There are a number of staple dishes (pasta with any number of sauces, curries, stir-fries, etc) that can be cooked easily. I'm surprised no one is driving around in a van with a cook in the back, and delivering just-made meals. No extensive menu, just focus on specific things on particular days. Aim for something decent at a good pricepoint rather than trying to replicate and deliver fancy food that ends up being like microwaved meals.

These folks tried that, didn't work: https://sf.eater.com/platform/amp/2017/1/10/14231188/bento-c...

That sounds a little different. They were offering three options and four out of six sides. I'm talking about 1-2 fixed options on any given night, and someone literally cooking in the back of a van while it drives a circuit. Discounts for pre-orders, or for people coordinating their block/building to order en masse, etc.

One driver, one cook. Driver optionally runs deliveries to the doorstep if need be.

Like an ice cream truck for hot food?

Basically. Imagine an ice cream truck, but with some rice cookers and curries going in the back, playing Bollywood music, and driving a route in the suburbs. Plus an app estimating time until arrival, taking orders, etc.

There was an Indian restaurant near my office that was almost always empty - good people and decent food, but they never did anything to try and stand out. They've disappeared now. Were I in their shoes, I would've been trying something like this on the side for sure.

Don't most major cities in the US (and the world) have dozens of these?

Food trucks are generally quite static and not in the suburbs. They pick a spot and stay there for hours at a time. At least, the ones I've seen around the world.

I have been saying the same thing for years. The thing is that food trucks can do very well by parking where many people are. They dont need to drive around.

I bet if the driving/parking situation for these larger vans were better in cities we would see them driving around taking orders to people.

Or, you know, staying in one place so they still get the walk-up traffic, but send out delivery guys at the same time to fulfill orders via their app.

Wait a minute...this sounds suspiciously like a counterserve restaurant ...

... but without paying rent or real estate taxes!

Welcome to the 3.0 economy where an established business's fixed costs and adherence to zoning laws is another business's profit margin.

Try that in Chicago, which is maybe the most pro-restaurant and anti-streetfood city in the country. You can only park your food truck in one of 37 designated spots or cannot be within 200ft of a restaurant, and cannot park in the same location for more than 2 hours at a time (barely enough time to prep/clean).

I bet you could work around that with app based ordering and "delivery" consisting of throwing prepared food at your customers while in transit.

The thing is, home cooking technology is improving, with home combi-ovens the same technology that is used is quality restaurants to reheat quality frozen food and serve as new. So the quality could be there. There's also the new solid-state microwave ovens which may also work well.

As for the price vs eating out ?

Well, part of this is scale and nestle can make this stuff for cheaper. But also, if this stays fresh for a week, it might fit a distribution channel like a grocers pickup service,which costs a lot less than deliveries, and marketing cost could also go way down.

I order a lot of food from my local pre-made meal startup. The food is never particularly good, but it wins out because:

1. They deliver fast. I usually get my food within 20 minutes.

2. They have single-person portions, so there is no food wastage or leftovers.

It's honestly nothing that my local restaurant can't do. But somehow, they just haven't wizened up to it.

I find it a bit mind-boggling that this is quicker than just going to the supermarket to get the same thing. I'm in the UK, and if you live in a city where pre-made meal startups can deliver within 20 minutes, you can probably walk to a small supermarket within 5-10 to buy essentially the same sort of thing for less money.

Delivery is the added value here

To each their own, but when I'm hungry I'd rather take a 5 minute walk (or get something on the way home) rather than wait 20 minutes and pay more, with a smaller selection. If you live further away from appropriate shops I can see the value though.

With a dash of externalized cultural decoherence.

Even if I trusted Nestle's motivations here, which I do not, supporting your local farmers market/grocer/coop is a more ethical way to go.

The chance you have a local farmers market/coop within 5 minute walk from your home/work is pretty slim unless you live/work at a farmers market (or downtown of a city in Vermont).

Agreed. We've had 75 years of the modernist industrial program, e.g. tearing up trolly lines in favor of cars, or suburbanization as a civil defense initiative (among others). The point is not a quick solution, however the point _is_ to have livable cities focused on the human _first_.

What's the difference with just ordering food from a restaurant to be delivered? Is that not an option in your area?

Wouldn't you rather have larger portions so you have leftovers for work the next day?

So the food is trash, and yet you continue to order? Life is too short to eat garbage food. Especially for premium prices.