On-Demand Restaurants are a Comfort

Are thinking like your consumers?  Are you rethinking the restaurant customer experience? Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ thinks that you should be.  The consumer has been redefining the restaurant sector faster than ever before and our Grocerant Guru™ believes one of the root drivers has been the 65 Inch HDTV Syndrome. 

This week a new restaurant launched called Maple. Maple  is backed by Momofuku chef David Chang, so it has plenty of foodie credentials. Chang with Maple is joining a growing group of entrepreneurs driving cost out of the existing restaurant business model while delivering on a quality food promise. 

Maple isn’t just a restaurant it is a restaurant that delivers food only.  Maple has no dining room, no tables, no chairs, no plates and silverware to wash. Maple is joining the likes of Sprig and Spoonrocket, both prepare and delivers the food itself. This new and growing niche is expanding the quality and reach of Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food according to our Grocerant Guru™.

Maple co-founders Caleb Merkl and Akshay Navle, as well as their executive chef Soa Davies, stated “the company is trying to rethink the delivery experience, so that it’s not just an add-on to an existing business. At a high level, we’re trying to purpose-build a company that has a singular vision to make delivery exceptional at every touchpoint,” Merkl said. “To do that we really had to own the entire process — everything from sourcing ingredients to last-mile delivery.”

Maple does not have a store front but it does have an iOS and Android app.  From the app, “you’ll be presented with just three menu options (including vegetarian), whether it’s for lunch or dinner. Once you’ve swiped through the choices and chosen what you want, the food should be delivered to you in 30 minutes or fewer.” 

Maple is not alone Uber has joined the food delivery universe as well. (We will have more on that tomorrow.) Uber’s announcement lands it squarely in the crosshairs of a bevy of other delivery-service start-ups in the news. London-based transportation company Gett announced that it will be rolling out delivery services starting in July across all 32 of its international cities from New York to Moscow.  Maple however is a kitchen to bike messenger service it can deliver high-quality food quickly and have it arrive hot and fresh.

The restaurant landscape has forever changed, by eliminating the costs of running a physical restaurant, today’s retail food entrepreneurs will never look at empty tables on Monday night, empty tables Tuesday night or feel constrained with lack available tables at 8 PM on Saturday night. All the while family, couples, and singles will relax in the comfort of their home in front of a 65 Inch, 75 Inch or 85 Inch HDTV watching live sports, a movie or talking via skype to loved ones.   Restaurants On-demand are on the way. 

Visit: www.FoodserviceSolutions.us  if you are interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization or you can learn more at Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant or twitter.com/grocerant