10 food tech startups bringing tech to the Thanksgiving table

by Sam Dewey
November 24, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving, Chicago. This season, we’re thankful for the food delivery tech startups that continue to crop up in the city. Together, they’re pushing the boundaries of innovation on the tech side — and changing the game in all things food, too. 
 
Because we’re hungry and can’t wait to gorge this Thursday with friends and family, here’s a quick look at 10 homegrown Chicago tech companies helping bring good eats right to your door this holiday season. 
 

 

Who they are: Artizone is an online marketplace that delivers local, organic, and homegrown meat, produce, and bread. Earlier this year they also launched their new service, Farmer’s Market On Demand, which works with a network of over 60 artisans from a variety of specialties to deliver farmer’s market-quality goods right to your door.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: They’re be delivering farm-fresh turkey, but Friday was the last day you could place an order.

 

 

Who they are: Chefmade organizes and delivers healthy meals prepared by professional chefs at the start of each week. They use fresh, healthy ingredients, and all of their meals are easy to heat up when you’re ready to eat.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: This week you can order an entire Thanksgiving dinner packaged under one bun: turkey burger, Brussel sprout slaw, cranberry chutney, and a side of sweet potato fries.

 

 

Who they are: Fooda works with a number of awesome, local restaurants to bring lunch right to your office, every day of the week.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: Because they deliver to offices, Fooda is taking a much-deserved break to enjoy the holiday on Thursday and Friday.

 

 

Who they are: Are you running low on cabernet for the big dinner this week? Foxtrot’s mobile app lets you browse a selection of curated wines — in addition to other food, drinks, and everyday essentials — that can be delivered straight to your door so you can sleep easy knowing your wine rack is fully stocked.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: Though they’re closed on the big day itself, Foxtrot will be featuring a host of holiday features all set for delivery, from last minute desserts to travel essentials.

 

 

Who they are: When it comes to food delivery, GrubHub is king. They make ordering food from your favorite restaurant easy, delivering your meals from a ton of local hotspots.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: They’ll be happy to deliver on Thanksgiving from any restaurant they work with that is open.

 

 

Who they are: Every week, Home Chef delivers fresh ingredients and step-by-step instructions for easy-to-make meals planned by professional chefs. They handle everything from recipe selection and planning to education so that you can cook 5-star meals in the comfort of your own kitchen.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: Besides having a number of Thanksgiving specials, Home Chef customers will also have the option this week to donate their delivery box — stocked with as many meals as they choose.

 

 

Who they are: Kitchfix is one of Chicago's healthiest meal delivery services. After ordering online, Kitchfix will bring delicious food just about anywhere in the Chicagoland area, including homes, offices, and gyms.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: Though they’re staying fairly low-key on Thanksgiving itself, Kitchfix is having a sale on Black Friday out of their brand new brick-and-mortar storefront at 1165 N State Street in Gold Coast. 

 

 

Who they are: Peapod is one of the largest online grocers in the nation. With Peapod, you can order all of your groceries and have them delivered right to your doorstep.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: You can order everything you need to make an entire Thanksgiving meal through Peapod, and they’ll deliver be sure to deliver to your home.

 

 

Who they are: Radish delivers healthy, ready-to-eat meals, on demand in a manner that’s environmentally conscious. Users can order à la carte, building a meal from any combination of items (usually priced from $3 to $4).

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: While they’re closed on Wednesday and Thursday, they ran an awesome Thanksgiving campaign last week. Every night, they cooked up a traditional Thanksgiving dish (like sweet potato casserole or turkey meatballs), and each time that meal was ordered, Radish donated a portion of the proceeds to their charity partner, Culinary Care.

 

 

Who they are: Zero Percent is an online food rescue platform that partners with restaurants and food vendors so they have a way to donate fresh, surplus food to Chicago’s underprivileged population.

How they’re delivering for Thanksgiving: This holiday season, Zero Percent will provide its millionth pound of rescued food, thanks in large part to its more than 70 Chicagoland nonprofit partners.

Images via Facebook. 

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