It was 2004, and times were changing.
Jim Oliva had been working in the restaurant industry for about 15 years, and one thing was clear; The internet was quickly evolving and drastically changing the way that people and businesses interacted with one another. This lead Jim to ask himself a question that would unknowingly change his life forever, “How can I use the internet to get more customers into my restaurant?”
Fast forward to December 2005; Jim had linked up with a young software developer, Jamal James, and together they founded Ordereze (formerly known as J&J Multimedia Inc) with a simple mission—to provide the best technology, resources, and support for restaurants to grow in an online world. Their first product was a website development service with a built-in online ordering platform.
“When we started out, it was just Jim and I, with two desks, two chairs, two phones, and two computers set up in the basement of Jim’s house.” – Jamal James
In the beginning, the only thing keeping the lights on at Ordereze was the initial investment of $70,000 that Jim had obtained through taking out a second-mortgage on his home. Every day Jim would go to dozens of restaurants showcasing the product that Jamal was constantly building back in the basement office. Giving it away for free, Ordereze quickly became known for providing amazing value and service.
“When you’re doing something with your own money you drive on passion. Whether we were making money or not, we always believed in what we were doing. We wanted to succeed, and we wanted to create something that was going to really help people.” – Jim Oliva
Within a year, persistence and drive enabled Jim and Jamal to hire 6 people, therefore quickly outgrowing Jim’s basement. This lead to the first “real” office for Ordereze, a modest-sized commercial space on top of an old factory in Bay Shore, New York. From the office in Bay Shore, Ordereze continued to grow with Jim as the CEO—handling the sales/business development, and Jamal as the CTO—constantly developing new products and software to stay ahead of the curve.
One Saturday afternoon in 2010, after watching “The Social Network”, a movie about the rise of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, Jamal was so inspired that he immediately rushed home after the movie and began coding. He didn’t sleep for two days, driven by the passion to create something great for Ordereze’s customers. On Monday morning, he sent an email to Jim letting him know that they now had the ability to create mobile websites for customers.
“We grew our product out of necessity. We always felt that our customers’ needs were the top priority, so of all the features that we build, we build them because our customers ask for them. Our customers ask and we deliver, that’s how we literally build all of our products.” – Jamal James
Ordereze’s dedication to its customers is what has allowed growth to compound year after year. In 2012, Ordereze had grown to 20 employees and was once again starting to outgrow its office space. This lead to moving the company to a larger office in Bohemia, NY to better suit Ordereze’s needs. Shortly after the move however, Hurricane Sandy raged across the Northeast and left over 90% of people on Long Island without power for weeks.
When Jamal and Jim went to check on the office after the storm, they found that the ceiling had collapsed and the entire building was ruined. So, it was time to move back to Jim’s house in the interim. During the weeks that Long Island was out of power, Ordereze never had an interruption of service. Every week, Jim would drive up to Connecticut to buy 100 gallons of gasoline to keep the generators running and his employee’s gas-tanks filled, while everything else in the Northeast ground to a halt.
“There were many times early on where a lot of people would have thrown in the towel, and we didn’t, because we believe in what we do.” – Jim Oliva
As of January 2017, Ordereze is a thriving company, maintaining its focus on the restaurant industry. With 52 employees in the United States, 9 employees in Europe, over 3,000 customers, a dozen different products, and some of the highest customer retention numbers in the industry, things have never been better.
Dedication to its customers is what pushes Ordereze forward. It has been a long road, but the same commitment to excellence that was forged in the basement all those years ago, still holds true to this day -- and effects every decision that is made. The commitment that no matter how big Ordereze gets, no matter what products or services that are offered, Ordereze will never lose its passion and dedication to the customer. At Ordereze, the customer leads the way, we’re just here to help guide them on their path—and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for Ordereze, and our valued friends in the restaurant industry!