The aroma and taste of home-cooked food, for many, is irreplaceable and inimitable. This is the idea that drives city startup FoodBuddy. A few taps on your smart phone and you are a few minutes away from that ghar ka khaana.
Founded by Anup Gopinath, an IIM-A product, Rachna Rao from IIM-B, and Akil Sethuraman, FoodBuddy has reached the city now.
“While the company was founded in 2015, it was in 2017 that we ran pilots,” Mr. Gopinath says. Thus far, the platform has clocked 20,000 meals cooked in home kitchens and has reached 1,500 homes in the city.
The company claims that its network comprises gated societies from where buyers can either pick up or get meals dropped at their respective locations. One can find food from one’s own region, which includes a mughlai, Rajasthani, Gujarati and Andhra cuisine, and anything in between.
It’s easy for sellers or home chefs to register on the platform. All they have to do is submit relevant documents such as ID proof and address proof. The company then runs its internal checks for authenticity. Once that is done, the home chef is good to go. Buyers, on the other hand, can choose their preferred dish and cuisine. But since the platform is for home kitchens and not restaurants, how does the company ensure standards in terms of quality and hygiene? The consumer gets to decide it as the platform is largely feedback-based.
According to Mr. Gopinath, home chefs and kitchens do not require permissions from civic authorities as those with less than ₹12 lakh income can get a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India registration.
The company has thus far raised ₹6 crore and its operations are live in Bengaluru and Hyderabad.
