One entrepreneur is leading a digital transformation in Jamaica’s restaurant sector as technology reshapes industries worldwide. Sophronia McKenzie, the CEO and founder of visuEats, has created a marketplace that seamlessly integrates restaurant discovery, reservations, and online ordering.

Despite residing in South Florida, McKenzie remains firmly rooted in her Jamaican heritage, launching visuEats as a pioneering solution tailored exclusively for restaurants in Jamaica.

McKenzie describes visuEats as more than just a restaurant app. It offers users the ability to browse visually engaging menus, make reservations, and order meals for pickup or delivery—all within a single platform. Currently hosting over 30 full-service restaurants in Jamaica, the app is set to expand into another Caribbean country this year, with Barbados, Trinidad, and Cuba under consideration.

The inspiration behind visuEats stemmed from McKenzie’s frustration with traditional restaurant menus. “Have you ever been on Instagram, seen food, and immediately wanted to eat it? But when you go to the restaurant, they hand you a book to read like you’re in a library?” she remarked. Her goal was to bridge that gap, offering a visually immersive dining experience both online and in-house.

What began as a digital menu concept quickly evolved into a comprehensive platform after discussions with restaurant owners revealed additional challenges. visuEats expanded to include reservations, delivery services, and even its own payment processing system, making it a full-service e-commerce solution for the food industry.

“So I wanted that visual menu, but then after having conversations with the restaurants, they’re like, okay. A visual menu is good, but can you help us with reservations? Can you help fix the issues with the delivery? So then I morphed the app into a full turnkey platform, and we ended up building our own payment process,” she declared

One of visuEats’ notable partnerships is with Kamila’s Kitchen, a popular eatery that embraced the app to streamline its operations. Through a marketing agency, the collaboration flourished, leading Kamila’s Kitchen to integrate multiple locations onto the platform to enhance its delivery services.

Looking ahead, McKenzie envisions visuEats expanding beyond restaurants into other sectors that lack true e-commerce solutions in the Caribbean. “E-commerce has been around for years, but in the Caribbean, it hasn’t been fully realised,” she explained. The company aims to develop similar digital solutions for local merchants, providing seamless online shopping experiences for businesses such as furniture stores and retail outlets.

Further reinforcing its growth, visuEats recently secured a US$150,000 investment from New Vision Distributors, led by CEO Mark Lau. The funding will support the company’s expansion plans, with an official press release set for next week.

“For various merchants, we’re gonna be able to build websites for them and create a platform where you can literally order from locals from the convenience of an app, and you don’t have to go in, the app is free. Yes. Free to download. You only pay for your goods. That’s it,” she said.

When asked if there were plans to expand, McKenzie told Our Today that expansion is a part of her short-term plan for visuEats, but the launch needed to be in her home country first.

“So, we have over 30 full-service restaurants on our platform based in Jamaica. I said to myself, I’m Jamaican. So I came home and launched the app in Jamaica. And then we will be expanding in other Caribbean countries this year as well,” she added.

As McKenzie continues to innovate, her focus remains on making digital commerce more accessible in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean. With the VisuEats app free to download and users only paying for their meals, the platform is poised to redefine convenience in the region’s dining industry. “Download the app and order,” McKenzie encouraged. “That’s all there is to it… local support will help to push innovations like these forward.”