After posting a request to interview busy parents on the Gainesville Word of Mouth FB page (using this neat little artwork shown above), three super-moms were kind enough to reply. The following is a synopsis of what all I learned from them:
- The need/want of food for the family is not usually solved by high tech solutions or even processes with a lot of forethought. That is partly why cheap boxed meals, leftovers, and takeout/delivery are so popular despite the fact that all interviewees responded with the fact that they want to eat at home more.
- Some families already share the responsibility of cooking food with their friend group of other families. Busy parents, especially those with younger children, need help balancing work and family time with grocery shopping and cooking.
- A household of 4 in Gainesville seems to only be willing to spend $150-$200 on food per week.
- (I would guess my interviewees could be described as 'middle-class')
- There is a desire for healthier and more local food.
- Most parents want more healthy options for their children, especially for snacks, but do not find this to be a big enough problem to solve on its own.
So, overall?
This segment of my potential clientele, the busy parents, can most reliably be reached through word of mouth recommendations and, possibly, Facebook posts emphasizing 'healthy meals'. Noticeably, none of them seem to have tried services like Blue Apron that deliver ingredients to their door. They seem to place economizing on par with health and taste, so if I want my service to be successful, I need to strike a balance with these factors.
Aditya,
ReplyDeleteOne thing that caught my eye is that you chose super-moms as a market segment. I come from a family like this, two parents and four children. I would say my family is upper-middle class (so not even completely middle-class) and although we have that classification, we do not buy "private chef" style meals. We eat home-cooked and pre-made meals for the most part. I just don't see your business model working for middle class to upper-middle class people on a consistent enough basis to be profitable for you. If I were you, I would focus more on the upper class.
Hi Adi,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jordan's comment. The market for your service would have to be completely upper class. For most middle class families hiring on a private chef even for individual meals is not realistic due to monetary constraints. Perhaps delivering food prepared by you hot and ready to the home could be a solution but at the point you might as well call it a delivery only restaurant. You would have to market your services to solely wealthy families.