Interview With Nick Cianfaglione, Co-Founder Restaurent

Welcome to another edition of the founder spotlight with Nick Cianfaglione, a serial entrepreneur and the co-founder of RestauRent, a platform designed to simplify booking private event spaces. Before RestauRent, he founded and exited several ventures, showcasing his entrepreneurial prowess. The idea for RestauRent was sparked by a personal challenge when he struggled to find venues for family events, leading him to create a seamless online platform that connects users with a wide range of venues.

Read our exclusive interview with Nick Cianfaglione to learn more about his journey and how he is transforming the events industry with RestauRent.

Could you share a little about your journey and what motivated you to create a platform like RestauRent?

My journey to creating RestauRent started with a passion for making event planning simpler and more accessible for everyone. I saw how challenging it was for non-professional event planners—people tasked with organizing birthday parties, weddings, or corporate dinners—to find private event spaces that fit their needs. Many existing platforms catered to professional planners or lacked comprehensive information about venue options. I wanted to bridge that gap by creating a user-friendly platform that brings transparency, ease, and discovery to the process.

What was the vision behind RestauRent, and how did you come up with the concept for a platform dedicated to private event spaces?

The vision behind RestauRent is to empower everyday people to host extraordinary events without the stress and guesswork that typically comes with planning. The concept emerged from observing how fragmented the venue-booking process was—there wasn’t a dedicated platform that specifically highlighted private dining or event spaces. I wanted to create a solution that not only showcased venues but also allowed users to search by event type, group size, amenities, and budget. RestauRent is designed to be the go-to tool for anyone planning casual or formal group gatherings.

How does RestauRent help venues stand out, and what role does user feedback play in shaping the platform?

RestauRent helps venues stand out by giving them a platform to showcase their unique features, services, and personality. Venues can highlight their private event offerings, display photos, and share important details like capacity and amenities, ensuring potential bookers have all the information they need to make a decision. User feedback plays a critical role in shaping our platform—we constantly engage with both venues and bookers to refine features, add functionality, and improve the overall experience. It’s a community-driven approach that keeps us aligned with what our users truly need.

Congratulations on raising $3.3 million in the pre-seed round! What are your plans for RestauRent? How has the funding impacted the platform’s development and operations?

Thank you! The funding has been instrumental in expanding our reach and refining our platform. We’re using it to grow our team, enhance our technology, and scale into new regions across the U.S. Specifically, the funds have allowed us to improve our search functionality, onboard more venues, and develop better tools for non-professional planners. We’re also investing in marketing and customer success to ensure both venues and users have an exceptional experience on RestauRent.

How do you envision the event booking industry evolving in the next few years, and how does RestauRent plan to adapt to these changes?

I believe the event booking industry will continue to prioritize personalization, transparency, and accessibility. People want tailored recommendations that fit their specific needs without spending hours searching. Technology like AI will play a big role in streamlining the booking process, offering smarter venue suggestions, and automating communication between venues and bookers. RestauRent is already adapting to these trends by integrating advanced search and filtering options, as well as exploring ways to incorporate AI for lead qualification and personalized recommendations.

What marketing strategies did RestauRent use to attract investors and establish its presence in the market?

Our marketing strategy includes a diverse set of channels designed to reach private event bookers wherever they are in their planning journey. Whether someone is organizing a birthday party, corporate event, or wedding rehearsal dinner, we ensure they can easily find the perfect space with RestauRent.

We leverage blogs and SEO to capture organic search traffic, ensuring we show up when people are actively searching for event venues. We run targeted Google Ads to reach users ready to book and utilize social media ads across a wide range of platforms—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and more—to engage potential bookers at various stages of their planning process. This multi-channel approach allows us to connect with event planners regardless of their experience or event type, ensuring RestauRent is top-of-mind.

These efforts not only drive bookings but also showcase our platform’s reach and growth potential, which has been key in attracting investors and building RestauRent’s presence in the market.

What unique selling points do you believe enhance RestauRent’s market position and its valuation?

RestauRent stands out because it caters specifically to the non-professional event planner, a demographic largely underserved by other platforms. Our user-friendly design, comprehensive venue database, and ability to search by specific criteria like amenities and event type make us a one-of-a-kind solution. Additionally, we offer venues a dedicated platform to showcase their private event capabilities, driving higher bookings without the complexity of traditional lead generation methods. These factors enhance our market position and make us an attractive investment opportunity.

What is your long-term vision for RestauRent, and how do you see it growing over the next five years?

Our long-term vision is for RestauRent to become the default platform for private event bookings in the U.S. Over the next five years, we plan to expand into every major metropolitan area, grow our user base significantly, and continue refining the platform to meet the needs of both venues and bookers. We’re also exploring ways to add new features, such as direct food ordering for private events and enhanced communication tools, to further streamline the booking process. Ultimately, we want to make hosting incredible events accessible to everyone.