Mealco

Mealco operates as a business-to-business technology platform designed for the restaurant industry, enabling establishments to enhance their digital operations and capitalize on the growing food delivery market. Founded in 2019 by Daniel Simon, the New York-based company was born from his firsthand observations of the operational complexities within the restaurant sector while working in restaurants and later at a hospitality group in Tel-Aviv. This experience, coupled with his background in technology and an MBA from MIT, shaped Mealco's mission to help restaurateurs focus on their culinary craft by streamlining the multifaceted demands of running a food business.

The company's core service provides restaurants with the tools to convert their existing back-of-house resources into efficient, digital-first operations. Mealco's AI-driven platform aggregates various online delivery channels into a single tablet, simplifies inventory management, and manages a restaurant's end-to-end online presence. A key feature is the ability for restaurants to expand their menus by adopting chef-created, delivery-optimized virtual brands from Mealco's portfolio, which are matched to the restaurant's specific capabilities, equipment, and local customer demographics. This model allows restaurants to launch new, delivery-only concepts with no upfront fees, creating new revenue streams from their underutilized kitchen capacity. Revenue is generated through a shared model among Mealco, the brand creator, and the kitchen operator.

For food creators and chefs, Mealco acts as a launchpad for scalable, delivery-first restaurant brands without the significant capital investment and risk associated with brick-and-mortar locations. The platform handles the operational heavy lifting, allowing chefs to focus on menu innovation and brand development. Consumers can order from these virtual brands through major third-party delivery apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. In early 2021, Mealco secured $7 million in a seed funding round led by Rucker Park Capital with participation from FJLabs and others, which has fueled its expansion and technological development. By April 2022, the platform was already in use by over 250 restaurants across 80 U.S. cities.

Keywords: virtual restaurant platform, ghost kitchen technology, food-tech, restaurant operations, delivery-first brands, online food delivery, kitchen utilization, digital restaurant, virtual brands, chef platform, restaurant SaaS, menu expansion, online ordering management, food delivery optimization, back-of-house technology, culinary creators, restaurant revenue streams, Daniel Simon, virtual food concepts, delivery management