A Rhode Island startup is aiming to solve one of hospitality’s overlooked problems: how to easily book a private event space.
Providence-based RestauRent Inc. is building a booking platform that streamlines the way people find and reserve private dining rooms – giving restaurants and bars new revenue and consumers an alternative to unanswered phone calls and outdated contact forms.
The business was founded by entrepreneur Nicholas Cianfaglione in late 2022 and launched in early 2023.
“This is a completely untapped market,” he said. “You’ve got platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, Resy and OpenTable, but nothing focused on private dining and events. Right now, people still have to call the venue, fill out a form, or send an email just to start the conversation.”
The idea was born out of a personal experience. Two of Cianfaglione’s grandparents died in 2022, and he watched his mother struggle to find a venue for a family gathering.
“It wasn’t about the best space,” he recalled. “It was just about who actually got back to us. There was no easy system to search and book unless it was a wedding.”
That sparked a deeper investigation into how people find event venues.
Cianfaglione uncovered something in the research: 75% of events aren’t weddings, yet nearly every booking platform is built for weddings.
“There was this massive gap,” he said. “Birthdays, corporate events, engagement parties, holiday dinners – these are the types of gatherings that make up the majority of the market, but the infrastructure wasn’t built for them.”
Cianfaglione said it’s a blind spot in a multibillion-dollar industry.
Seeing this underserved market, he set out to build a solution. He raised more than $6 million to fund RestauRent’s launch and growth. More than half of the company’s investors are based in Rhode Island, Cianfaglione said.
The startup now operates with a “lean, scrappy team of four,” he said, supported by a network of contractors.
That agility has allowed RestauRent to move fast and stay focused, building a platform designed for a growing need.
RestauRent enables venues to monetize underutilized spaces, while providing hosts with a streamlined, efficient platform to plan and book private events.
And for restaurants and bars still struggling to recover from the pandemic, Cianfaglione sees private events as an especially crucial financial lifeline.
“Margins in hospitality were obliterated by COVID,” he said. “With private events, venues can predict demand, hire appropriately and boost margins by 20% or more.”
Venues can join the platform with no upfront cost and receive a three-month free trial.
After that, it’s just $100 per month per location – no contracts and no commission fees. And all bookings are handled on-site using the venue’s existing point-of-sale systems.
“We don’t take a percentage,” he said. “Our flat-rate model keeps things simple and sustainable.”
Since launching, RestauRent has signed 266 venues in Rhode Island, and is now active in 28 cities as far away as Chicago and Atlanta, covering 1,250 venues nationwide. Expansion west of Texas is planned for early next year, Cianfaglione said. Meanwhile, the company is reaching out to more than 1,000 locations each week to find new clients.
“We’re building a national tech company right here in Providence,” Cianfaglione said. “That’s important to us.”
OWNER: Nicholas Cianfaglione
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Software-as-a-service booking platform
LOCATION: 225 Dyer St., Providence
EMPLOYEES: Four
YEAR FOUNDED: 2022
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND
