When New Orleans native and entrepreneur Kenneth Purcell founded iSeatz in 1999 with $2.8 million from local investors, it was one of the first online restaurant reservation systems on the market.
A few years after launching, however, Purcell realized the startup needed to generate more revenue than just a dollar or two per reservation.
So, he pivoted to a commission-based model and built a platform to sell hospitality-related products like fixed-price meals, car rentals and hotel reservations. The timing was ideal. A growing number of consumers were turning to the internet to plan and book their travel…