Why We Invested: Science on Call
At Redstick, we back founders whose firsthand industry experience gives them an intimate grasp of pain points in day-to-day operations. We found that in Andy Freivogel and the Science on Call team. By marrying a decade of data with an AI-driven platform, they are reinventing restaurant tech support—streamlining assistance across every system, device, and channel.
The Problem: Restaurant Tech Support is Broken
Restaurants today are more technology-dependent than ever. From POS systems to online ordering platforms, reservation software to kitchen display systems, the modern restaurant runs on a complex ecosystem of technology. When these systems fail—and they inevitably do—the impact is immediate and costly:
Orders stop flowing
Customers grow frustrated
Revenue is lost in real-time
Most restaurants lack dedicated IT staff, leaving already-busy managers and employees to troubleshoot complex technical issues they're not trained to handle. Even restaurant groups with large internal IT teams are deploying Science On Call’s platform to streamline those costly internal hires. The traditional tech support model simply wasn't built for the unique challenges of restaurant environments where:
Problems require immediate solutions (not "we'll get back to you in 24 hours")
Staff turnover creates persistent knowledge gaps
A diverse technology stack means no single vendor can address all issues
Every minute of downtime directly impacts the bottom line
The Solution: Tech Support Built for Restaurants
Science on Call offers exactly what the name promises—24/7 technical support that's just a text, call, or email away. What impressed us most is how perfectly tailored their approach is to the restaurant environment:
Immediate access: No ticketing systems or lengthy hold times—just immediate human support
Restaurant-specific expertise: Their team understands both the technology and the operational realities of restaurants
Multiple service channels: Whether by text, call, or email, help is available through whatever method works in the moment
Perhaps most exciting is how they have leveraged 10 years of restaurant tech support data to build AI-enabled solutions that provide real-time assistance even faster. This intelligence layer turns every restaurant employee into a capable tech troubleshooter, regardless of their technical expertise.
Why Science on Call Will Win
When evaluating any investment, we look for sustainable competitive advantages. Science on Call has several:
Deep domain expertise: Co-founder Andy Freivogel brings 13 years of restaurant and hospitality tech support experience, having previously built a tech support company serving this exact market
Proprietary data moat: Their extensive database of support tickets provides the foundation for AI solutions that will become more intelligent with each interaction
Strong unit economics: With monthly subscription rates between $179-$229 per location and remarkably low variable costs, their model demonstrates 90%+ margins at scale
Proven product-market fit: They've already conquered the challenging Chicago market, working with single-location restaurants and have expanded to multi-unit operations across North America. Brands would rather use Science than the tech support from native systems.
Multilingual Support: Science On Call’s platform speaks all languages, removing language and geographical constraints to allow for global market expansion
The Team Making It Happen
Great ideas require exceptional execution, and the Science on Call leadership team brings both experience and diverse skill sets:
Andy Freivogel (CEO) - With 13 years in restaurant tech support and a previous company in the space, Andy brings unmatched domain expertise and customer understanding
Luisa Castellanos (COO) - A two-time founder who has worked alongside Andy building the support ticket database that powers their solutions
Ken Tsang (CTO) - Harvard graduate with a Computer Science Masters from University of Chicago and an MBA from Kellogg, bringing technical depth since joining in 2020
Why This Market Matters
The restaurant technology sector sits at the perfect intersection of several powerful trends:
Accelerating digitization across all restaurant operations
Growing complexity of technology ecosystems
Rising consumer expectations for seamless experiences
Persistent staffing challenges driving the need for automation
With the restaurant industry's fundamental resilience (people always need to eat) combined with its massive scale and fragmentation, Science on Call addresses a large, growing, and underserved market. Additionally, Science On Call has begun their foray into adjacent verticals, including brick and mortar retailers and convenience stores, increasing the market opportunity substantially.
Our Role
Beyond capital, we're excited to leverage Redstick's network to accelerate Science on Call's growth, particularly in making introductions to multi-unit restaurant operations across North America. Our expertise in food technology and operations will help the team navigate their expansion beyond Chicago and into larger chains.
We believe Science on Call represents everything we look for in an investment: visionary founders solving a real problem, with a scalable solution and compelling economics, in a market ripe for innovation.
We couldn't be more thrilled to join Andy, Luisa, Ken, and the entire Science on Call team on their journey to transform restaurant technology support.
— Shane Larisey & Cam Crowder
Co-Founders of Redstick
