Steve Lin’s journey to CEO of Tarro (formerly Wonders) began, appropriately, with a job working behind the counter of his parents' restaurant.
Witnessing the struggles of the restaurant business firsthand, Lin was inspired to found a company built to support independently owned restaurants. When the time was right, he dropped out of Harvard to cofound Tarro with Tarro President Dennis Lin. Together, they set out to build a company that eased the burdens of restaurant owners.
A New Era
Tarro (formerly Wonders) recently unveiled a new identity, including a new name, logo and website as part of an extensive rebranding initiative, reflecting a decade of innovation and growth in the restaurant technology sector.
Tarro is driven by a distinct ethos — to serve the “restaurant owners who do it all — work long hours for little profit, put in blood, sweat and tears, all in service of creating a better future.”
Combining smart business and modern technology, Tarro strives to help local restaurants thrive financially, find new connections in their communities and cultivate a bright future for their families.
Why Tarro Exists — in Its Own Words
- “To create products that make restaurant life less of a grind.”
- “To bridge the gap between the joy of food and the bottom line, and to create a future where restaurants thrive, not just survive.”
- “To champion the unsung heroes behind every dish, every table, every smile.”
- “To rewrite the recipe for success in the oldest human industry — for restaurant owners, for families, and for everyone who believes in the power of a good meal.”
Believing in the Right Fit
After three tumultuous years, Tarro found its product-market fit, and in the years that followed, business began to take off.
“I’d be lying if I said that I knew even at that point that we would go on to grow at the rate that we have,” said Lin.
The business was doing so well that by 2021, Tarro received an offer to buy out the company for over $200 million. After careful consideration, Lin turned the offer down.
“Ultimately, I decided that we’d been blessed to have caught lightning in a bottle and were just beginning to scratch the surface of the problems we could solve for restaurants,” said Lin.
His instincts proved right. One year later, Tarro raised at a valuation of $450 million to continue the business’ growth. Now on a five-year growth trajectory, Tarro has its sights set on further expansion to meet the needs of its clients.
“To us, hypergrowth is what a startup journey is all about,” said Lin.
Tarro Growth — By the Numbers
- Tarro has been profitable for nearly a decade and has seen five times revenue growth in the last three years.
- As of its last fundraising round in mid-2022, it was valued at $450M and has since seen substantial growth across customer acquisition, product development and company headcount.
- Thousands of loyal restaurants have entrusted Tarro with their success — supporting nearly 20 million customers.
- Tarro was proud to be named one of Built In’s top companies to work for in 2023.
As of 2024, Tarro has helped over 2,500 restaurants across the United States, and there are more product offerings in the pipeline aimed at addressing the most pressing restaurant headaches. Over 300 customers are already using the recently launched Tarro delivery platform, and on the horizon are game-changing features like AI-enabled order-taking as well as intelligent marketing — moving the restaurant software company one step closer to being a one-stop shop for food service solutions.
“To us, hypergrowth is what a startup journey is all about.”
The Time for Growth Is Now
At the helm of the rapidly growing Tarro team is VP of People and Places Christine Ponzio, who joined Tarro in 2023. While many other tech businesses have slowed or halted their hiring altogether, Ponzio sees a unique opportunity for Tarro to acquire some of the best talent on the market.
“We've reached a critical inflection point where market demand for our products is high, and we are getting the resources and talent in place to begin to scale rapidly,” said Ponzio. “While other companies are focused on layoffs, we're continuing to scale, more than doubling in size last year.”
The Tarro team is hiring new engineering, product development, sales and marketing team members to expand the company’s product offerings — and to continue delivering for current clients while finding new restaurants in need of Tarro solutions.
On the commercial end, there are many U.S. restaurants in need of the services Tarro offers. Of the approximately 750,000 restaurants in the United States, 90 percent have fewer than 50 employees, and 70 percent are single-unit businesses, according to the National Restaurant Association. For new restaurant owners, the odds may seem stacked against them, with 60 percent of restaurants failing within the first year of operation and almost 80 percent failing within the first five years. Despite the rising prevalence of third-party food delivery apps, 52 percent of customers still call the restaurant to make a food delivery order. Restaurant owners need to be more accessible to customers in more places than ever before.
For Head of Sales Justin Alsamarrai, hypergrowth could not have come at a better time. Its products are an immediate opportunity to support the businesses that need it most.
“The challenges faced by immigrants, restaurant workers and small business operators are immense,” said Alsamarrai, “By expanding now, we're not just growing a business; we're delivering on a promise to make significant, real-world impacts where it's desperately needed.”
“By expanding now, we're not just growing a business; we're delivering on a promise to make significant, real-world impacts where it's desperately needed.”
As anyone who has worked in a restaurant can tell you, there’s plenty of chaos behind our favorite local food experiences. Irregular employee hours, unpredictable business and razor-thin margins are the hallmarks of a small business in the food industry.
In the past decade alone, sweeping trends, advances in technology and the pandemic have shaken the restaurant industry — the average foodie might notice how different food service has become in recent years. While restaurant labor shortages have improved since 2020, the restaurant industry still has one of the highest rates of job openings, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Helping close the gap on this issue and others is Tarro, where the commercial team takes extra care to stay on top of industry trends to understand the immediate needs of its clients.
Where larger restaurant companies can afford pricier technology to stay ahead of the competition, Tarro believes that small restaurant owners deserve access to the same technologies at a reasonable price point.
Tarro's Mission: Empathy at the Heart
Formed from first-hand experience with the trials of a mom-and-pop business, Tarro has made its mission to put restaurant owners first by building “purpose-built technology.”
“This profound empathy shapes every aspect of what Tarro strives to achieve, making it more than just a business — it's a lifeline for those treading a path our founders once walked,” said Alsamarrai.
“This vigilance allows us to stay connected to the challenges our clients face,” said Alsamarrai, “We've tailored our products to help our clients boost revenue, cut costs and alleviate stress, ensuring our sales strategy is both adaptive and supportive.”
Diverse Skill Sets for an Adaptable Team
Maintaining continued growth while responding to market changes is no easy task for a busy startup team. But what bolsters the Tarro team is the unified mindset that diversity — and diverse talents — make a sturdy and inventive team.
“Our team's diversity across various industries enriches our skill set,” explained Alsamarrai.
Hiring with the future in mind, the leadership at Tarro is making talent density a top strategic goal. This principle encompasses the entire employee journey, from recruiting efforts to cross-functional and educational company culture. While many startups focus solely on hiring problem-solvers and high-performers, Tarro is taking its hiring process a step further by focusing on candidates with multiple skill sets.
“Our hiring approach focuses on recruiting multi-faceted individuals who are comfortable wearing many hats,” said Lin.
This philosophy has contributed to Tarro’s overall success and growth. The culture at Tarro is one of enthusiasm and agility — where employees are strongly encouraged to move and adapt quickly.
For an HR leader like Ponzio, this company culture has enlightened her to a new perspective on the elements that help a startup thrive.
“Over my career, I've come to appreciate the importance of more nuanced factors such as employee engagement, culture and innovation in driving sustainable growth and company value,” said Ponzio.
A greater emphasis on culture-specific aspects like diversity and inclusion, remote and hybrid offices and team adaptability have become higher priorities as businesses like Tarro have proven successful by relying on robust company culture.
Resilience is an element both a startup and local restaurants need to survive. Alsamarrai, who joined the Tarro team in 2023, was awestruck by the sheer accomplishments of the team thus far.
“These challenges, or as I prefer to view them, opportunities for improvement and learning, have only contributed to our strength and determination,” said Alsamarrai, “Looking ahead, the potential for Wonder's future appears exceptionally promising.”
“Looking ahead, the potential for Wonder's future appears exceptionally promising.”
