Meet Adam Garfield
Co-Founder & CEO, SpeedETab
Born and raised in Miami, FL, Adam says he loved having Miami roots but was so happy to move to Boston after College. He moved there to work in corporate finance. He mentioned how much he liked the, “…entrepreneurial tech scene they had to offer.” While working in finance, Adam discovered he was wasting a lot of his free time waiting in lines.
With SpeedETab, Adam sought to address a HUGE pain point in the hospitality industry–the waiting times. Unknowingly, Adam also developed a solution for current pandemic-era social distancing as well.
How was SpeedETab born?
Working in the corporate sector, Adam’s time was very limited. He began to notice his 10- to 15-minute coffee breaks were mostly spent waiting to order the coffee and not enjoying the coffee. He realized the pattern was becoming more and more common throughout segments of the hospitality industry. The lack of customer service and time wasted in restaurants, shops, and bars were pain points for Adam and he knew there had to be a solution.
“Time is so valuable, it’s one of the resources that’s rarest in our lives. Personally, I am about convenience and the most efficient use of time.” With his background in finance – he thought, “How do we maximize that time? I’m trying to spend money at this establishment. I want a coffee from them or a sandwich from them. Why do I have to stand in line and wait around to do that?”
So in 2013, he started working on SpeedETab. The mission was: “Make ordering easier.”
“I worked during the day and then at night and on weekends. I was passionately working on SpeedETab… and that was building out the foundation of what the company did, what the product experience was going to be like, what I wanted the user experience to be like. You do need a great foundation in terms of ‘what is our product strategy, marketing strategy, user experience, who is our total adjustable market, what are our value props and differentiators?’ I think mentors in that process are really important. I’m super fortunate to have an amazing grandfather who was always pushing me to get out of the corporate hamster wheel to be an entrepreneur. Also, I was super lucky to find my co-founder, Ed Gilmore. He’s brilliant.”
Present Day as CEO and Co-founder of SpeedETab, 2020
Now, Adam oversees and directs the overall management and strategic responsibility for the company as well as operational, staffing, and fundraising efforts.
SpeedETab was built to support the local restaurant industry. There are no commissions to merchants, and no service fees for customers. It currently supports 2,600+ locations across the country in 49 out of 50 states (c’mon, Alaska!) and is working with brands big and small, from Barnes & Noble Cafes to Lung Yai Thai Tapas!!
During COVID, SpeedETab has been helping restaurants to set up their own online ordering takeout, curbside pickup, delivery, and dine-in table-side ordering for FREE!
When asked, “Where do you see the future of SpeedETab?” Adam replies simply, “We are striving for a world without lines.”
Life in the new normal
Adam shares how he is personally managing his life, stress, and motivation during COVID-19:
“I’ve taken up a new practice which is something that my grandmother challenged me with: Can you find time during the course of a day to write down what you feel blessed for? Can you write 100 blessings a day?
I told her that 100 was a lot–can we start at 25? So, can you find 25 things that you feel blessed for?
Throughout the course of the day, I write them down on my notepad. I keep a notepad next to my laptop and I write down what I feel blessed for.
So at like five points throughout the day, I’ll write down five things each time. That just helps put things in perspective.”
Adam also expressed how grateful and thankful he is for his team at SpeedETab for their dedication and hard work, as they step up and adjust to changes during these times. (Thank you, SpeedETab Team!)
Get connected
Adam: LinkedIn | Twitter
SpeedETab: SpeedETab Site | LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter
