ToGoBOX

ToGoBOX is a meal delivery service for working professionals.

Specifically, its service enables groups of employees to order meals from multiple local restaurants, and have all of them delivered directly to their office.

In 2016, U.S. restaurants experienced the lowest level of lunch traffic in the last four decades. For these businesses, this resulted in $3.2 billion in lost revenue.

The reason for this decline is simple: more employees eat lunch at their desks. According to the New York Times, 62% of professionals typically order food online and eat in their office, a trend called “desktop dining.”

As a result of this trend, food sales through online delivery platforms is projected to surpass $21 billion by 2021.

The problem is that employees face unreliable delivery times, and end up paying expensive delivery fees.

UberEats, for example, charges a $4.99 flat fee for delivery. DoorDash’s delivery fee varies based on location, and can reach as high as $8, not including a 7% to 15% service fee. And GrubHub for Work charges a standard $10 delivery fee and requires a $50 minimum order.

ToGoBOX, meanwhile, charges each customer a $1 delivery fee, with no minimum order requirements.

What separates ToGoBOX from other food delivery services is its many-to-one logistics model, also known as a “milk run” strategy. This approach — named after milkmen who traditionally visited several homes to deliver and pick up milk bottles on their daily route — is when goods are collected from multiple places by one source, and delivered to a single location.

Instead of employees from one office receiving multiple deliveries from different restaurants, ToGoBOX’s drivers pick up meals from all of the restaurants, and deliver them to the office. This strategy significantly reduces excessive delivery fees.

To ensure timely delivery, ToGoBOX curates daily menus from several restaurants within a reasonable distance, and customers can place orders online until a specified cut-off time.

ToGoBOX picks up food from each restaurant and delivers all of the food to a designated pick-up location assigned to each company or property. Food is guaranteed to be delivered within 30 minutes of cooking.

With its service, the company is targeting companies with 100 to 500 employees, particularly those that don’t have many food options within walking distance. In metro areas alone, this presents a $5.2 billion market opportunity.

ToGoBOX launched a beta version of its website in March 2017. Since then, the platform has made more than 2,500 deliveries to businesses in Rhode Island. Notable customers include Verizon and Virgin Pulse.

The company has an 80% recurring customer rate, and is achieving 30% monthly growth of registered users.

Through a partnership with Crave Food Systems, ToGoBOX expects to launch its mobile app in early 2019. In addition, the company will expand to cities in Massachusetts and strengthen its network of drivers.

Team Background

David Kim - COO & Director

David has a background in the food service industry.

He previously worked as a cook at Momofuku and Jean Georges, two Michelin Star-rated restaurants in New York.

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University.

Tae Lee - President & CEO

Tae is an expert in logistics.

He gained his expertise serving as a Supply Sergeant in the Korean Army, and as a member of the World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Association.

Prior to starting ToGoBOX, Tae worked for an architecture company, and served as a teaching assistant at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Architecture from RISD.

Glenn Jeon - Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer

Glenn is responsible for ToGoBOX’s branding and advertising efforts.

He previously worked for notable companies Airbnb and Sephora, focusing on graphic design.

In addition, he spent time as a graphic designer for C&G Partners, a company offering graphic design solutions for businesses.

Glenn earned a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design.

Co-Investors