Daniel Lee finds it hard to resist working in the hospitality industry. After 10 years of working in the hospitality sector implementing tech solutions for hospitality operators in Singapore, a mentor urged Daniel to switch to sales. He subsequently found himself at TableCheck, where he directly tapped into two of his passions: technology and hospitality.

"In sales, you meet people every day. I love talking to people and selling products–I enjoy doing it," he said.

Daniel is the Regional Director of Sales & Operation, for Southeast Asia and Australasia. He looks after the whole of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Australasia, Australia, and New Zealand. Moreover, Daniel says the TableCheck team is also eyeing to expand in other markets like India, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Maui.

Read our exclusive interview with Daniel below:

What is it like working at TableCheck?

As long as you love food, love restaurants, love hotels, and travel, you have to be in this industry. Traveling obviously has been part of the job which I enjoy as well because we need to open up markets in different countries. We travel a lot, maybe two-way in and out of Singapore.

What does our tagline "Dining Connected" mean to you?

It relates to solutions, restaurants, hotels, people, diners, and a whole ecosystem that includes software. All these–software solutions, diners, restaurants, and hotels–all must come in a ‘connected’ circle before we can really make a "dining connection".

Because of COVID a lot of things have changed in the past two years in terms of how restaurants run their business. The next step for TableCheck is to help our clients increase their revenue. These clients want good tools or software platforms that can help them generate more revenue while also being able to own and control their guest data. We offer these core features at TableCheck. If we can sell this type of technology to them, we will bring happiness to our clients.

Why is "sell how to solve the problem, not the product" your favorite quote?

When you try to sell something to customers they are also looking at someone they trust. I think selling something means solving the tech and software issues of the customer and also helping them. Once you build that kind of relationship or once you show them that our products can help, it can give them satisfaction.

What are some of the things you do to steer your team to success?

I have a great team. We all work very closely together, and we talk to each other every week. From day one, I emphasized teamwork and communication. Secondly, when we started this business, the key is always to make Singapore a flagship country in terms of customer reference. Usually, when you build a system that suits the requirements of a Singaporean-based customer or hotel, and once you go out of Singapore, it's easier to convince the clients to onboard with us.  

What is the distinguishing factor of TableCheck?

The key for a solution company or hospitality solution provider to succeed is to listen to the customer. And TableCheck is building something that is unique; that really differentiates us between us and our competitors. We are also the only company from the East that provides these types of solutions.

India is an important market in terms of TableCheck expansion.

We have a lot of specific regions that are very important. First is China, second is India, then followed by Russia and Brazil. They are all very important areas. India is a place wherein in the next five years, there will be a lot of new hotels because more tourists will be coming in. But India is a challenging market so we have to go in meticulously in terms of our strategy.

What do restaurants need now to bounce back after Covid-19?

Because of COVID, a  lot of restaurants and hotels will need a reservation system. Before you can just walk into a restaurant without a reservation. Now, more and more hotels and well-known restaurants will become dependent on a good reservation system to help them with their operations and manage the crowd more efficiently. And that's when they will need a platform like TableCheck, which is an all-in-one solution.

And lastly, what is your favorite cuisine?

My favorite cuisine is Japanese cuisine and Korean. So actually, I always go to Japan once a year when travel was still allowed. So I have not been to Tokyo for the past two years plus. So this is one of my favorite destinations when I travel because of the food.