If you're the type of girl who hasn't turned on her stove since moving into your apartment, you're going to love the new restaurant-free food delivery service Maple. Yesterday marked the app's operational launch; backed by Korean chef David Chang of Momofuku fame, its goal is to "revolutionize delivery." Investors were so confident that Maple would do just that that they put in $22 million to launch the app — so clearly, there's a high level of confidence in the concept.
Unlike most delivery apps, Maple doesn't deliver food from specific restaurants; instead, it produces its own menu that has been developed by top-name chefs like Chang. Some of the highly-recognizable chefs that have signed on to lead Maple's menu include Mark Ladner, Brooks Headley, and Dan Kluger. Despite the food being created by high caliber chefs, though, the menu itself is very simple and easy for the average Joe to understand: Items like pork tenderloin and green beans which don't include fancy jargon or hard-to-pronounce ingredients abound.
Where the revolutionary part comes in really has to do with the amount of time it's going to take (supposedly) to get to your front door, along with the technology available to you that allows you to track your order. This is what really sets it apart from other food delivery apps: You can see exactly when your food is being cooked and how far the driver is from your doorstep.
When Maple was announced in November of last year, it promised a delivery time of only 15 minutes; they've since bumped that figure up to 30, which is still fairly reasonable. This could potentially be a downside though, as food delivery service apps like SpoonRocket and UberEats promise deliver in just 10 minutes.
Another differentiator that swings on the upside for Maple is the price point. No matter what you order, each lunch meal costs $12, and each dinner costs $15. But lest those seem like high numbers to you, bear in mind that the total costs both include tax, tip, and delivery service — which actually makes it on the low end, especially for New York.
If you're a vegetarian, you will also probably enjoy what Maple has to offer, since there is a vegetarian meal option available for all courses. In terms of the options, you have three entree options for lunch and dinner that change everyday; depending on whether you like to change things up, though, this could be either a help or a hindrance. If you like change, it provides a ton of variety — but if you're like me and enjoy having a "usual order," it might be more of an annoyance.
If you want to try Maple for yourself, register online, download the app to your smartphone, and get ordering!
Images: quinn.anya/Flickr; Giphy (2)
