Owners' Council: owners decide what we build next | HappyChef

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Owners' Council

The Owners' Council: you help decide.

Buying HappyChef does not just buy you software — it buys you a vote. Four times a year every owner votes on what gets built next. We count, we publish, we build.

  • 4× voting rounds a year
  • 1 vote per venue
  • 0 votes for investors

Why owners, and not investors

In most software companies the power sits with whoever put the money in. Not here: commercial investors have no vote on the direction of this product. That vote belongs to the people who use it every day — the restaurants that own it.

The difference is simple. Rent your software and you are a customer with a support ticket. Buy it and you are an owner: you do not just report what is broken, you help decide what comes next.

Tenants file support tickets. Owners direct the product.

How a round works

A round runs for about two months, from proposal to shipped. Always the same four steps, always on the dates below.

  1. Proposals collected

    Anyone can submit a proposal, including people on the free Start plan. We bundle them, merge the duplicates and put them on the ballot.

  2. Live session

    On the day in the table, at 15:30, we walk through the ballot together: what each item is, how much build time it costs, what it is not. You can ask questions live. Can't make it? The recording and the ballot land in your inbox.

  3. Two weeks of voting

    You then have two weeks to spend your votes. One venue, one vote — a group of five venues does not outweigh the bistro round the corner.

  4. Results and delivery

    One week after voting closes we publish the full result: every proposal, every vote count, what we are building and what we are not. Whatever wins is live by the date in the last column.

What membership gives you

  • Member automatically

    Become an owner and you are on it. No application, no extra cost, for as long as your licence runs.

  • A vote that counts

    Every venue carries the same weight, and we do not vote ourselves.

  • Published results

    The full result of every round is public — including the rounds where your proposal loses.

  • Your name on the feature

    What we ship credits the restaurant that asked for it, in the changelog and in the product itself.

The next five years

The dates are fixed in advance, so you can put them in your diary today.

RoundLive sessionVoting closesResults publishedShips by
Autumn 2026
Winter 2027
Spring 2027
Autumn 2027
Winter 2028
Spring 2028
Autumn 2028
Winter 2029
Spring 2029
Autumn 2029
Winter 2030
Spring 2030
Autumn 2030
Winter 2031
Spring 2031
Autumn 2031

Every live session starts at 15:30 (Brussels). You get the link by email two weeks ahead.

The house rules

  • One venue, one vote. A group with several venues votes per venue, not per group.
  • Anyone may propose, owners vote. That keeps the list broad and the decision with the people who paid for it.
  • Everything is counted and published, including the proposals that lose. Those stay on the list for the next round.
  • What wins gets built. If something slips, we say why in the next round.
  • Security, legal compliance and stability are never put to a vote: we build those regardless, and they never take a slot off your list.
  • You decide what gets built; we keep the final word on how.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Owners' Council cost extra?

No. Membership is part of the one-time purchase and lasts as long as your licence. No separate subscription, no membership fee.

Do I have to attend to vote?

No. The live session is the explanation, not the vote. You vote during the two weeks that follow, whenever it suits you.

Can I take part on a free Start account?

You can always submit proposals. Voting is for owners — that is exactly the difference between renting and owning.

What language is it in?

The ballot, the results and the write-up reach you in your own language. The live session itself is held in English.

What if my proposal does not win?

It stays on the list for the next round. A proposal does not disappear because it lost once.

What happens if I sell my restaurant?

Your licence is transferable. The new owner inherits the restaurant, the software and the vote.

Become an owner, get your vote

Pay once, yours forever — with a seat on the Owners' Council included.

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