Sauce, a restaurant tech startup, drops marketplace commissions for direct delivery and is adding AI to its brand work. See what it sells and why it matters.
Sauce is a restaurant technology company that replaces delivery marketplace commissions of 15% to 30% per order with direct ordering and its own delivery logistics, according to Calcalist's CTech. Startup Nation Central's directory lists the company, and CTech reports it was picked for the first ScaleUp House cohort of 21 startups. Sauce is also using AI to run its own brand communications.
What does Sauce sell to restaurants?
Sauce sells restaurants an owned-channel system for delivery that combines direct ordering, delivery logistics and customer data in one platform. CTech's company profile says restaurants keep their margin, their guest relationships and control over fulfillment, instead of paying a marketplace such as DoorDash or Uber Eats.
Li-ran Navon, Sauce's founder and CEO, leads the company. CTech lists Sauce as a Series A company with 120 employees and says it targets multi-location groups of 10 to 20 or more units, where delivery economics, not order volume, decide profitability. Read the full profile in CTech's report on Sauce.
| Question | Delivery marketplace | Sauce owned channel |
|---|---|---|
| Fee per order | 15% to 30% commission | Replaces the marketplace commission |
| Ordering | Inside the marketplace app | Direct ordering on the restaurant's own channels |
| Fulfillment | Marketplace couriers | Restaurant's own drivers or Sauce logistics |
| Customer data | Held by the marketplace | Unified in one platform for the restaurant |
Why does the ScaleUp House selection matter?
Sauce is one of 21 startups chosen for the inaugural ScaleUp House cohort, a year-round program, according to a CTech report dated September 20, 2026. CTech says Sauce joins as it enters its next stage of international growth, with a focus on expanding in global markets.
Startup Nation Central's company finder also lists Sauce, with Li-Ran Navon and Ilya Kritsmer named as founders. Sauce's headquarters is in North Miami Beach, Florida, according to its CB Insights profile.
How is Sauce using AI?
Sauce uses AI in two places: customer retention for its restaurant partners and its own brand communications. TechBullion reported in August 2026 that Sauce earlier introduced an AI-powered retention module that uses customer ordering behavior to automate personalized outreach and reorder campaigns.
Elliot Hool, Sauce's VP of Marketing, describes the second use in an Everything-PR article. Sauce built a Brand Operating System that applies the company's voice and design rules to communications for different audiences, and Hool says people still decide the brand's positioning. Read his account in How Sauce Is Building an AI-Powered Brand Ecosystem.
What else has Sauce launched recently?
Sauce has recently added a mobile app for owners and an Apple integration for discovery. Sauce Manager, the company's first native mobile app, runs on iOS and Android and is free to Sauce restaurant partners, TechBullion reported on August 26, 2026. Operators can use it to pause online ordering, change store hours, update menu availability and watch sales.
Restaurant Technology News reported that Sauce's Apple Business Connect integration, aimed at restaurant discovery across Apple apps, rolled out to partners in phases beginning December 2025. Hool said in that coverage that Sauce wants to grow beyond delivery into restaurant management, combining discovery, ordering and AI-powered retention automation.
What can restaurant groups take from Sauce's approach?
Restaurant groups can use Sauce's pitch as a test: compare the 15% to 30% marketplace commission CTech cites with the cost of running an owned ordering and delivery channel. The comparison matters most for groups with many locations, the customers Sauce says it targets.
The second lesson is about communications. A company that sells to restaurants in many cities has to sound the same in every sales email and customer update, which is the problem Hool says Sauce's Brand Operating System addresses. For more on restaurant marketing, see Everything-PR's guide to independent restaurant marketing.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sauce?
Sauce is a restaurant technology platform for direct online ordering and managed delivery. CTech describes it as an operating system for restaurant delivery that replaces high-commission marketplaces with owned-channel infrastructure.
Who founded Sauce?
Li-ran Navon is Sauce's founder and CEO. Startup Nation Central's company finder lists Navon and Ilya Kritsmer as founders.
How much do delivery marketplaces charge restaurants?
CTech's profile of Sauce puts marketplace commissions at 15% to 30% per order for services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats.
What is ScaleUp House?
ScaleUp House is a year-round program whose inaugural cohort includes 21 startups, according to CTech. Sauce is one of them.
How we report: Olam stories draw on public filings, company disclosures and named sources, checked by our editors. Read our methodology · Corrections
