Peach Delivery Service Brings Lunchtime Variety to Boston Offices
Peach is text-based; it’s not an app. / Photo provided
Tired of your daily #saddesklunch? Busy Boston professionals have a new midday meal option. Peach launched its text-based lunch delivery service in Boston today.
Peach connects local restaurants with offices to expand employees’ lunchtime routines. Locally, Mei Mei By Design, Punjabi Dhaba, Dorado Tacos, Avana Sushi, Commonwealth, Bagelsaurus, and others will be available through the new service, Peach’s head of expansion Alison Kramer said.
Every morning, one of the participating restaurants will offer three different meals, including a vegetarian dish and a lighter option. With tax, tip, and delivery fees built in to the price, the meals are all between $9-$12 each, Kramer said. Peach users can accept lunchtime delivery by replying YES to an automated text. If you’ve brought your own food that day or otherwise made lunch plans, just ignore the text. There’s no app download necessary.
By 12:30 p.m., the orders arrive at your office. Most of Peach’s restaurant partners have their own catering arms, but for those that don’t offer bulk delivery, Peach partners with local couriers. In Boston, Metro Pedal Power is helping get lunch to the table front desk, Kramer said.
Boston is the third market for the Seattle-based startup, which started in June 2014. It’s also currently available in San Diego, and an $8 million investment over the summer put the gears in motion for its Boston expansion, the New York Times reported. Chicago is next. Since its debut, Peach has raised more than $11 million in total funding.
Currently, Peach is only available to offices with more than 50 employees. “That gives us enough volume,” Kramer said. “It’s an economy of scale thing.” So far, eight local companies have signed on. In Seattle, “hundreds” are participating, including some smaller companies; Kramer said that often, offices can be grouped together to meet the 50-person threshold. Once a company is signed on, there is no minimum daily purchase, she added.
Peach orders come in between 9:30-11 a.m., beating the lunch rush. “Orders can be fulfilled during what is traditionally a slower service period, where extra bandwidth is traditionally left unused,” said John Piermarini, manager at Mei Mei by Design.
Another perk Peach touts for restaurants is to get food in front of customers who aren’t typically able to try them during the workweek. “They’ve given us some phenomenal exposure,” Ryan Santwire, owner of Seattle lunch spot Paseo Caribbean Food, said via a press release.
And for consumers? Fewer hangry employees.
