Look out, Munchery: a new delivery startup is serving lunch and dinner starting today at 11:00 a.m., and this one boasts David Chang as its “Chief Culinary Officer.” You still won’t be able to get Momofuku ramen delivered to Crown Heights (that’ll be the day), but Maple is now providing the Financial District lunch crowd with access to options dreamt up by executive chef Soa Davies, formerly of Le Bernardin. “Our menu is rotating on a daily basis, so obviously we need someone who is sort of a mad scientist when it comes to menu development,” says co-founder Caleb Merkl.
A sneak peek at a sample menu reveals some refreshingly creative options: for lunch, a green chile enchilada with radish and lime salad. And for dinner? Baked arctic char with savory green olive relish, braised leeks, roasted fennel and broccoli rabe. “There are a lot of things that don’t deliver well, so you need to build the infrastructure around it,” Merkl says. “Fish is certainly not something that you would normally order for delivery… we know we can deliver an exceptionally prepared, really high quality sourced piece of fish.”
The founders of Maple hope that controlling everything from the kitchen to the doorstep will improve customer experience and banish the idea of delivery as an afterthought. They’re promising dinner on your doorstep in 30 minutes or less, and the $10-$15 price tag includes tax, tip and delivery. This means a tiny service radius at the start, but they plan to open kitchens all over the city as they expand. And they’re paying attention to where potential customers are located — enter your zip code on their website to help them locate potential target neighborhoods.
Photos courtesy of Maple
