Hunger Squad is a new company (official launch is Friday) that will deliver food, drinks and other goods (condoms, cigs, etc…) to downtown Portland exclusively by bicycle.
The company is a family operation spearheaded by 29-year-old Dustin Taylor and staffed by his wife and two brothers.
The idea is simple. Go online to HungerSquad.com, place your order ($10 minimum), and wait for the knock on your door.
Taylor told me today that he got the idea for this business while working for Madtown Munchies in Madison, Wisconsin last year (Taylor grew up in Madison, spent eight years in Portland, and just recently returned after a short stint in his hometown).
Taylor says using bikes was a natural choice. “In downtown, it’s just more efficient. In Wisconsin we were delivering much faster than cars. Not to mention it’s better for the environment and I just love bikes.”
The future for Hunger Squad is to increase the delivery area and add more riders. Taylor says he’s also on the lookout for locally made food products. “I would love to phase out the corporate stuff we’re starting with and move toward more local brownies, cookies, etc…”.
Just who will use this service? Taylor says he expects business from people who are up late (when nothing else is open) and don’t want to go out, or folks that don’t have time or who don’t feel like going out in wet or cold weather.
Delivery hours will be until 9:00 pm to 2:00 am Sunday through Wednesday and until 3:00am Fridays and Saturdays (they’ll be closed on Thursday).
Check out HungerSquad.com.
[Thanks to Nick W. for the link!]
Cool…
Two new bike related businesses today…
So, you guys deliver to Beaverton? 😉
I’ll have to remember this for those long evenings at the office…
Two new bike related businesses and both entrepreneurs came from Madison Wisconsin.
Tobacco but no alkeehaul?
The Pearl is your oyster. Break that sucker open!
Anyone remember cosmo.com? Hopefully it works better this time.
Rad – Kozmo.com reborn. I was a fan and frequent customer back in the day.
Oh god, they *deliver* boxes of Annie’s Mac and Cheese. To your office!
I am so totally sold now! Eeee! (and other noises of excitement).
dear hunger squad:
howzabout seventh generation newborn diapers and baby wipes for new moms stranded at home with fussy babies over the winter!
we used kozmo for toilet paper in the bad old days.
hope you rock it!
MMMMM!!! Yummy munchies by moonlight!
Well I hope they expand quickly. I was a huge fan of Kozmo.com and used them a lot. I recently started using Organics to You and it has cut down on my food trips but I still need those little items every know and then. When will they start delivering PBR 40’s to the houses?
Vending machine on wheels?
I don’t get it…
#4 T Williams:
Alcohol delivery is hard, you have to get a special permit from the OLCC to even do “same day alcohol delivery,” and even if Hunger Squad got one, the laws require that the order be placed before 9am, and delivered before 9pm, (which wouldn’t work with Hunger Squad’s hours, or business model,) among other rules…
yeah, too bad about not being able to deliver alcohol. So many drunk people would be off the street, cause they wouldn’t need to go get more alcohol if they’re partying and need more. not to mention how cool it would be to not have to make the beer run in the middle of the party, giving that guy eyeing the girl you’ve been chatting up the perfect opportunity to swoop in while you’re down the street picking up more booze.
Way to go Hunger Squad! I love that you intend to include a growing collection of locally made items. Three cheers to your success!
hey, as a former Kozmo employee, i just gotta say, best of luck… keep your chin up when people start bitching about minimums and delivery fees, or when your day consists of break-even runs delivering candy all around town… or sketchy cigarette buyers…
Well Done! Find a need and fill it! Never stop thinking of ways to reinvent the wheel and know that having the flexibility to diversify and expand upon the business model to dry cleaning, flowers, fine dinning, and just about anything that can be delivered 24/7…even an escort. I started up a home delivery grocery shopping service in the mid 80s in Palm Desert and spent more time talking to home bound customers that never got to see or talk with anyone and did not mind the stories from Bob Hope. So make sure that you build relationships and friends, thats what strengthens the company.