Feeding Friendships: Meet GLEAT
So imagine walking down the street when your stomach suddenly rumbles to remind you that it’s dinner time. What do you do? You take your smartphone out from your pocket, you login to your GLEAT account and you check what’s cooking around you — literally.
GLEAT is an app that allows you to have a affordable, well-sized, delicious and fresh homemade meals, prepared especially for you…in a local’s home!
‘’The name of the app, GLEAT, means Genuine — Local — Eating’’ — explains Mirko Lagattolla, London-based Italian entrepreneur and founder of GLEAT. A few years back, while Mirko was traveling extensively around the world for work, he came to the realisation that there is limited access to authentic local food. Rich cultures and foods sit idle in surrounding homes while travelers and newcomers remain unable to connect with them. “There are Thai, Bulgarian, Brazilian and many other people living in Florence, but a very limited number of restaurants (if any), can provide the equivalent of a homemade meal from any of these countries” — describes Mirko, his enthusiasm evident.
“One day” — says Mirko — “One of my interns invited me to his place for a dinner. He said he was going to cook some Sardinian food for us. I went over and I met two other guests from Asia, who had also did not know each other.’’ There they were, perfect strangers enjoying a meal just like old friends. This was the catalyst that gave life to the idea.
When I ask Mirko about his favourite cuisine he shouts: ‘’Aha! You see? I don’t stick to a single cuisine! I like to invent. Just a while back I made seared tuna with a fresh fruit compote!’ While that might sound curious to some, GLEAT is giving the opportunity to try local foods, both traditional or experimental, without going to a fancy restaurant and spending a fortune. “It’s not just about the food: you get to meet other GLEATers and naturally it provides an opportunity to develop new friendships and network while dining’’ — says Mirko.
Hungry for new experience?
The app finds the best food experiences based on your location and food preferences. On top of listing the foods, for both taste preferences and possible allergies and intolerances, there is also a personality matching system in the app. ‘’If I set my interests as technology, entrepreneurship and travelling, these will be emphasized on my personal profile” says Mirko — “This will result in me likely being seated at a table with others who have similar interests.’’
Mirko describes GLEAT as being a mish mash of Uber, AirBnb and LinkedIn. Uber because you can book the meal in real time with a click of a button. AirBnB because the home is the shared space that acts as the restaurant. Finally, LinkedIn because you meet like-minded people to connect and network with. ‘’The last time I went to a GLEAT (as I often do since we have been running) I met an amazing woman from Mongolia and her partner who is a Google advisor. GLEAT is a fantastic way of meeting interesting people!”
Pop-up restaurants in 30 seconds
Users can set up their own pop-up restaurant in 30 seconds: log into the app, describe the meal you want to cook and set the price. As a host, you will receive instant payment from guests after the dinner is completed. Become a GLEAT chef and you can turn your hobby into extra income or a good deed. ‘’Some hosts are using it as a way to raise funds for a charity. Our very first host, Tracey, donates everything she makes to Cancer Research.’’
If you want to use GLEAT to refine your hosting skills, GLEAT will provide tips to become a hospitality star: ‘’We can come to your place and give you tips on how to step up your hosting skills and become a private top-notch restaurant’’ — Mirko promises.
What if you are intimidated by the idea of inviting a stranger to your home for dinner? No worries, guests only receive your address after you confirm they can attend your GLEAT. This transaction triggers a cashless credit card payment in the app: ‘’We have the guest’s credit card details, so they are perfectly traceable. Moreover, there is a special security button installed in the app, and once pressed, we will rush to yours immediately to check up on you.’’
Right now GLEATs run on an almost daily basis. ‘’On average we are adding roughly ten new hosts to our network every week, which means we create 10 more potential ‘’restaurants’’. Sometimes I feel like I own a couple hundred restaurants in London!’’ — Mirko laughs.
Plans, challenges and successes
It all starts in London. ‘’Through extensive market research we found that London was the best place to start GLEAT. It is one of the most travelled-to cities in the world, it houses every nationality and is a hub of tech businesses. It’s a perfect place to start and to expand worldwide.’’
Until then there are some exciting promotional campaigns in the works. ‘’We are working on getting a celebrity to host a GLEAT for us as part of a promotional video! He or she will not only become the ambassador of the company but also a stakeholder.’’ — says Mirko. ‘’I have been an entrepreneur and know how to learn from failures! I mentor and coach other startups, and I am aware this is going to be challenging, but I never, ever give up!’’
Being father to 6-year-old Andrea as well as the CEO of GLEAT, Mirko knows about challenges and successes. ‘’One of the challenges is translating vision into execution in the shortest time possible” — says Mirko. He confesses: ‘’My biggest worry is not being the first one in the market’’. He has identified his competitors and is aware of their positioning in the market, which he believes to be different than GLEAT’s.
The second big challenge is data. ‘’It is hard to find data on how many people would like to become hosts or guests, because no previous researches have been done’’ — laughs Mirko. ‘’However, the thing I am most proud of was creating the app in a very short time, without knowing a single thing about coding’’. But Mirko is not tech ignorant: “I am a mechanical engineer, so I know everything about jet engines and big machines. Now, through my team, I am learning a lot about the technologies behind our product, which is awesome’’.
His motivation, aspirations and ambitions have led him to attract the right team (developers, marketing masters ecc) who have embraced his vision. This is how the GLEAT team came to life. ‘’At the moment I have more than 300 applicants on AngelList’’ — laughs Mirko. — ‘’But my 5 person team is perfect for now, even though we are always keen to onboard great talents!’’
The timeline
The team meets every Monday at HQ or Google Campus. They review the expectations and targets for the week. ‘’It is important to differentiate between the ‘vision’ and the ‘dream’. We focus on the vision: we define the tactical actions to achieve the vision through pre-defined strategies. This is how we make sure we are able to execute our goals quickly.’’ So what is the vision? The short-term plan for GLEAT is to become a renowned brand in London. ‘’When I get on the underground I want to hear people saying to each other ‘Let’s GLEAT tonight!’ When the word becomes a verb, we will know we’re doing it right.’’
At the moment the app is running in beta version, which means users can only sign up if they receive an invitation from someone in the network or submit their interest at www.gleat.me. ‘’I want to create a community of people that are new to London, who find it hard to create meaningful connections, and of course, who are food-lovers’’ — explains Mirko.
The native app, available to the general public, is set to launch in June. Mirko’s long term vision is to reduce food waste and invest time and money towards ending world hunger. ‘’GLEAT will not stop until we feed the world’’ — he states. “It’s a long journey ahead of course. We will do it one meal at the time’’ — he smiles.
Author: Sara Komaiszko
