Transforming the food system with Everytable
Everytable is a Los Angeles-based social enterprise that is defining the future of food with their mission to make fresh, healthy meals affordable for everyone.
Written by HYER NEWSROOM
Everytable provide a healthy alternative to fast food that is just as affordable. They charge less for the same meal in low-income areas and roughly double the cost in high-income areas.
On almost every major street corner in America, fast food joints sell burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets. These multi-billion dollar businesses have become the landscape of America & Europe, the food system itself. But the world is changing. People are searching for more nutritious, fresher fare. Everytable aims to redefine the food landscape the same way McDonald’s did fifty years ago. But this time, instead of burgers and fries, we are selling nutritious, fresh, made-from-scratch food, at fast-food prices.
Most of us have likely heard about organisations such as the UN advocating for the right to nutritious and healthy food for all. But how many food companies do you believe to be genuinely committed to achieving this? In fact, many communities in the United States have very little access to healthy food at affordable prices.
These areas are known as "food deserts", with an abundance of cheap junk food stores and little to no healthy alternatives. Many would see this as someone else's issue. Still, two entrepreneurs saw it as both a social problem and a business opportunity. Everytable was created with the mission of making healthy food accessible to the greatest number of people, which is especially challenging in Los Angeles, the American capital of poverty and inequality.
The first of its restaurants opened in the south of the city by offering healthy and seasonal dishes for less than $4. At their second store, located downtown, their dishes cost approximately $8. Wonder what the explanation could be for this price difference? Downtown residents simply make more money. Everytable's strategy is to compete with the myriad of burgers that sell for $4 in districts with a high rate of obesity, diabetes and stress due to a lack of access to affordable healthy food.
Everytable's co-founders, Sam Polk and David Foster claim that their revenue-based pricing policy doesn't make them lose money. In fact, their business is relatively small, runs on a self-service basis and pays low rent. Meals are prepared in large quantities outside and delivered to the store, which keeps costs down and allows prices to be reasonable. California also has the advantage of being the first national producer of fruits and vegetables, allowing Everytable to buy fresh and local products at an affordable price every day.
Everytable has also always been committed to listening to what their customers (or potential customers) want to eat in order to create appealing menus for different neighbourhoods with different cultures within them. For this reason, a team makes its job to visit and talk to local families to try and find out what matters to them when it comes to their eating habits. Everytable quickly became a beacon for inclusiveness by being a company that celebrates different cultures and cuisines in LA's food scene. Also, each of their dishes is accompanied by nutritional information, serving as a motivation for those trying to improve their eating habits and leave behind poor quality junk food.
Democratising the gastronomy sector is a mission that Everytable is especially good at. Last year, the company raised $16 million in series B funding, which according to its founder Sam, will be used to expand the company into other markets within Southern California. Their goal is to become a nationwide footprint by creating a more equitable and just society in a country where nutritious food is a luxury afforded to few.
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