
How ZeroCater (W2011) got started  - arram
http://blog.zerocater.com/hello-world
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lifefundr
I love startups that blur the line between online and offline. Startups like
ZeroCater that are able to offer an online experience that is not purely
online or social like many others is an interesting space that I do not think
is explored enough. I wish them the best of luck! Nice work guys!

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aresant
Quick style comment on blog - I'd update the "Check out our website at:
ZeroCater.com" on the top right (which I missed the first time I looked) to 18
- 24pt font min or a banner / button for easier finding.

Also, come to San Diego please :)

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mattmanser
One thing that also always bugs me on blogs is that the big logo links to
blog.zerocater.com instead of www.zerocater.com. Why people do this I do not
know, but it's very irritating.

I've just read your latest blog post, do you think it's likely I'm looking for
more blog posts or your product?

So many product blogs get this wrong.

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tyrick
What is it about ZeroCater that provides better services than competing
caterers in the area?

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arram
If you’re using a lot of restaurants, it’s a chore to coordinate them. If
you’re just using one caterer, it gets boring pretty fast. We let people get
the best of both worlds: lots of variety, but simple to use.

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tyrick
Nice, can't wait to start using you when we get into the area!

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dylangs1030
Really fantastic idea. I'm glad to see one of the hallmarks of famous status
symbols in the tech industry like Google and Facebook is being spread
elsewhere to increase productivity.

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salimmadjd
Crazymenu.com started providing that exact feature in 2007! Try the Group
Order service on Crazymenu.

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accountoftheday
no funding to the tune of $1.5m, so it won't matter.

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salimmadjd
The blog post reads like this was a new invention, so it matters from that
perspective. It maybe inconsequential, however funding is not everything. If
they need $1.5 mil to do this, then they need a lot more to run this business.
We built everything bootstrapped. Except 2008 was a sucky year for raising
money. Today is like 10X easier.

~~~
accountoftheday
you should have disclosed that you are one of the creators of this competitor.

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alagu
ZeroCater addresses a real need - food. We have this problem in Bangalore,
India. We go out everyday to eat food. The choices are limited and food
quality gets bad over days.

Solving this problem boils down largely to logistics and ensured food quality.
Would be great if someone from India starts a Zerocater equivalent.

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gadders
And there was I in London envying the tiffin and dabbawala system :-) I
thought you had the problem sorted...

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alagu
Dabbawala system is not available in Bangalore, it is in Mumbai. But
Dabbawalas solve a different problem. They are just a well-connected delivery
system.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dabbawala>

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devmach
A Question : There is a some local Turkish website called yemeksepeti.com ( =
food basket/cart. They have english version of their web site if you want to
check ) which in service since 2001. One can see the menu and order any meal
from the member resaturans and get his food in 10 to 40 minutes without paying
extra fee.

If one implements the same system, he can kill the middle man. What prevents
other start-ups to do that and how can zerocater protect it's business ?

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noodle
In the US, the delivery of food is not free. There are lots of services (Zifty
is one example -- <https://www.zifty.com/>) which are entirely based around
being food delivery middle-men. When you order from a restaurant and you
request your food to be delivered, it is standard practice for you to be
charged more.

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forrestthewoods
Why does the ZeroCater website not list what cities they are available in?

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arram
We use incoming requests to decide where to go next.

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forrestthewoods
Does that work better than a page listing "Available Locations" plus a
"Request Your City" line?

Seems like you'd lose a lot of customers who visit the site, wonder if it's in
their city, don't see any cities listed, and then close the page.

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DanielStraight
That's exactly what I did, so... one data point at least.

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thomson
I met you when Mike was an intern at justin.tv--really glad to see that
ZeroCater is working out! Maybe we'll make the switch over once we move to the
new office..

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moe
I love this quote:

 _People work harder when you feed them._

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brianbreslin
Has anyone tackled this for individuals? I.e. hybrid between this and seamless
and a cantina

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rdouble
How is it different than Seamless?

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emmett
You don't have to choose what dishes you get.

You don't even have to choose what restaurant you get food from.

You tell them "6 vegetarians, 2 vegans, 1 person with a peanut allergy, 12
other people, we need food wednesday and friday for lunch at noon" and they
make it happen.

