Serial entrepreneur launches 'smart canteens' concept in KSA
RIYADH, 16 days ago
lechef – a foodtech startup with a first-in-the-region concept has launched to reimagine workplace dining across the Mena region by providing easy access to workplace catering featuring fresh, healthy and grab-and-go meals through tech-driven smart fridges also known as ‘smart canteens’.
Based in KSA, the startup aims to boost business productivity and promote workplace engagement and wellbeing by encouraging employees to stay on workplace premises while enabling the consumption of nutritious meals.
At its core, the startup provides office catering through smart canteens stocked with fresh and healthy meals that seamlessly integrate into office spaces, offering a hassle-free grab-and-go meal selection experience for employees.
Once the smart canteen is set up and stocked, users only register once on the lechef mobile app and can then scan the QR code on the canteen, pick their preferred meals and enjoy without waiting in any checkout line.
The canteen is equipped with an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system that instantly detects selected meal choices and completes the payment automatically, deducting it from the user’s setup payment method.
Thereby, saving considerable time by removing waiting lines, and lowering company costs by minimizing staff and maintenance of the setup, said its founder Eugen Brikcius, a serial entrepreneur who has over a decade of experience and proven history as an influential start-up CEO.
He was previously the Co-CEO of Rocket Internet’s Middle Eastern ride-hailing venture Jeeny, CEO of UAE-based online shopping portal Wadi.com and Managing Director of Foodics.
lechef’s concept originated when Eugen moved to the Middle East and observed challenges in the workplace dining environment over the past decade.
He noticed that valuable time was usually wasted (averaging around 30 minutes a day) by figuring out lunch plans at the office premises, thereby leading to decreased productivity with off-site lunches often overrunning break time limits.
Moreover, although workplace food options expanded throughout the years, they were generally limited, expensive, unhealthy and inconvenient to obtain, leading to frustration for those who sought healthier options.
Additionally, subscription meal providers were not very flexible and offered repetitive choices.
According to an internal study around 65% of employees in Riyadh and Jeddah struggle to find appealing and healthy food options.
Being entrepreneurial by nature, Eugen made it his mission to combat these obstacles and futurize workplace dining with a tech-driven solution, thus creating lechef.
“At lechef, we believe that everyone deserves a healthy and wholesome meal during their busy workday. We aim to transform the typical workplace dining experience into a nutritious one that keeps employee morale up while boosting productivity," he stated.
"lechef’s tech solutions even offer easy scaling to cater to large workplaces making it suitable for various industries including healthcare, education, banking, consulting, government institutions and more. Each smart canteen serves 50 employees," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
