Science On Call

What Science On Call does

Science On Call, operating as Science Retail Inc., is a Chicago-based B2B technology support provider founded in 2020 that delivers 24/7/365 technical assistance to multi-unit restaurant operators across the United States. The company serves over 1,000 restaurants by acting as a centralized help desk for restaurant technology stacks, including POS, KDS, online ordering, networking, digital signage, and back-office systems. Its platform-agnostic model allows the team to support nearly all major restaurant technology vendors regardless of brand.

The core offering is structured as a per-location-per-month subscription with two primary tiers: Science Sidekick ($79/month for basic support covering menu changes, password resets, and onboarding) and Full Support ($379/month for comprehensive coverage including hardware/software troubleshooting and vendor escalation). These are augmented by three add-on modules: Science On Line (4G LTE backup internet at $49/month), Science Guest (branded guest WiFi with email capture at $39/month), and Menu as a Service (menu management at $59/month). The platform delivers support through text, email, and phone channels without requiring an app login, using AI-backed automations to augment a team of human support agents with restaurant industry experience. The company reports an average ticket resolution time of 25 minutes and claims to resolve 90% of issues internally without vendor escalation.

Science On Call operates a sales-led go-to-market targeting enterprise and mid-market restaurant chains, with direct B2B sales via Calendly-based demo booking as the primary acquisition channel. Geographic coverage is domestic US (coast to coast), supplemented by partnerships with local service providers for in-person support needs. The company has raised approximately $4.3 million across multiple seed and early-stage rounds between 2020 and 2025 and operates with a small team of 11-50 employees. Enterprise pricing is available for operators with 20 or more units.

Name

Science On Call

Legal name

Science Retail Inc.

Website

https://scienceoncall.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Science On Call is a Chicago-based B2B platform that delivers 24/7 AI-augmented technical support to multi-unit restaurant operators across the United States, serving 1,000+ restaurants via per-location subscription plans covering POS, networking, and back-office systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tech Support Subscription - Science Sidekick: Entry-level monthly subscription providing 24/7/365 support to augment existing teams with basic troubleshooting, menu management, password resets, and employee onboarding/offboarding. Billed per location per month.
2. Tech Support Subscription - Full Support: Premium tier covering all Science Sidekick features plus complete hardware/software troubleshooting, vendor escalation, and end-to-end query management. Billed per location per month with enterprise pricing for 20+ units.
3. Backup Internet Service: 4G LTE failover internet service with hardware rental, data usage, and monitoring included in flat monthly rate
4. Guest WiFi (Science Guest): Branded landing page WiFi service with email collection capabilities, integration with email marketing platforms, and setup/monitoring included
5. Menu as a Service: Menu management service covering POS and online platform updates. Flat monthly fee for unlimited menu edits with dedicated menu scientist

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Science On Call provides 24/7/365 technology support for restaurants, combining human agents with restaurant-industry experience and AI-powered automation to resolve tech issues across the full restaurant stack (POS, KDS, online ordering, networking, digital signage, back-office). Services are sold as per-location monthly subscriptions across two core support tiers (Science Sidekick and Full Support) plus add-ons for backup internet, guest Wi-Fi, and menu management. Support is delivered via text, email, or phone with an average 25-minute resolution time.

Product overview

Science On Call is a human-powered, tech-enabled 24/7 restaurant tech support platform built for multi-unit restaurant operators. The core offering consists of two subscription tiers: Science Sidekick (basic support at $79/month) and Full Support (comprehensive coverage at $379/month). These core packages are augmented by three add-on services: Science On Line (backup internet/connectivity at $49/month), Science Guest (guest Wi-Fi and email marketing capture at $39/month), and Menu As A Service (menu management at $59/month). The platform supports nearly all restaurant technology including POS, KDS, loyalty, scheduling, online ordering, and training systems, with AI-backed automations enhancing human support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Science Sidekick Basic 24/7/365 restaurant tech support package providing routine troubleshooting, menu item 86'ing, scheduled/unscheduled hours changes, password resets, employee onboarding/offboarding, and SOP/employee manual support. Starting at $79 per location per month. Targeted at multi-unit restaurant operators that need supplemental help desk coverage.
• Full Support Premium comprehensive tech support tier covering the full restaurant technology stack with end-to-end query management, hardware and software troubleshooting, and vendor escalation. Starting at $379 per location per month with enterprise pricing for 20+ units. Includes all Science Sidekick coverage.
• Science On Line Backup internet service providing 4G LTE failover connectivity during primary internet outages. Includes hardware rental, data usage, advanced network monitoring, and a 24/7 alert system. Starting at $49 per location per month.
• Science Guest Guest Wi-Fi solution with branded landing pages for email collection and marketing integration. Supports wireless access points including Ubiquiti UniFi, Cisco Meraki, TP-Link Omada, Juniper Mist, and Cambium cnMaestro. Integrates with email marketing platforms including Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Klaviyo. Starting at $39 per location per month.
• Menu As A Service Menu management service handling minor updates through complete menu launches across POS and online ordering platforms. Includes a dedicated menu scientist familiar with customer's POS and online platforms, available by text and email on go-live. Flat monthly subscription covers unlimited edits. Starting at $59 per location per month.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of problems resolved within Science On Call's own team without escalation
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Techstars Farm to Fork AcceleratorcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Science On Call was selected for the 2021 Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator, backed by Ecolab and Cargill. This provided mentorship, resources, and visibility in the food tech ecosystem.
• 1871 Food Foundry AcceleratorcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Science On Call participated in the 1871 Food Foundry accelerator program in collaboration with Relish Works and Gordon Food Service, gaining access to Chicago's food tech ecosystem and mentorship.
• Boots-on-the-Ground Service ProvidersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with local service providers for in-person support when remote support is insufficient. Science On Call remotely supports customers coast to coast and partners with local providers when on-site service is required.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SpotOn: Restaurant technology platform offering POS, payments, marketing, and labor management for hospitality operators. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving multi-unit restaurants with integrated technology and support.
• Crunchtime: Established restaurant operations platform covering inventory, labor, and food cost management for multi-unit operators. Comparable in targeting the same multi-unit restaurant segment and overlapping on operational technology stack concerns.
• TouchBistro: Restaurant POS and front-of-house platform serving full-service restaurants. Comparable as a broad incumbent in restaurant technology with bundled support and POS-adjacent services.
• Square for Restaurants: Block's restaurant POS and operations platform serving small and mid-market restaurants. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering integrated restaurant technology and bundled support.
• Toast: Leading restaurant POS and technology platform offering POS, payments, online ordering, and bundled support. Represents the broad incumbent that Science On Call positions against as a platform-agnostic alternative.
• Restaurant365: Cloud-based ERP platform purpose-built for restaurants, combining accounting, inventory, payroll, and operations. Comparable in serving as a unified technology backbone for multi-unit restaurant operators.

Direct peers

• SynergySuite: Restaurant back-office software platform (scheduling, inventory, food safety) that serves multi-unit operators. Listed as a complementary partner of Science On Call in the restaurant-technology integration ecosystem, targeting overlapping multi-unit restaurant buyers.
• Chowly: Third-party order aggregator that integrates delivery marketplace orders into restaurant POS systems. Comparable as a restaurant-technology integration partner (Chowly is explicitly integrated with Science On Call) targeting the same multi-unit operator pain points.
• Cuboh: Third-party delivery aggregator and restaurant-tech integration platform. Comparable in addressing restaurant technology fragmentation and listed as an integrated partner of Science On Call.

Emerging players

• Otter: Restaurant order management platform that consolidates third-party delivery orders into restaurant POS systems. Comparable in addressing restaurant-tech fragmentation and offering operational tooling for multi-unit operators.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scienceoncall
• Xx.com/scienceoncall
• Facebookfacebook.com/scienceoncall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Science On Call