Food Delivery Startup Credits “Obsessive Hospitality” for Growth

Food Delivery Startup Credits “Obsessive Hospitality” for its Exceptional Growth

HUNGRY’s people-based model touts fair wages for delivery drivers and maniacal friendliness

WASHINGTON, D.C. August 27 2019 – HUNGRY (www.TryHungry.com), an Uber-like platform connecting local chefs with businesses looking for fresh, locally-sourced, top-chef catered meals is being recognized for its radical approach to service.

HUNGRY’s Catering Captains, who provide an unmatched level of high-touch service, are paid between $15 and $20 per hour and receive performance bonuses driven by customer satisfaction scores. With tips, the typical HUNGRY Captain earns more than $23 an hour. For full-timers, this translates to a comfortable living wage of nearly $48,000 annually, a number well above the catering and delivery industry standard.

“HUNGRY was built to put people first,” said Jeff Grass, HUNGRY’s CEO. “Our customer experience is better because our model is inspired by the most-successful luxury hospitality brands in the world. We treat our staff like they’re the best in the industry, because they are.”

HUNGRY’s fleet of impeccably trained drivers deliver several thousand catered meals each month to hungry businesspeople in some of America’s largest cities. Catering Captains are individually trained and consistently rated on their attention to detail, professionalism, personalized service and timeliness. This obsessiveness is resulting in a flood of positive reviews for the company, as well as a 99 percent on-time delivery rate and nearly 100 customer satisfaction rate across-the-board.

“HUNGRY is exactly what the food delivery industry needs right now,” said Chad Lambie, National Director of Training and Customer Experience for HUNGRY. “With more than 500 companies, including Amazon, E-Trade, Microsoft and WeWork, putting their needs in the hands of our crew, there is no room for error in execution. Perfection is our best differentiator.”

After two and a half decades of successfully leading and developing the service culture at Hilton's Luxury & Lifestyle Brands division, which includes brands like the Waldorf Astoria and Conrad, Lambie brings a unique perspective to the HUNGRY team. “Success is in the details,” stated Lambie. “This means being on time, putting together a beautiful set up and leaving the place cleaner than we found it.”

In Washington, D.C., where the startup is based, HUNGRY’s delivery team was recently named “Best in Service” by DCA Live, a regional events group that profiles leading industry companies and professionals. “What impressed me from the start is HUNGRY’s service culture,” said Doug Anderson, CEO of DCALive. “Their passion for making a difference and helping others is uniquely palpable, which is why we chose to recognize them as the best in our city.”

Following an $8 million Series A funding round in 2017 that included a few of the world’s biggest superstars, like Jay-Z, Usher and Tom Colicchio, HUNGRY has donated more than 265,000 meals and counting. Chefs on the HUNGRY platform are making as much as $40,000 per month, compared to the average monthly chef salary of around $4,000*.

By the end of 2020, HUNGRY is projected to expand its footprint to a total of fifteen U.S. cities and grow its delivery fleet to more than one thousand Catering Captains.

About HUNGRY

HUNGRY is the first-ever platform that provides exceptional business and event catering by its exclusive network of top local chefs. Clients enjoy delicious meals, an array of cuisines and affordable prices PLUS on-schedule delivery, setup and clean-up--guaranteed. HUNGRY chefs focus on what they love most and do best: creating amazing food. HUNGRY is committed to improving the lives of its chefs, clients and communities. Through its ‘Fight Against Hunger’ program, for every two meals HUNGRY clients purchase, HUNGRY feeds a person in need. HUNGRY also protects our planet by using recyclable, fully biodegradable and compostable materials. HUNGRY is headquartered in Arlington, VA and operates in four markets today – the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Boston. HUNGRY is backed by Sands Capital Ventures, Motley Fool Ventures and Marcy Venture Partners.

*Chefs working on the HUNGRY platform make approximately $75-150 per hour, vs. the industry average of $23 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2018.