From five star restaurants to your favorite bodega, New York City is famous for its culinary landscape. The city may be the epicenter of high brow dining and late night cheap eats, but anyone who’s spent 2 hours in line at Trader Joe’s knows the food industry here could still use some disruption. Luckily, 2016 brings us tons of NYC-based startups that go way beyond free office pizza to revolutionize what and how we eat. Even better, they’re looking to fill non-technical roles with hungry job seekers just like you!
Check out the top 10 NYC food startups hiring for non-technical jobs and eat your way to a fulfilling career.
1. BlueCart - Better Behind the Scenes
Photo Source: bluecart.com
Why they’re awesome: So, how exactly does farm get to table? Freshly founded in 2014, BlueCart is revolutionizing the behind the scenes of the restaurant industry by using technology to streamline communication between suppliers and restaurants. BlueCart brings the ordering process into the 21st century with an app and website that works for restaurants, vendors, and sales reps alike. Restaurants can buy all of their ingredients at once, vendors can receive their orders in an orderly fashion, and sales reps can manage multiple relationships with custom pricing and terms. The perfect integration of process improvement and scale, BlueCart is built for the restaurant industry, past, present and future.
Who: Founded by Jagmohan Bansal, Konstantin Zvereff
Funding: $4M in Series A funding raised in 2015
How do you infiltrate? Based in DC but hiring for a Sales Account Executive role in New York City
Size: 11-50 employees, according to LinkedIn
2. Cater2.me - Catering Your Free Lunches
Photo Source: foodtechconnect.com
Why they’re awesome: Here at Planted, we’ve already waxed poetic on the awesome perks that many startups offer, often including free lunches. Cater2.me is what makes those lunches possible. Designed specifically for offices that need to provide lots of meals to lots of people on a regular basis, the service tracks dietary needs, preferences, order history, and budget to simplify the ordering and invoicing process. Oh, and did I mention they’ve been profitable since day one, without raising any capital? Cater2.me feeds the future of innovation, literally.
Who: Founded by Zach Youngst, Alex Lorton
Funding: None
How do you infiltrate? In NYC, Cater2.me is hiring for Onsite Catering Coordinators, Operations Associates, Client Sales Associates, and Vendor Relations Associates
Size: 51-200 employees, according to LinkedIn
3. CaterCow - From Host to Hero
Photo Source: projective.co
Why they’re awesome: You know how hard it is to get even 3 of your friends to decide on a restaurant - imagine trying to pick a menu for 15+ people. CaterCow somehow makes feeding a group of hungry, picky people an easy, enjoyable experience. Founded by early employees at Airbnb, the online marketplace helps you find the perfect local food provider to cater any size event, anywhere. Be the hero of any board meeting, holiday party, or Taco Tuesday with an unimaginable variety of options, from specialty set-ups like make-your-own taquitos to crowd pleasers like bagel sandwiches. CaterCow: getting people to actually volunteer for event planning, one cake pop at a time.
Who: Founded by Carly Chamberlain, Chris Collins
Funding: $170K in Seed Funding raised in 2013
How do you infiltrate? Acronym-friendly CaterCow is hiring for Customer Operations Wonderworker (COW), Caterer Acquisition & Logistics Facilitator (CALF) positions
Size: 1-10 employees, according to LinkedIn
4. Exo - Not Your Mom’s Protein Bar
Photo Source: Angel.co
Why they’re awesome: Exo is taking on the often not-so-healthy health food industry with an energy bar that is free of unnatural sugars, gluten, grains, dairy, soy, artificial preservatives and anything processed. How? A little thing called insect protein. The brand doesn’t shy away from their protein source, exclaiming “DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO TRY CRICKETS” on the splash page of their website. In fact, slow roasted and milled crickets (mmmm!) are significantly more environmentally friendly than other protein sources in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Good for you, good for the world - give crickets a chance.
Who: Founded by Greg Sewitz, Gaby Lewis
Funding: $1.2M Seed funding raised in 2014
How do you infiltrate? Currently hiring for a Sales Rep with a Cross-Fit Focus
Size: 1-10 employees, according to LinkedIn
5. Food52 - A Classy Cooking Community
Photo Source: food52.com
Why they’re awesome: Founded by a food writer and editor, Food52 is the internet equivalent of your one friend who owns real cookware, actually cooks, and always looks photoshoot ready. The site is full of digital content that inspires its online community to cook 52 weeks a year (get it?). Carefully curated posts cover all aspects of a meal from specialty ingredients to the perfect lighting and include Instagram worthy food photography and mouthwatering recipes with an impeccable eye for design.
Who: Founded by Amanda Hesser, Merrill Stubbs
Funding: $6M in Series B funding raised in 2014
How do you infiltrate? Currently hiring for Account Executive roles
Size: 11-50 employees, according to LinkedIn
6. GrubHub - Food at your Fingertips
Photo Source: GrubHub.com
Why they’re awesome: Hungry? Got internet? GrubHub brings any food item on any menu at any nearby restaurant to your door with the click of a button. No miscommunications over the phone, no scrambling for cash, and best of all, no trudging outside in the freezing cold. The online ordering platform has been so successful that GrubHub’s portfolio now includes Seamless, MenuPages, DiningIn, and Restaurants on the Run. Whether you’re in the mood for greek pita wraps, salmon sushi, or loaded cheese fries, GrubHub gets you fed with minimal effort on your part. Well, someone will have to answer the door.
Who: Founded by Matt Maloney, Mike Evans
Funding: IPO in 2014
How do you infiltrate? Currently hiring for a Product Marketing Associate in NYC with additional job listings in other locations
Size: 501-1000 employees according to LinkedIn
7. Kitchensurfing.com - Take the Chef Home
Photo Source: Kitchensurfing.com
Why they’re awesome: Kitchensurfing.com puts the “family” back in “family dinner.” The startup connects people with professional chefs who serve up farm-to-table restaurant quality meals on your schedule and in the comfort of your home or apartment, including cleaning. That means instead of listening for the oven timer or dreading dish duty, people can actually enjoy a great meal together. On the business end, chefs are not just contractors but actual employees, a bold move in the on-demand sharing economy. Real chefs. Home-cooked meals. Just like the good ol’ days, except better.
Who: Founded by Christopher Muscarella, Lars Kluge, Borahm Cho
Funding: $15M in Series B funding raised March, 2014.
How do you infiltrate? Currently hiring for Product Manager Summer Associates and Marketing Interns
Size: 11-50 employees according to LinkedIn
8. Mercato - Old-School Goes Online
Photo Source: Facebook
Why they’re awesome: Is your favorite deli a mom-and-pop establishment that knows your order by heart? Are you always looking for the gourmet cheese shop whose owner has the thickest Italian accent? Mercato is an early stage startup that goes beyond fast food to connect you to an artisan marketplaces of local butchers, creameries, and bakeries. The Mercato philosophy is all about community, legacy, and connecting thoughtful foodies with the old-school neighborhood shops who who treat food as a craft, not a commodity. Mercato: making specialty food as easy to find as the big brands.
Who: Founded by Bobby Brannigan, Michael Mason, Dave Bateman, Jesse Villanueva, Matthew Alarie, and Edward Politis
Funding: $1M in Seed Funding raised in 2015
How do you infiltrate? Use your social skills to get in early as the Social Media Marketing Manager
Size: 1-10 employees, according to LinkedIn
9. Minibar - Delivers Drinks on Demand
Photo Source: aztechbet.com
Why they’re awesome: More of a drinker than a foodie? Minibar is a fast growing startup that solves many drinking problems. The problem of the liquor store closing before the pregame starts. The problem of trying to carry four 30-packs six blocks. The problem of realizing you’re out of alcohol in the middle of a party. In major cities all across the country, Minibar works with local partners to deliver wine, beer, and liquor in under an hour. Use (and drink) responsibly.
Who: Founded by Lindsay Andrews, Lara Crystal
Funding: $1.8M in Seed Funding raised in 2014
How do you infiltrate? Currently hiring an Account Executive and Operations Associate
Size: 11-50 employees, according to LinkedIn
10. Plated - Cooking Sans Shopping
Photo Source: techcrunch.com
Why they’re awesome: So, you want to learn how to cook, but you don’t want to go across town to the farmer’s market to buy expensive produce in large quantities that you can’t finish. Plated takes the waste and work out of food preparation and lets you do the fun part: cooking. The popular food delivery subscription delivers a recipe along with the exact amount of fresh ingredients that you need to make your own home-cooked meal. Plated helps you add to your culinary repertoire without spending hours at the grocery store. Save time, eat more.
Who: Founded by Nick Taranto, Josh Hix
Funding: $35M Series B funding raised in 2015
How do you infiltrate? Currently hiring for Business Analyst, Fulfillment Center Team Members, and more!
Size: 143 employees, according to LinkedIn
From teaching us how to cook to making supermarket runs obsolete, food startups are making the world a more delicious place through online marketplaces, foodie communities, streamlined processes, and bugs. Satisfy your appetite for a new, exciting job by signing up with Planted, the fast track to non-technical roles at food startups and more!
Becky Lee is a writer, educator, and previous media professional navigating the space between post-grad and real life. She majored in English and Psychology at Cornell University and is currently teaching in Brazil through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, international travel and coming-of-age stories.