THIRD WAVE ASIAN EATERY SWEET CHOW BUILDS COMMUNITY AROUND SUSTAINABLE FOOD DELIVERY
Minneapolis, MN—April 30, 2018—The newest and most approachable addition to the North Loop’s formidable restaurant lineup, Sweet Chow Takeaway, will soon start delivering their Southeast Asian cuisine directly to North Looper’s front doors—by bicycle. And they’re making a community-building event of the ordeal.
On May 1, Sweet Chow Takeaway will launch a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising $24,000 to jump-start their bicycle delivery program. But they’re not doing it just for the money.
“We see Kickstarter as an exciting opportunity to engage our community. Kickstarter allows our fans to feel a sense of ownership at the restaurant, and we can give back with one-of-a-kind experiences,” says Julie Hartley, one of the founders of Chow. Those experiences will range from a backers-only invitation to the soft launch of Chow’s ice cream parlor to private cooking instructions from Chef John Krattenmaker.
So, what makes Chow’s plan for a bicycle delivery program any different than existing delivery programs?
“For starters, it has zero carbon footprint,” says Hartley. By using bicycles, including a solar-powered ELF tricycle for event deliveries, the energy generated to get food from the restaurant to eaters’ front door comes either from humans or the sun. Hartley says the food will be fresher, too.
“We want to raise the standard for delivered food. While online ordering and centralized delivery has made the process of ordering easier,” explains Greg Cummins, another Chow founder, “it hasn’t improved the most important factor—how good food tastes when it gets to the consumer.”
Ami Francis, the third Chow founder, believes that focusing on a single neighborhood will help to build a sense of community.
“When planning the campaign, we really tried to focus on how we could build community. The rewards are a huge part of that. Our campaign is heavily focused on experiential rewards that will bring people together around good food and sustainability,” says Francis.
It’s an effort to bring busy people together over common interests rather than divisive differences. Hartley, Cummins, Francis, and the Chow team timed the campaign to coincide with the celebration of new growth—May Day. They want to spread the joy that comes from a season where anything is possible when Minnesotans are emerging from hibernation and coming together.
The Kickstarter launches May 1st. Details can be found at http://www.chowtakeaway.com/kickstarter