Two big wins in the tech sector have folks once again talking about Lafayette’s arrival as a bonafide tech hub. Do these successes really mean that Lafayette is a tech town? Columnist Geoff Daily and editor Christiaan Mader talk it over.
Tech
Waitr affirms commitment to Lafayette after acquisition by a Texas billionaire
The gist: The news broke this week that app-based food delivery service Waitr was acquired by a Texas billionaire in a $308 million deal that will take the company public. CEO Chris Meaux says the company intends to expand operations in Louisiana and will continue to call Lafayette and Lake Charles home.
Meaux tells The Current…“We’re committed to Lake Charles and Lafayette; that’s where the bulk of our employee base is from a corporate perspective. We’re committed to Louisiana. This is gonna remain our home and that was an important factor in this deal.” Waitr’s management staff will remain the same, with Meaux continuing to serve as CEO. He also will be the newly public company’s board chairman.
You can breathe now: In the immediate wake of the acquisition, it wasn’t particularly clear where Waitr would end up. It’s now owned by Texas billionaire Tillman Fertitta, the CEO of seafood restaurant chain Landry’s. Fertitta also owns the Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles.
Waitr is a major success story for Acadiana and Lake Charles. Losing its growing payroll and employment would have been a huge blow for a down and out Lafayette economy. Waitr employs between 400 and 500 people in Acadiana, including drivers, and accounts for roughly $25 million in annual payroll in Louisiana, according to a rough estimate from Meaux.
What to watch for: The acquisition will accelerate Waitr’s growth rapidly. Before the deal, Waitr was projected to double its revenue next year to $250 million. Capital infusion of this scale will put Waitr in the driver’s seat nationally in the app-based food delivery space in secondary markets. Meaux says the company will add three or four new cities to its portfolio per month and begin buying up smaller competitors. The company will continue to emphasize small and mid-size cities in its growth and marketing strategy. Meaux refers to Waitr as a “small town company.”
Locally, Meaux says the company is expanding beyond its offices at The Daily Advertiser building on Bertrand Drive. One possible landing spot is the Lemoine building Downtown. Meaux indicates the company is close to deciding on a site, but would not disclose where it would end up. Meaux says the company will continue to hire more software engineers, customer service reps and restaurant support staff going forward. Lafayette is Waitr’s software engineering hub.
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