Truffle mac and cheese. Short rib tacos. A pear and prosciutto pizza with caramelized onions.
Let's face it: We all have our cravings — they strike without warning or logic. Thus far, your best bet in fulfilling those culinary fantasies was through an online food delivery service, like GrubHub or Foodler, but the fact is those sites don’t always have the exact dish you're salivating over. A new mobile app now in the works could change the game, though: Craving plans to let users make custom requests for any sought-after food, with restaurants competing for their business.
While the Boston-based startup isn't doing interviews yet, they've shared a fair amount of information on their AngelList page.
The startup was founded by Anunaya Pandey, MIT grad and former Microsoft software engineer, along with Sunny Jha, formerly of Vistaprint and an alum of both Bowdoin and Dartmouth. Already, DraftKings CEO/co-founder Jason Robins (who is a former VistaPrint exec) and Objective Logistics CEO/co-founder Philip Beauregard are serving as advisors.
This is how Craving works, as described by the company:
“Consumers use our mobile apps to craft requests for custom meals that they crave. They can also explore 'cravings' from people around them and get behind the ones they like. Craving offers a powerful medium to experience your city through your love of food: Whatever you want. Whenever you want.”
The plan is for restaurants to review all requests on the platform daily, running exclusive offers to entice customers. And Craving will aim to deliver customer demands directly to them, eliminating the need for marketing or ad spend. But let’s get one thing straight: This isn’t a site for deal hunters.
“Craving is all about offering experiences, not discounts,” the startup says. “We connect them to the best customers. No free loaders.”
There’s no word yet on exactly when Craving will be available, but Pandey told me in an email that it’s “under active development,” and the site promises it’s coming soon.
Craving will be joining another custom food delivery app that launched in Boston this month, Chef Nightly.
Image of pizza via Shutterstock.
