Innovations, especially in the restaurant industry, can take some getting used to.
When In-N-Out came up with the first drive-thru in California, for example, the owner and founder had to teach customers how to drive through it, pay and get their food.
Entrée founder and co-owner Jason Weingarten thinks his startup is destined for a similar trajectory, as he wants to show more Chicago patrons how he can give them a restaurant experience in their homes.
Launched in 2022, Entrée aims to give Chicago customers another option when they are deciding whether to go out, order in or cook.
Entrée offers a combination of all three, with meals designed by Michelin-trained chefs, delivered to homes and plated by users. The platform has several dozen offerings for patrons to order on demand or in advance, including recently launched breakfast options.
While there are other platforms that offer meal kits and online ordering, Weingarten thinks Entrée stands alone with its no-delivery-fee/no-service-fee/no-tip model. Entrée vacuum-seals everything for freshness and continues to grow in the Chicago market, delivering refrigerated meals across the city and suburbs up to a 25-mile radius.
Located at 16th and Wabash, the former site of Acadia, a two-star Michelin restaurant, Entrée was named one of the top 10 hottest restaurants in Chicago, yet you can’t eat food at the restaurant.
While still in its early days, Weingarten said the company is experiencing steady month-over-month order growth and he’s excited for what 2023 will bring. From an operational perspective, Entrée will be reaching a wider network in 2023 with 20 new items added to the menu in the last two weeks.
"We’re going to continue to push ourselves operationally, and we’ve got big ambitions and great expectations for what we can achieve here in Chicago," he said.
With more than 2,800 companies locally headquartered in Chicago, Chicago’s food innovation industry has become one of the city’s hottest growing verticlals. And Weingarten thinks it could be the perfect time for Entrée, one of Chicago Inno's 2023 Startups to Watch, to burst onto Chicago's restaurant scene with Americans eating out less.
A recent study by wealth management company Personal Capital shows that 94% of Americans cut back on at least one form of food delivery or dining over the past year, with the average respondents saving up to $322.08 annually by cutting back on DoorDash.
Entrée represents a clear value play for customers, according to Weingarten, giving customers what they want, when they want it how they want it.
