When Nishant Chandra came to Bengaluru ten years ago, one of the biggest changes he had to adapt to was the cuisine. Over time, he discovered that many like him who have made Bengaluru home crave familiar dishes and home-cooked food. In July last year, he co-founded Momscurry, an online cloud kitchen service, that provides food cooked at homes around the city to customers on a regular subscription basis.
“A lot of people who have migrated from North India crave familiar food like the North Indian roti. So we tied up with chefs around the city to prepare the food in their homes, which we then distribute,” he says. Nishant’s team of chefs consists mostly of homemakers and single mothers, who he refers to as mom chefs.
Momscurry serves lunch and dinner and customers can opt for a three or five-day trial subscription before splurging on monthly options.
Until the arrival of such online conveniences, most people unable to cook for themselves relied on the local tiffin service provider for regular, cost-effective meals. Latha Rajashekhar took this concept and scaled it up in a way similar to Nishant with the aptly-named TiffinMeal. The service has an expansive menu with an assortment of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options and desserts, which Latha claims allow them to offer more diversity with repeating items regularly. “Most of customers are bachelors who have their meals outside as they don’t want to handle the hassle of sourcing ingredients, storing them and cooking, says Latha, going on to add that many companies that don’t have their own canteens also rope in similar services to provide their employees with wholesome meals.
Rohit Varghese, who works as a designer at a startup in the city, says the subscription model has been beneficial to him on many counts. “I used to step out for lunch and order in for dinner, and over time it took a toll on my health. When I switched to a tiffin service, it made a difference to my health and the regular availability of food ensured that I saved money by not eating from outside so much.
Nishant and Latha say that the major chunk of their customer base is made up of bachelors and students. "There are also some elderly couples who avail of our services due to an inability to cook and specific dietary requirements," Nishant says.
But it's not just the big meals of the day that you can subscribe to. Aparna George, who runs Belly & Soul, offers a monthly snack and savoury box she has termed the Belly Box. The box contains an assortment of goodies baked by her, and buyers have no clue what is in each box till they open it. "I started Belly & Soul after I quit ny job about three years ago and got into baking more. I had heard of services abroad that collect sweets from different bakers and send out an assorted mix. This was an idea I liked and decided to try for myself," she says. Aparna's Belly Box, which ships on the first or second Friday of the month usually contains a mix of tea cakes, scones, tarts, biscotti and more to feed a small family over the weekend. She offers discounts on subscriptions starting from three months and up, depending on the duration. "I've had people who've subscribed for three years up front, and others who go about with a monthly plan. The element of surprise is a factor here, so the model would work very well for someone who is open to discover and try new things, but not so much for someone who only prefers one particular item," she explains. Aparna's Belly Boxes are available for pickup at different parts of the city, with delivery services offered in areas near these points.
Depending on where you live and what you like to eat, one of the many subscription services in Bengaluru is likely to have you covered. Happy munching.
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Momscurry offers meals starting at Rs. 80 for a personalised basic North Indian meal and goes up all the way to Rs. 170 for a comprehensive meal with two surprise items.
TiffinMeal starts with a five meal trial plan starting at Rs. 599 to a 20 meal plan at Rs. 2099.
The Belly Box can be purchased for Rs. 625 a month, with discount options available based on the length of the subscription.
