Lunchwalla pairs hungry groups, ready restaurants

Doing anything for lunch today? Your co-workers probably are.

Maybe a bunch of you want to go out for a bite. But where should you go? And what places are open?

Lunchwalla is here to help.

The Odessa-based tech startup launched last month with the goal of giving groups a place to make more efficient dining plans while also giving restaurants a way to pitch their menus directly at prospective customers who are searching for a place to gather.

The idea was the brainchild of software expert Sumit Birla, who wanted to build a site to help his office colleagues and friends organize an outing.

"Every day I used to go to work and see people start to talk about what's for lunch at about 10 a.m.," Birla said.

He watched as they roamed from cubicle to cubicle or wasted time e-mailing and texting.

A friend introduced Birla to Steve Watters, who had experience building pharmaceutical companies and taking them into public stock offerings. Watters agreed to bankroll the idea in November 2009. Watters brought onboard his former business partner Brian Nugent into the company as a principal co-owner.

The social media sector has become the target of speculative investment. Foursquare, a location-based social media application that features aspects of online gaming, networking and dining reviews, is rumored to be on the verge of being acquired by suitors such as Yahoo, Accel Partners, Andreessen Horowitz and Khosla Ventures for as much as $100million.

Watters envisions Lunchwalla as the site Foursquare and Facebook users will need to plan their outings.

"If you're going to lunch with a buddy of yours and you both like sushi, imagine the restaurants now being able to sway your vote of their sushi restaurant while you're hungry and while you're planning an event," Watters said.

Development of additional site features, such as integration with Foursquare is under way, Birla said. A mobile app also is being created.