2ndKitchen Completes $4.35M Seed Round to Help Businesses Create Food Experiences with Neighborhood Restaurants

Food tech startup provides new way for Bars, Breweries and Hotels to provide custom branded food service from nearby restaurants

CHICAGO – November 14, 2019 –Techstars graduate 2ndKitchen, a service that helps businesses serve food without the hassle of operating and maintaining a kitchen, announced today it has raised an additional $3 million, completing its Seed funding round at $4.35 million. The round was led by Hyde Park Venture Partners with participation from MATH Venture Partners, Great North Labs, Bragiel Brothers, and M25. 

How does 2ndKitchen work?

2ndKitchen helps businesses such as bars, breweries and hotels partner with local restaurants to create custom food experiences. By offering unique food options, these business can keep patrons in their seats longer and attract new clientele. Restaurants benefit by adding another source of revenue to maximize kitchen capacity, especially during off-peak hours when bars and breweries are busiest. 

“Many service and hospitality businesses have to serve food in order to give customers a great experience, but having a kitchen is complicated, expensive, time-consuming, and too often unprofitable if food is not their main focus,” said Nick Anastasiades, CEO of 2ndKitchen. “2ndKitchen is the perfect solution. We help any business create a high-quality, custom, and on-brand dining experience for their customers, for free.”

2ndKitchen matches businesses with restaurants in their neighborhood and works with them to create a custom-branded menu with curated food selections. Customers have food delivered to their table without having to download an app or scroll through endless menus. 

Praise from customers

2ndKitchen’s innovative model has made waves with bars, breweries and taprooms all over the country, with participating businesses receiving an influx of positive reviews from customers: 

• Midwest Coast Brewing, a new brewery that just opened its doors in the trendy Chicago Brewing District, complements its flights with a curated selection of tacos from a nearby community vendor. 
• Strong Rope Brewery, in Brooklyn, New York, offers its patrons a diverse selection of both Mexican and Polish dishes delivered fast and straight to their seats. 
• Birch Road Cellar, a private and exclusive BYOB club, opened its Seattle location with an eclectic Hawaiian-Korean fusion menu featuring Korean Cheesesteaks and Kimchi Quesadillas. Birch Road also uses 2ndKitchen in 2 locations in Chicago.

Hotels and other hospitality businesses are using 2ndKitchen to create room service menus that are branded to the hotel. With the rise of third party delivery companies, businesses are looking for ways to take back control of the food experience and delight their customers using in-room dining amenities and upscale service without operating a 24/7 kitchen.

“As a service-oriented business, you now have a new option to offer a well-managed dining experience that doesn’t involve an expensive kitchen,” said Anastasiades. “It’s a completely new way to think about food service.”

What’s next?

Since graduating from Techstars and launching in 2018, 2ndKitchen has expanded its service nationwide and tripled its headcount. The company will use the funding to continue its rapid expansion across the U.S., pursue new business categories beyond bars, breweries, and hotels, and create a world-class resource hub for bars, breweries, and hotels to grow their businesses.

For more information, visit 2ndkitchen.com.