Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Jake Pelayo (CEO) and Sebastian Brunet (CTO) have been best friends since age 11. They’ve gone through their fair share of rites of passage together: graduating middle school unscathed, exchanging start-up ideas throughout their university years on opposite coasts, and now, building the first and only ad-free mobile platform exclusively dedicated to restaurants and diners alike.
ARO — All Restaurant Offers is an idea that originated out of Pelayo’s high school AP Econ Final. At the time, ARO was named “Mickey’s” after Pelayo’s family dog, but (at its core) was still geared towards building sustainable channels of communication between hungry consumers and ‘eager-to-host’ restaurants. Pelayo brought the idea to Babson College, while Brunet went to the University of Colorado Boulder to study Machine Learning and Computer Science. Post-graduation, Brunet and Pelayo joined the corporate space, working at Dell Technologies and Deloitte, respectively. Neither could let the concept of ARO go, and both were entrepreneurs at heart. After two years of acquiring their hard and soft skills, Brunet and Pelayo both left their corporate roles, officially beginning the development of both ARO Partner (for restaurants) and ARO — All Restaurant Offers (for users looking to dine out) just last Summer of 2023.
Can you tell our readers what it is about the work you’re doing that’s disruptive?
ARO — All Restaurant Offers includes two stakeholders: restaurants and their diners. Both demographics have been overlooked in that both have been diluted into a set of statistics rather than groups of people that make up the most personable industries in the world: the restaurant and greater hospitality industry. Brunet says, “ARO empowers both stakeholders because doing so is what empowers us; we created a positive feedback loop in which a restaurant’s marketing efforts are streamlined and informed by our very user base.” Pelayo asks, “How much more effective would it be if you could just see what you want and not have to search for it?” In other words, by putting our data back in restaurants’s hands, users get to see more of what they want, and restaurants can focus more on hosting, not promoting.
The term oversaturation is ironically its own buzzword now, and yet, it’s overwhelmingly true with regard to digital media content — especially restaurant content. With the majority of promotional spaces now turned ‘Pay2Play,’ Jake Pelayo (CEO) comments:
“Most are indexed because that’s what was paid for, directly or indirectly. I don’t mean to criticize today’s content creators. I believe there’s likely better content being put out now more than ever before. But it’s still [also] true that there’s only one avenue to guarantee your message can get out there, and it inherently blocks those who may not be able to afford it.”
Imagine all of the potential authentic connections that could have been made between restaurants and consumers if it weren’t for this — and let’s be honest — borderline frivolous financial obstacle. The oversaturation of content and, thus, options has made it impossible for consumers to decide on their own.
Sebastian Brunet (CTO) claims, “It’s not because we’re incapable of choosing, but because there’s too much to sift through — and time is the one thing we can’t pay for. It’s an important decision, but it shouldn’t have to be so tough.” He goes further, stating, “We want the dissemination of information on our platform to stay pure, and that’s why it’s ad-free. We’re disrupting monthly ad spends — not search results.”
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Brunet and Pelayo say they often joke that the premise of their partnership is “feeling secure enough to trust the other blindly.” The time when, for example, Pelayo says he made an egregiously “premature decision to start ordering ‘merch.’” This ‘merch’ included 500 duo-colored custom ballpoint pens and three massive 3ftx3ft car vinyl stickers Brunet and Pelayo volleyed to be put on the family household cars. Unfortunately, this decision was premature as they hadn’t yet asked attorneys if the ARO logo trademark was available. Moreover, the logo was technically still a sketch from a friend — one Brunet and Pelayo would later be told: “did not adhere to any basic principles of design.” Also, it wasn’t centered.
Sebastian admits, “Some actions should be thought out for longer than others, but at least we learned a few things.” First, nothing is more valuable than blind trust because it allows you to laugh in such moments. Second, premature action will always (at the very least) show you what not to do, and, as Pelayo states, “knowing what not to do when first starting out is arguably always more valuable than succeeding by chance.”
We all need a little help along the journey. Who have been some of your mentors? Can you share a story about how they made an impact?
One person has undoubtedly impacted ARO more than anyone else: Alex Duran.
Alex Duran is a restaurateur based out of New Jersey who enjoyed overwhelming career success and who has guided both Brunet and Pelayo toward understanding and identifying the true gaps in communication between restaurants and their customers. Pelayo says Mr. Duran was pivotal in helping craft the brand’s official slogan: ARO — All Restaurant Offers, All In One Place.” Despite his success and tenured career experience, Mr. Duran also recognized the pitfalls in restaurant marketing, so he was as much of a mentor as he was an ideal stakeholder.
Brunet and Pelayo both agree that Mr. Duran helped them cultivate a fundamental understanding of ARO’s problem niche and stakeholders by letting them join internal meetings. As Pelayo says, “There’s only so much you can do in the way of cold calling. What we were able to understand about the process was our game changer — he shed light on ARO in a way that is truly invaluable.”
In today’s parlance, being disruptive is usually a positive adjective. But is disrupting always good? When do we say the converse, that a system or structure has ‘withstood the test of time’? Can you articulate to our readers when disrupting an industry is positive, and when disrupting an industry is ‘not so positive’? Can you share some examples of what you mean?
To disrupt a system, you need to understand it intrinsically. What does that look like?
Brunet says, “Knowing your problem space and what isolates it is only the first step. To have a deep enough understanding of your stakeholders and what drives their decision-making, you need to get to know the people that support them.”
Any business venture that either overlooks the importance of this type of discovery or, worse, ignores it is only looking to extort, not disrupt. In this way, Pelayo believes that “positive disruption gives people a new way to succeed and new channels to persevere through.”
A good disruptor understands the impact of their disruption. Pelayo says, “We know eating a meal out is more than just that — it’s opportunity, it’s socializing, it’s being out in the world. The frequency with which we often have to decide where to have these experiences cheapens it. ARO aims to make that a hassle-free concept.” Brunet and Pelayo say they purposefully built the business in a way that made ARO’s success only possible if both stakeholders (restaurants and diners) were as well.
Can you please share 5 ideas one needs to shake up their industry?
1. Convention: What is it, and where can I find it?
Pelayo says, “Building a business is so much more than plug and play.” It’s about mastering your understanding of your niche, stakeholders, and what mission you’re ultimately trying to accomplish. If a tech and data aggregation company is expected to market on the same platform as a beauty influencer, then it goes to show how crucial it is to know your business, know your audience, and connect with new ones by always remaining aligned with your brand’s mission. Convention is always found in understanding your niche.
2. Inaction is Failure by Default:
Inaction will always lead to failure, but action leaves things as an open question for you to answer. Entrepreneurship is trying to find a balance between knowing when to act and when to learn. But it is also a series of small steps that you take on the journey with those you trust and those who challenge your perspective on success. Brunet says, “When you start working, you start walking — and it’s much more likely you’ll go farther than your vision itself.”
ARO’s founding team of 4 began cold reachouts, mainly in the form of in-person visits to potential restaurant partners, and furthered relationships like those with Mr. Duran. This was before we believed we had a fully realized and “marketable product.” Pelayo says, “Sometimes your idea will say enough to get you started. If you’re struggling to find the right words, start conversations with people in your space.” Those who mentor, reject, or invest in you are meant to guide you to success through redirection.
3. Know Your Limits — to Know How To Exceed Them
An entrepreneur’s biggest obstacle is arguably their own imposter syndrome. Brunet explains: “Early on, we didn’t feel like it made sense to talk to the ‘big fish’ of our industry; realistically, however, those people are way more inclined to adopt us than a smaller business. Fortunately, we learned early on that holding the mentality of “the big guys haven’t done it yet” will limit any team and entrepreneur.”
Pelayo explains, “You have to understand the limits of your ‘box’ to know how far you’ll need to go to step out of it.” He reminisces on his time spent working and hosting private events, saying, “Despite having the resources to work with seasoned marketing experts, the successes we enjoyed at these live events would never translate fully online. Whether we hosted an excellent evening or not, there was always an algorithm blocking our way or, at best, slowing us down.”
4. Think About Where You’re Going — Then Work Your Way Back
Understanding your business’ intended impact is as critical as understanding your niche. Brunet and Pelayo mention they often ‘imagine’ what it would look like if ARO was a multimillion-dollar sensation overnight. Brunet challenges, “Imagine a world in which you’ve successfully navigated every roadblock or obstacle you’re currently facing. Who are you? What does your day-to-day look like? What kind of entrepreneur are you then?” Both Pelayo and Brunet discuss the importance of ‘working your way back’ as an efficient tool to keep open-minded. Pelayo says, “There are a million ways to get to where you want, but there are far fewer avenues that also encourage you to stay true to yourself.” Often, the vision one has of success before they achieve it is the one that’s most reflective of who they are.
5. If There’s No Difference in Opinion, There’s No Innovation
Pelayo states, “You need combative minds on your team. No two people should share the same strength.” True disruption is just thinking differently and having the courage to surround yourself with people who will continue encouraging you to do the same (and also people who know when to tell you that ‘you’re wrong’). To disrupt an industry, the dynamics themselves need to be disruptive. Pelayo shares, “Growth can’t all happen in the same pot.” Brunet adds:
“I work with my best friend, and the only similarities we share are how we care about people and the world. Beyond sharing these core values, our ways of thinking and learning couldn’t be more different. It is these differences that have catapulted our ability to broaden our horizons while staying true to ourselves, our business, and our friendship.”
We are sure you aren’t done. How are you going to shake things up next?
Brunet and Pelayo say, “We are focused on hyper tangible metrics to track ROIs of marketing dollars on ARO. By rolling out a check-in system that ensures an individual came in to eat, there’s no more tangible metric we could offer.” This transparent analytical reporting is complimented by an ad-free space in which restaurants gain direct insights on how to streamline their marketing. “Most importantly,” Brunet says, “data like this hasn’t been collected, which enables ARO to offer consumer behavior targeting in a super unique way.” Pelayo adds, “We’ve taken ARO beyond its two stakeholders. We’re pursuing relationships with service providers, publicists, staff in restaurants, and even liquor brands. We’re in the business of helping people help people.”
Do you have a book, podcast, or talk that’s had a deep impact on your thinking? Can you share a story with us? Can you explain why it was so resonant with you?
Brunet shared that beyond any book or speech, the most pivotal ‘talk’ was one he had with Pelayo in his car after a business conference and networking event. Brunet mentioned the thought process and subject of their conversation ‘wasn’t novel,’ but that for some reason, ‘this chat did it.’ Brunet had just moved back from Austin, Texas, but was still entrenched in his corporate role. Pelayo, however, had already made the decision to leave his company, which is why Brunet says it was such a pivotal talk. Brunet left his corporate job and got both app interfaces (ARO — All Restaurant Offers and ARO Partner) up and running in a little over three months on both Google Play and App Store.
Both agree that level setting is a critical habit to build with your business partner and, of course, your team. Pelayo says telling each other something as simple as, “I’m here. Are you here?” is the most direct and effective way to reassure one another.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Both Pelayo and Brunet encourage team members to share “highlights” and “positive quotes” to kick off the work day with a positive mindset. One particular quote that has stuck with the team for the last two or so months is a classic from Thomas Edison: “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
In any start-up, the journey is always more important than the milestones you reach. Brunet adds, “What we’ve learned along the way, the mistakes we now know to avoid, all of them are a series of small lessons that point to a much larger one — inaction is failure by default.”
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger!
Brunet and Pelayo both agree that their mission would be simple: to make other people feel good about themselves. Pelayo explains that if everyone worked to consider their neighbor but took it a step further to consider how they can impact the way they feel, there would be far more shared success and far less collective hate.
How can our readers follow you online?
You can download ARO — All Restaurant Offers on:
iOS Storefront: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aro-all-restaurant-offers/id6476066520
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.aroapp.consumer
You can follow us on:
Instagram: @aroapp.ai
Facebook: @aroapp.ai
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aroapp-ai/
Read the original published on Medium: https://medium.com/authority-magazine/meet-the-disruptors-jake-pelayo-sebastian-brunet-of-aro-all-restaurant-offers-on-the-five-c96614ffb64b