What do you miss most about the office? For this journalist, it’s the snacks. Barring unlimited free coffee, there’s nothing better than munching on some complimentary goodies. Unfortunately, unless you’re willing to rack up a big bill at the grocery store, that habit isn’t conducive to WFH life.
Stadium, an NYC startup that delivers restaurant meals to offices, may have a solution. It’s called SnackMagic and it allows companies to send free “snack stashes” directly to their employees.
When the city went on lockdown back in March amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Stadium had to shut down all its operations completely. Co-founder and CEO Shaunak Amin says, almost immediately, the company’s users began asking for a service that would allow them to send treats to their employees and clients who were working from home. Stadium liked the idea and officially launched SnackMagic in May.
Here’s how it works: the company can set up a budget for its employees to use on snacks. Then, each employee can browse through SnackMagic’s menu of food and beverages to build their own stashes, which can include everything from vacuum-dried broccoli chips and cotton candy to CBD-infused tea. SnackMagic also offers pre-made boxes filled with snacks and drinks curated for specific diets or seasons. The stashes can then be shipped anywhere in the country.
Amin says much of SnackMagic’s business right now has been through one-time orders related to specific holidays or events. However, the company is currently working on a way for users to schedule the feature automatically, allowing employees to order snacks at the frequency they want for a more permanent WFH perk.
“The reception since we’ve launched has been very, very positive. Better than any of us expected,” Amin told Built In. “Every week, or every week-and-a-half we are doubling.... We’ve delivered about 15,000 boxes to people’s homes. It keeps going, it’s going way faster than was first expected.”
Amin says another unexpected result of SnackMagic is the amount of interest it has gotten from snack and beverage brands trying to work with the company, offering what he describes as “niche products” employees may not be able to find in their average grocery store.
“We have, at this point, about 500 unique brands we work with, but we’ve gotten so much interest that, in two months, that number went to 3,000. We’re fielding those new requests now,” Amin said. “These products have been booted out of Whole Foods and other grocery stores because these stores are focusing on essential items right now. So [these brands] are looking for an avenue to reach new customers.”
Amin says Stadium plans to start its in-office operations again in July, but SnackMagic will remain a permanent operation. This may put Stadium in a position to dominate what could very well be a growing trend. As companies like Facebook and Twitter lead the charge in permanent remote work, office snacks at home may just be here to stay.
