Local

What Local does

Local is a QR-code-based hospitality platform that enables restaurants, hotels, and hospital cafeterias to accept contactless payments, run digital menus, capture orders, and operate built-in loyalty programs from a single guest-facing QR scan. Its product suite comprises six modules — Pay-at-Table, Digital Menu, Order-and-Pay, Loyalty Program, Payment Links, and a Venue Intelligence Dashboard — all delivered through a browser-based flow that requires no guest app download. The platform integrates with regional wallets (BenefitPay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay) and major POS systems (Odoo, Oracle POS, Lightspeed, Square, Invo), supporting both English and Arabic with right-to-left layout, and is currently used by 200+ venues across Bahrain, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Recognized customers include Fuddruckers, Nandos, Chili's, Gulf Inn, Asdal Boutique Hotel, and Banu Corp.

The company operates a transaction-based revenue model, charging venues a non-refundable Customer Service Fee per transaction for the digital platform services, with specific rates quoted on a contact basis and not publicly disclosed. Local acts as the merchant of record for all transactions processed through the platform. Pricing is pay-as-you-go with no hardware costs to the venue, and the company is sold both via a self-serve product-led growth motion (venues live in days, 15-minute staff training) and direct enterprise sales. Go-to-market covers the GCC region through offices in Manama, Dubai, and Riyadh.

Local is a privately held, founder-led company headquartered in Dubai. It was founded in 2025 and operates with 11-50 employees. In December 2025 it closed a $1,000,000 seed funding round and participated in the 500 Global / Sanabil 500 MENA Seed Accelerator. The CEO and founder is Saad Ahmed. Ownership, board composition, and detailed cap-table information are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Local

Legal name

Local

Website

https://uselocal.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Local is a QR-based payment, ordering, digital menu, and loyalty platform serving restaurants, hotels, and hospital cafeterias across the GCC (Bahrain, UAE, Saudi Arabia). It charges a per-transaction Customer Service Fee to 200+ venues and integrates with regional wallets and major POS systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Payment Technology

akta.pro primary industry

QR Code & Alternative In-Store Acceptance (QR, APMs) (FSAMADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

POS, SoftPOS & In-Person Acceptance Infrastructure (FSAGABAO), Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) & Local Rails (ACH/SEPA/UPI, etc.) (CRAFALAG), Alternative Payments & Digital Wallet Acceptance (A2A, RTP, wallets) (THALAHAH)

Keywords

• QR payment platform
• Hospitality payment software
• Restaurant ordering system
• Contactless checkout solution
• Customer loyalty platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transaction/Payment Processing: Local processes all payments through its platform and charges a Customer Service Fee on each transaction. This fee covers QR-based menu access, digital checkout, bill-splitting, and digital receipts. The fee is non-refundable once a transaction completes, except in cases of full refunds or as required by law. Local is the merchant of record for all transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Local provides a QR-based payment, ordering, and loyalty platform for hospitality venues across the GCC region. Guests scan a QR code at the table to view the menu, place orders, split and pay the bill digitally in under 30 seconds using cards or mobile wallets such as BenefitPay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay, while venues capture customer data, run automatic loyalty rewards, and monitor real-time analytics through a unified dashboard. The platform integrates with major POS systems (Odoo, Oracle, Lightspeed, Square, Invo) and supports remote payment links for bookings, deposits, and event tickets.

Product overview

Local is a unified QR-based hospitality platform combining Pay-at-Table, Digital Menu, Order-and-Pay, Loyalty Program, Payment Links, and an Intelligence Dashboard into a single integrated system for restaurants, hotels, and hospitals across the GCC region. The core platform enables guests to scan QR codes for menu access, ordering, and payment, while venue operators gain real-time analytics and automated customer engagement tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pay-at-Table QR code-based payment solution that lets guests scan, view itemized bills, split payments, and settle transactions using Apple Pay, Google Pay, card, or BenefitPay in under 30 seconds, replacing traditional card terminals for restaurants, hotels, and hospitals.
• Digital Menu Real-time digital menu platform with live updates, dish photos, descriptions, dietary labels (vegan, gluten-free, halal), calorie counts, dynamic pricing, and multi-language support including Arabic with RTL layout.
• Order-and-Pay Unified QR-based ordering and payment flow where guests scan, browse the menu, add items with modifiers, and settle bills digitally without staff involvement, with orders routed to kitchen display or printer.
• Loyalty Program Built-in customer loyalty system with automatic enrollment on payment, configurable points per spend, visit-based rewards, tiered status levels (Bronze/Silver/Gold), time-based promotions, and birthday rewards, requiring no separate app or card from guests.
• Payment Links Remote payment collection tool that generates shareable URLs for booking deposits, catering prepayments, room charges, event tickets, and outstanding balances, distributed via WhatsApp, SMS, or email.
• Intelligence Dashboard Analytics platform providing real-time revenue monitoring, table-turn analysis, staff performance tracking, bottleneck identification, and actionable alerts for venue operators, alongside menu analytics on item views and order conversion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Table turn times drop by 15-20% because there's no payment bottleneck at the end of the meal
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• BenefitPaycoreTechnology or IntegrationRegional mobile wallet integration enabling customers to pay via BenefitPay app. Essential payment method for Bahrain market penetration.
• Apple PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile wallet integration for iOS users to pay with Face ID, Touch ID, or passcode. Key payment method for digital-first consumers.
• Google PaycoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile wallet integration for Android users. Enables contactless payment for Google Pay users across the platform.
• Samsung PaysupportingTechnology or IntegrationMobile wallet integration for Samsung device users. Expands payment options for Samsung ecosystem customers.
• OdoocoreTechnology or IntegrationPOS system integration with Odoo platform. Allows venues already using Odoo to seamlessly connect Local's QR payment and ordering system.
• OraclecoreTechnology or IntegrationPOS system integration with Oracle. Enables enterprise venues with Oracle POS to integrate Local's payment and ordering solutions.
• LightspeedcoreTechnology or IntegrationPOS system integration with Lightspeed. Allows restaurants using Lightspeed POS to connect Local's QR checkout and ordering platform.
• SquarecoreTechnology or IntegrationPOS system integration with Square. Enables venues using Square to integrate Local's QR payment and ordering capabilities.
• InvosupportingTechnology or IntegrationPOS system integration with Invo. Expands compatibility with regional POS systems used in the GCC market.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Slick: Bahrain-based restaurant management and POS platform that also targets GCC F&B operators with payments and operational tooling. Comparable to Local as a regional competitor operating in the same Bahrain-UAE-KSA corridor with restaurant payments as a core feature.
• SpotOn: US-based restaurant commerce platform offering pay-at-table, digital menus, online ordering, and loyalty for hospitality venues. Comparable to Local on product surface area (especially the QR/pay-at-table + loyalty combination), though operating in a different geography.
• Foodics: Saudi-headquartered restaurant POS and payments platform serving the MENA region with QR ordering, digital menus, and integrated payments. Closest comparable to Local given overlap in vertical, geography, and product surface area (POS + pay-at-table + loyalty).

Broad incumbents

• Careem: UAE-headquartered super app (owned by Uber) offering ride-hailing, food delivery, and Careem Pay QR-based payments across the region. Comparable to Local's QR-pay model for in-person acceptance, with a broader platform and substantially larger scale.
• Toast: Leading US restaurant POS and payments platform with an extensive product suite including pay-at-table, digital ordering, and loyalty. Comparable to Local as a broad incumbent in restaurant commerce; represents the type of scaled competitor Local would face if expanding outside MENA.
• Network International: Leading GCC payment processor providing merchant acquiring, processing, and digital payment solutions across MENA. Comparable to Local as an alternative in the regional payments stack, and a potential partner or competitor for in-person payment acceptance.

Emerging players

• Loystar: Restaurant-focused customer loyalty and CRM platform serving small and mid-sized F&B operators with digital stamp cards, rewards, and CRM. Comparable to Local's loyalty module specifically, though Loystar does not own the payment/ordering surface.
• Ordermark: US-based restaurant ordering aggregator and online ordering management platform. Comparable to Local's Order-and-Pay flow on the digital ordering side of the restaurant stack, though it does not handle in-person payments or loyalty.
• EatApp: Restaurant management platform focused on reservations, waitlist, and guest engagement, primarily serving MENA operators. Comparable to Local on the guest-engagement side of the restaurant stack, though it does not process payments.

Regional players

• Yoco: South African QR and card payment provider for small merchants including restaurants, with integrated point-of-sale and online payments. Comparable to Local's QR-based in-person payment approach, though focused on a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uselocal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 Local