Why we built FIG

The short answer

We built FIG because the restaurants that make a city worth eating in are mostly small and independent, and the tools that promise them customers usually charge a share of every order. FIG turns that around: a restaurant posts a deal for the hours it wants to fill, nearby diners find it on a map, and the diner pays the restaurant at the counter. FIG takes nothing from that bill.

This post explains the thinking behind that model, what FIG does and doesn't do, and how it pays for itself without ads (for now) or commissions on dine-in.

Restaurants run on thin margins

Running a restaurant is a hard way to make money. Statistics Canada reported that in 2023 the operating profit margin for food services and drinking places in Canada fell to 3.6%, the lowest since 2003. Food and drink bought for resale was the largest expense, at 35.7% of operating costs, with wages close behind.

On a 3.6% margin, a $40 dinner leaves about $1.44 of profit. Anything that takes a percentage of the bill comes straight out of that, and usually more than all of it.

What delivery apps charge, and why that's a different job

Delivery platforms publish their Canadian rates. Uber Eats lists marketplace plans at 20%, 25% and 30% of each delivery order, and 10% on pickup orders. DoorDash lists 20%, 25% and 29% on delivery, and 10% or 8% on pickup, depending on the plan. Those rates pay for real work: drivers, the app, the marketplace and the customers it brings.

FIG isn't trying to replace delivery. It does a narrower job: getting people into a restaurant, or to the counter for a pickup, during the hours the owner chooses. For that job, a percentage of every bill isn't needed, so FIG doesn't charge one. Delivery app commissions vs FIG, with the numbers.

So we flipped the model

On FIG, a deal is a decision the owner made. The restaurant picks:

• What the deal is: a percentage off, a dollar amount off, 2-for-1, or something free with an order, on the whole bill or on specific dishes from its menu.
• When it runs: which days and hours, every week, once, or until a date. Or a flash deal right now, for a quiet hour.
• How many: a daily cap, so a deal never gives away more than planned. It stops on its own when the cap is reached.
• Where: dine-in only, or also as takeout.

A diner finds the deal on Home or on the map, taps Claim, and the deal waits on their Deals page. At the restaurant, staff scan the diner's code with the restaurant side of FIG (on any phone, tablet or computer), or the diner scans the restaurant's own counter code. The deal comes off the bill, and the diner pays the restaurant the way they always do.

What FIG is for diners

• Free. No subscription, no fees, no ads for now.
• Deals you can actually use. Live deals near you, nearest first, filtered by what you crave, your budget and your diet.
• No pressure. A claim doesn't time out. It works for as long as the deal runs, and it only ends when the restaurant ends the deal, or a flash or dated deal is over.
• Private. Restaurants see your first name and last initial, never your phone number or email.
• Honest reviews. Only diners whose visit was scanned can review a restaurant, so every review comes from a real meal. Deals get likes; restaurants get stars.

How FIG pays for itself

Two ways. Restaurants pay one plan for all their restaurants: $29.99 a month or $299.99 a year from the day FIG opens to diners (founding restaurants lock in less before launch). And on takeout paid in the app, FIG keeps 5% of the food (before tax), and Stripe's card fee comes off the same payment. The rest, tax included, goes to the restaurant.

That's it. No ads for now, no fee per diner, no commission on a dine-in bill, and nothing for sale that changes search order or reviews. How FIG makes money, in full.

Why Markham first

Because it's home, and because it has exactly the mix FIG is built for: hundreds of independent restaurants spread across plazas and main streets, from Pacific Mall at Steeles and Kennedy to Main Street Unionville and the old Main Street of Markham Village, and a lot of people who love finding somewhere new to eat.

FIG opens in Markham first, expanding to Richmond Hill and Vaughan Mills. Deals start January 1, 2027. Until then, restaurants can set up their page, menu and first deals, and diners can explore the map.

What's next

We're signing Markham restaurants now. If you own one, setting up takes a few minutes: your page, your menu, your first deal. Before FIG opens to diners, you can lock in a founding price. See how it works for restaurants or read the Help center.

Questions