pride and imagination. Where the table becomes a place for love, for laughter, for memories, for belonging.
Restaurants are not just businesses to us. They are keepers of tradition, nourishers of community, and culinary artists shaping culture one meal at a time.
We believe local restaurants are the cornerstone of every community.
Win on skill, not spend. Technology isn’t a tool. It’s the pairing of expertise and automation that evens the odds for independent restaurants.
Independent restaurants don’t just need software. They need a partner who understands the craft behind the kitchen and the grind of keeping the doors open. Local restaurants don’t have teams of marketers and operators buried in software tools all day.
That’s why we built SpotHopper: to pair real industry expertise with intelligent automation.
From the start, we’ve believed restaurant technology should work like a team of agents, doing the job for owners the way a full staff would. That’s how we help independents compete with big chains that spend millions on employees and agencies. It’s why SpotHopper has been AI-first since our inception 10 years ago.
Today, AI advancements have supercharged this vision. Our platform doesn't just take work off an owner’s plate, it does it better than ever before and in a fraction of the time. It’s not about chasing the biggest ad budgets or outspending the chain down the street. It’s about giving every restaurant — whether a corner taco shop or a neighborhood bistro — the same ability to compete and thrive.
When skill is amplified by the right technology, the playing field levels. And when that happens, talent and taste win.
“This has been one of the best decisions we have made as a restaurant. SpotHopper automatically creates beautifully designed posts to Facebook and Instagram. This takes a tremendous amount of work off our plates.”
The roots of SpotHopper’s AI-powered platform for independent restaurants.
SpotHopper’s founder and CEO, Niko, has always believed that when it comes to food, small-batch and local products are simply better.
Long before founding the company, Niko was writing about the emerging craft beer scene while finishing his neuroscience degree. At a time when most people still argued over Bud Light versus Coors, he was shining a light on brews born in garages and basements, crafted by obsessives who cared more about quality than conglomerates ever could. The only problem was that no one knew they existed.
The same is true for food. The best meals aren’t always found in the flashiest restaurants. They’re crafted by local chefs, artisans, and makers who prize creativity, premium ingredients, and flawless execution over profit margins. Think the basement brewmaster, the devoted pasta maker, the farm-to-table chef.
These are the people Niko wanted to champion. They had incredible products, but not always the time, staff, or budgets to make sure their future raving fans could discover them.
So in 2015, combining his love for craft beer, local food and technology, Niko launched SpotHopper, the all-in-one marketing platform for restaurants.
Our mission is simple
Help the best local businesses stand out and be discovered by the foodies, beer geeks, coffee lovers, and—of course—the spot hoppers.
Book a Free Demo