We are far past the days where we used to have to make a phone call to order our food and anxiously wonder if they heard the order right over the loud noises of the restaurant. Nowadays, ordering food has become so much easier where we can simply tap a button on our phones and tablets to pick what we want. Platforms like Uber Eats or Just Eat have become so popular in cities around the world where you can easily order from any of your favourite local restaurants and have it delivered to your door. According to Statista, the worldwide revenue for online food delivery hit 81.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2017 and is expected to go up to 146.7 billion by 2022.
Toronto is a multicultural city filled with a large number of different cuisine options, Vogue is even calling it “the world’s next culinary destination.” As an app development agency, we are always interested in discovering original and groundbreaking ideas, so we took a look at some of Toronto’s top 6 cutting-edge app startups which help organize and budget office lunches, simplify ordering online, connect with local chefs to order homemade food and reduce the overall food waste in the city.
1. Ritual: Organized Office Lunches
According to the team: “Ritual provides office managers, culture builders, and business owners with flexible corporate programs that keep their teams well fed, social, and focused on the things that matter. Ritual provides offices of all sizes lunch, after-hours dinner, and wellness programs that are easy to manage and beloved by employees. Eat as a team or provide the flexibility for individuals to eat lunch on their own schedules. Companies competing for top talent love this program, which offers employees the most choice and personalization of any program in the country. Set your budget and schedule and let go—the program will run on autopilot, and you will get a single invoice for all orders. Get used to saying, “You’re welcome!”
2. Tacit Innovations: Maegan the Ordering Platform
According to the team: “Tacit Innovations develops and operates Maegan, a mobile ordering platform for the hospitality industry. Maegan allows patrons to order at their own pace, from their smartphones or tablets, augmenting the waiter service. It creates a “one-stop shop” experience, empowering patrons to find a restaurant, browse menus, book a table, order and pay. Maegan increases restaurant revenues and operational efficiency, driving higher overall profitability. Maegan is a mobile-enabled cloud-based platform that leverages current restaurant technology solutions and offers mobile services without up-front investments. Our proprietary technology allows patrons to order from their smartphone, at the table on the same tab with the waiter service, or out-of restaurant (pre-order, take-out, delivery). By integrating with Point of Sale and Payment systems, Maegan seamlessly integrates into the restaurant’s operational processes.”
Tacit Website
Maegan Website
Angel List Profile
3. LaPiat: Connecting with Local Chefs
According to the team: “LaPiat isn’t a restaurant, nor does it connect you to other restaurants. What we do is we support a network of talented chefs, bakers & caterers who want to share their culture, their passion, and most importantly their food with you. At LaPiat you will be able to find a large number of passionate independent local Chefs, Bakers and Caterers. The list of providers includes Professional Chefs, Food enthusiast, Bakers, Catering Companies, Meal-Prep Companies, Food Trucks, and Culinary Students who want to share their delicious food with you. Sharing is caring! LaPiat provides a win-win relationship for all users: those who wish to purchase food through the app and get convenient delivered or picked up delicious meals while saving time in the kitchen; those who wish to sell their gourmet food or baked goods through the app get extra income from their passion or business.”
Website
LinkedIn
4. Kouzina: Ordering Homemade Food
According to the team: “Kouzina is an online marketplace that allows you to buy and sell homemade food! At Kouzina we believe that everyone should have access to healthy, affordable and delicious food, in other words… a home cooked meal! And while everyone loves a great meal, not everyone has time to cook one, or is able to, or even wants to! But, that doesn’t mean you should have to settle for less! Kouzina seeks to provide fresh and affordable food options that maintain the convenience and affordability of fast food. When deciding what to eat, the choice shouldn’t have to be between quality and affordability, we think that you should be able to have your cake and eat it too! Buy fresh and delicious homemade food from people in your community! See what’s cooking in your area, once you find something you like simply reserve a portion and pick it up!”
Kouzina on iTunes
LinkedIn
Website
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwZ6k1T0Ok
5. FlashFood Inc: Purchasing Surplus Food at a Discount
According to the team: “One-third of the world’s food ends up in a landfill. That’s 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year. The FlashFood app allows grocery stores to sell high quality, surplus food at steep discounts to savvy shoppers. Shoppers see deals in their area and purchase items directly through the FlashFood app – saving money for shoppers, increasing revenue for vendors and lessening our collective environmental impact.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uaVAyCKPMo
6. Feedback: Reducing Food Waste
According to the team: “Feedback taps into restaurants inefficiencies in order to offer the lowest price on your favourite food while reducing food waste and giving back. Feedback is a mobile platform that uses smart pricing to offer exclusive prices and reduce food waste at your favourite restaurants. Restaurant owners can optimize their bottom line through completely customized smart-pricing. Users get access to hundreds of exclusive promotions at restaurants across the city. Together, we’re working to reduce food waste and give back to those in need.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmNmWAom5WA
