Drew Weaver was having lunch with his wife in their hometown of Montclair when he had an aha moment. The two were enjoying their food, but they found the atmosphere off-putting.
“It was too much for us. It was very loud, and there was no sound absorption at all, so we couldn’t hear each other talk,” he recalls. “And the lighting was so bright. We haven’t been back since. And we never shared this with the business.”
He didn’t feel comfortable telling the restaurant his feedback. “That’s an awkward kind of move, right? And I’m not the type to post that online and shame the business and punish them,” he says.
That made him think more about an idea he’d had for years: What if there was a way to give restaurants feedback without posting it online for the world to read? Weaver, who has a tech background and the spirit of an entrepreneur, discussed it with his friend Tom Strollo during their morning jogs. Strollo was also excited about the idea—and they both thought it could help small businesses succeed.
That’s how Twocents was born.
“We discussed how much we care for this town, and that really inspired us to start Twocents. We all have local businesses that we want to give feedback to, but we’re not the type to go onto Yelp and make a public comment. We would rather engage more directly with the local business,” says Strollo, who is president. So far, their model has been a success.
Twocents gives businesses a chance to address customers’ concerns privately, and customers who participate earn rewards, such as restaurant gift cards.
Twocents elicits up to four times the feedback volume that businesses get from Google and Yelp combined, says Weaver, now the CEO.
The platform started in Montclair, and the company is planning to open Twocents to the entire state this summer; they’re on track to hit their goal of 1,000-plus active businesses by September. The company has already expanded to other non-food businesses, such as retail, gyms and salons.
Bobbi Brown recently became a fan and signed up all of her businesses, including The George hotel and Jones Road Beauty in Montclair.
Fish Delish, a restaurant in Montclair that was one of the first to sign up with Twocents, has found the feedback to be extremely helpful. Owner Vesna Stamm says they’ve put some of the Twocents suggestions into action, such as leaving out takeout boxes.
“People love giving reviews, and if we both agree, it can go public. We love it,” she says.
