iBento APP
Take-out creates a lot of waste in landfill. People who frequently buy take-out food have no time to cook.
My solution is a membership bento box catering and delivery service APP that uses reusable food containers. Customers can subscribe to the service and pay a $5 container fee up front. Each time they order a new bento box, they can trade in the old one. Every day there is a list of food items to choose from that go into the meal box, then the customer can customize their bento box and select a place to be delivered. The service appeals to the customers because of its home-made tastes.
Target Audiences
People who care about the environment, and eat takeout or fast food on a regular basis.
The Story
iBento chef, Lang, used to be a stay-at-home mom who made tasty meals for her college kids. As her meals got popular among her kids’ friends, she decided to turn it into a business, iBento, bringing the taste of home to those who miss homemade dishes. iBento also strives to be environmentally conscious by using reusable containers.
Research
Interview Round I
I interviewed three people at the preliminary stage, and found when my interviewees eat out, it would be because they are craving something that they cannot make at home, or they want to socialize with friends. When they eat fast food, it’s usually because they ran out of time to cook for a meal. One of the interviewees does meal prep when she cooks dinner, then the leftover will be eaten the next day for lunch, while the other interviewees does not like meal prep for she wants variety when it comes to food. Notably, one interviewee mentioned that her mom would reuse the plastic takeout containers at home so that she could take soup from home to campus.
After the interviews, I found that people don’t like meal prep because they enjoy variety, but they do sometimes eat out because they don’t have time to cook. The solution should fit into customers’ lifestyles while being environmentally friendly.
Interview Round II
A similar catering service already exists on the Chinese social media, WeChat, in Davis. The owner of the business posts what lunch/dinner combo she is cooking today, and people will book meals they like. Many students, having no time to cook, book her food on a regular basis. However, she uses disposable plastic containers. My idea uses this business model, but replacing the disposable containers with the reusable ones reduces waste created by takeout services, and provides customers with healthy food options.
I interviewed a friend who orders from this business regularly. She mentioned that she used the service at least twice a week. She would order the meal in the morning, telling the lady what she wanted for protein and veggie, and receive it during lunch time. The main reason that she liked the service is that it is affordable and does not charge additional delivery fee.
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