PopChef is a start-up foodtech business in the lunchtime food delivery market in Paris. The case centres on the period from launch in 2015 to 2017. PopChef is the first to enter the market with a new business model in France. As other well-funded domestic and international entrants arrive, the market becomes highly competitive market. PopChef aims to counter this by shifting from a technology-based company to a virtual food company. Will this be enough to ensure its survival?
The teaching objectives relate to the firm’s strategic direction. The first is to compare and contrast diverse business models – including platforms and vertically integrated virtual restaurants. The second is to address how new players stimulate demand and develop the market, yet also intensify the competitive pressure. The third is to trace PopChef’s development over time as it adapts to changing conditions and seeks new sources of competitive advantage. PopChef’s changing fortunes provide an engaging context in which to address these issues.
- Foodtech
- food delivery
- Start-up
- Marketing
- Platform
- Digital
- user experience
- distribution
- strategy
- new market model
- Algorithm
- culture
- B2B
- virtual restaurant
- Q31718