[jseliger]

As a consumer, at first might sound a good idea and convenient to order pre-made food you don't have to cook but soon you realise it gets quite expensive compared to just get your groceries delivered and cook.

I have tried many of the meal box companies and the real problem is quality. The food quality is usually not high and the recipes are basic. I imagine that even novice, unskilled cooks will realize after a couple of months that they don't need the box.

[illegalsmile]

> after a couple of months that they don't need the box.

Maybe that's a good thing and something that these companies should push for? Maybe they already do? Sell it as a service for three months, one up front price, one'ish meal a day that you prepare and cook with the idea that this is a learning activity rather than following strict directions or assembly. As you move further through your cooking education the meals become more complex. I would think you could charge more for this while having better/more ingredients and having a smaller customer base.

[notyourday]

They can't. They have a native local competitor that stocks everything they do and is located within a few blocks ( or a few exits on a road ). The competitor is called "a grocery store". There's typically more than one of them in the area.

The total possible market that meal kit companies can extract value from is very small - it is not only people who have more money than they have time and people who do not know how to leverage money to get others to do the entire process for them.