‘Write Once, Read Everywhere’ Extends to Restaurants via SinglePlatform

“Write once, read everywhere” concepts are popular ones with so many platforms to serve. Agendize is probably the king of these for listings and appointments, serving more than 66 unique platforms. Localeze and Universal Business Listings are other key players that come to mind for managing name, address and phone (NAP) information.

Other companies are specializing in other write once, read everywhere applications for such areas as classifieds (i.e., Travidia’s Bamboo Net). Now, for restaurant information, including social and mobile media, we have “SinglePlatform.”

The New York-based company was started over a year ago by entrepreneur Wiley Cerilli, with a first round raise of $1.2 million. Eleven years ago, Cerilli was one of several people developing Seamless Web, an online food ordering service that was sold in July 2006 to Aramark, the food services giant.

Cerilli saw a need for SinglePlatform because restaurants increasingly needed to post information such as specials, events and menus on a broad range of media — social media, mobile, directories, city guides, even games — and acquire new customers. Single Platform’s salespeople make premise calls with iPad demos that emphasize the need to create a “full browser” self-serve experience, rather than a simple Web site.

One revenue model that is being pursued is based on pay-per-call leads. Calls to merchants on the company’s dedicated number cost $1. The company shares a portion of the revenues with publishers that work with it. Cerilli says the company has already signed up companies such as Localeze, FoodSpotting, Menuism and Blackbook Magazine.