Skip to main content

Get your neighbors to cook for you with Menu Next Door

menu next door 12366125 204167339918388 6849613396572715582 o
Image used with permission by copyright holder
It’s the ultimate culinary dilemma — tired of eating out, but too tired to cook. But fear no longer, weary gourmands, for the startup world has an answer for you, and its name is Menu Next Door. Think of it as the Airbnb of food — the European startup lets you “explore what’s cooking in your neighborhood,” relying upon your community to prepare delicious, self-prepared meals for a reasonable price.

Fresh off a $2 million round of funding from Index Ventures, Local Globe, Kima Ventures, and TheFamily, the company is looking to introduce a new model for food startups. Sure, the delivery space is saturated — there’s a new meal kit at every corner, and recipe sites abound  — but there seems to be less competition when it comes to building a community of cooks willing to prepare food for one another.

Despite the fact that Menu Next Door is currently available only in Brussels and Paris, it boasts an impressive 900 home cooks — 600 in Belgium and another 300 in France. With London the next stop, 110,000 people are already making use of this food-sharing platform. Each meal costs users around 10 euros, or about $11 U.S.

At the core of Menu Next Door is its reliance upon community, the startup notes. “Meeting your chef and getting the chance to talk to them about the dish they’ve prepared is what makes this something more than just a takeaway,” reads the company website.

And yes, you do have to meet them — this isn’t a delivery service. If you want to try someone else’s cooking, you’ll have to physically go to their abode to collect it.

Of course, this isn’t necessarily the most convenient of experiences. After all, the distinctly humanizing touch of having a neighbor prepare food for you means that you’ll have to plan ahead rather than deciding what you’re craving on the fly.

But because there are no associated delivery fees and you’re effectively giving money straight to your home cook, costs are relatively low (both for you and Menu Next Door). And of course, as the startup grows, so too will its community of cooks, which may make the whole experience a bit more seamless.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Amazon Air adding 12 more cargo jets so you can get your order more quickly
Amazon Prime Air

Amazon is adding 12 Boeing 737 aircraft to its dedicated fleet of cargo jets. The company said the move would help it to cope more efficiently with evolving demand and a growing customer base.

The leased planes will expand Amazon Air’s fleet to a total of 82 aircraft. One of the 12 planes went into service last month, while the other 11 will be delivered in 2021.

Read more
How to get your stimulus check if you don’t file taxes
how to file for stimulus

The IRS is sending all Americans, including both taxpayers and non-taxpayers, stimulus checks as part of a $2 trillion initiative to combat the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

While the IRS will use the most recent tax filings to determine how much taxpayers will receive in their stimulus checks, non-taxpayers are also eligible for financial aid.
Where to enter information?
Non-taxpayers will need to visit the IRS' dedicated webpage for COVID-19 stimulus checks, click on the blue button that says "Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here," and the same button on the succeeding page.

Read more
The best kitchen gadgets to upgrade your cooking
man and women in kitchen

The best kitchen gadgets elevate your cooking skills while also saving you time in the kitchen. Some kitchen gadgets can help reduce prep time, some allow you to leave recipes unattended, while others let you prepare more adventurous dishes.

Based on our testing and research, we've rounded up our picks for the best kitchen tools to upgrade your cooking.
Hamilton Beach Food Processor

Read more