Steven and Anson on how SpoonRocket is delivering Healthy Meals at the Speed of Light- Startup Story #8

One thing I love- EATING! One thing I hate- COOKING!

Often during lunch and/or dinner time, I find myself daydreaming about stuffing my mouth with delicious and palatable meals, without having to undergo the torture of cooking. Even though it is considered to be a stress-buster, doing it every day can be bigger stress in itself. And when you are always on the go and you are wearing a ‘Busy’ sign on your head, the kitchen is the last thing on your mind.

But does this mean that we should succumb to eating at restaurants and mess up our health? Definitely not! Do we have alternatives that can take care of our health, giving due consideration to our busy schedule? Oh yes!

On-Demand Meal Delivery startup SpoonRocket is offering what we all need- tasty and healthy meals delivered at the speed of light. With fresh ingredients and a complete focus on making every delivery a wonderful experience for their customers, this ‘Uber for Food’ company is successfully expanding and spreading its reach across the US.

In conversation with Anson Tsui and Steven Hsiao, founders of SpoonRocket.

---

---

Q: Tell us something about SpoonRocket?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“It’s the premier next-gen food delivery app that delivers delicious meals in 10-15 minutes.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“We are the first company to deliver food in 10 minutes! Ever!”

---

---

Q: How does SpoonRocket work?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“Whereas most delivery services are web-based like Grubhub or Eat24, SpoonRocket runs on mobile technology for its logistics, very much like a true “Uber” for food.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“It’s magic. It really comes down to a streamlined operational process driven by our technology.”

---

---

Q: Tell us the SpoonRocket story?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“SpoonRocket evolved from the founders’ previous company LateNightOption.com. LateNightOption was an online-only delivery restaurant that serviced the Berkeley area. After running the business for some time, then we noticed the inefficiencies involved with delivering food like most traditional delivery services. So we decided to disrupt the old-fashioned delivery paradigm by putting smartphones to use and building a brand new super-efficient delivery model for food.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“After being in the food delivery business for 4 years we realized that there was a better way to solve the speed of delivery problem. We basically took out all the constraints of your traditional food delivery service & focused on the things that mattered most to the customer.”

---

---

Q: What sets SpoonRocket apart from the competition?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“The extremely efficient logistics system. By utilizing the very latest technology, we are able to drive down the costs of delivering a meal below any of our competitors and also deliver them in a fraction of the time.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“What sets us apart from all our competition is that we’re lightning fast & super affordable.”

---

---

Q: Put some light on tools and technology being used to connect SpoonRocket with Customers?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“In terms of connecting SpoonRocket with customers, SpoonRocket is accessible by iPhone, Android, or Web.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“Since we are solving the last mile problem, we spend countless hours on our delivery logistics & the customer experience.”

---

---

Q: What was technically the most challenging part of developing SpoonRocket?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“SpoonRocket grew so quickly in the beginning that having to scale the logistics and operations proved to be extremely challenging.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“The most challenging part was really being able to get SpoonRocket off the ground in the first month. We barely slept and had so many things to do to get it just right.”

---

---

Q: How are you marketing SpoonRocket to make it a first preference in the market?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“SpoonRocket is the only delivery service that prides itself on its delivery speed, being the only truly “on-demand” food delivery service.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“We focus on delivering the best meal you can get in 10 minutes. It markets itself.”

---

---

Q: How is SpoonRocket contributing towards revolutionizing the on-demand sector?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“Food is probably one of the toughest businesses in the world, and being the leaders in the space, SpoonRocket is pushing the envelope every day and showing the world how technology can be applied to disrupt an antiquated space like the restaurant industry.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“We’re solving one of the biggest problems every individual has on a daily basis. What’s for lunch/dinner?”

---

---

Q: How are you planning to position SpoonRocket against prospective competition, and how will you sustain your USP?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“By obsessing about customer experience and delivery speed.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“By focusing on improving the customer experience one delivery at a time.”

---

---

Q: SpoonRocket raised a $11M Series A round last year. What would be your future course of action towards making on-demand food service even better?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“Making it more widely available across the nation, with better food and better delivery times. The key is to have a laser-like focus on what the customer wants.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“There are many different ways to improve the on-demand food service however the main objective now is to introduce it to other parts of the country.”

---

---

Q: How did you decide to introduce Bitcoin in SpoonRocket, given the volatile nature of Bitcoin?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“We got a really good deal from our bitcoin payment processing partners Snapcard.io that was too good to pass up.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“Our customers have always wanted us to accept bitcoin and it finally made sense.”

---

---

Q: Where do you see SpoonRocket 5 years down the line?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“As ubiquitous as Uber, being the food button on everyone’s phones.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“I would love to be nationwide by then and making customers happy all across the country.”

---

---

Q: What is the biggest hurdle that you faced or you are still facing?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“Food is one of the hardest businesses out there, every day is a hurdle.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“The hardest problem much like any of food business is how to keep your menu interesting, fresh & innovative. We spend a tremendous amount of time figuring out the perfect meal to serve to our customers & opportunities to improve.”

---

---

Q: What are you most excited about at the moment?

---

---

Anson Tsui

“Expansion!”

---

Steven Hsiao

“Expansion is our main focus right now. The reaction on a customer’s face the first time they use SpoonRocket is so incredible.”

---

---

Q: Any word of advice for all the startups out there who are trying to make it big like SpoonRocket.

---

---

Anson Tsui

“Hiring is the most important thing you do, more important than anything else by at least 100x. Hire the wrong people and your company is done for. Hire the right people and there’s nothing you can’t achieve.”

---

Steven Hsiao

“Find a great cofounder that compliments your skills & works your butt off.”

---

Wanted to create a similar business? Don’t worry, Jungleworks is here for you.

Jungleworks offers a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) system, such as Online Marketplaces, Delivery Optimization software, and Marketing Automation software that allows users to create a new product using the SaaS’s abilities and features without writing even a single line of code, designing, and testing.

To read more start-up stories and other updates follow our more start-up stories and get yourself inspired!