Even though there is no denying that the majority of office goers still visit restaurants during their lunch breaks, these lunch services are gaining momentum in the food circuit of our town. They strive to offer more wholesome options at affordable prices. Even when many restaurants are picking up the trend of delivering their own food, these services still manage to stand out for their conveniences. 

The Week talked to two such lunch delivery services that carter to these specific needs of corporate workers. While Ankut56 happen to be newbies in the scene, Pack My Lunch have already built quite the reputation and are even thinking of adding on to their services. Despite the difference in their experience though, both agree that there is a lot of opportunity in this particular sector. Here they take us behind their kitchen and share their menus with us.

“The motive is to serve a healthier version of what you might have eaten if you had the time to pack your own lunch.”

As mentioned for those who have given up hopes of sticking to their health resolutions and following through their diets, Ankut56. Pvt. Ltd is keen to come to your rescue. Some might have even caught their advertisements on a couple of the local buses plying around town but as smart as that move was to appeal to the office going crowd, they also relying on their philosophy towards healthy lifestyle to expand their reach.

The plan to make their services a healthy one was apparently a personal preference. They claim to have banned ingredients like monosodium glutamate and white flour from their kitchen and have decided to serve appropriate portions of veggies, seasonal fruits, chappatis, rice as well as khaja set. Their motive is to serve the healthier version of what you might have eaten if you had the time to pack your own lunch.

“The reason we started the service was because we saw a problem. The options available for lunches in our capital are expensive,” says Ravi Raut. So spotting the opportunity, he, along with a team of seven people, runs the business from Jhamshikhel. They are operational throughout the working days from Sunday to Friday. Further, they are also willing to tweak the taste of their food according to the customer’s demands, so if you don’t want sugar in your kheer, or want a little more spice in your afternoon snack, they will have your meal made just the way you like it.  
However, they don’t entertain on demand calls. They have both monthly and weekly packages at Rs 124 and Rs 132 per serving respectively.

“We don’t serve khaja, we serve khana. We believe is making our meals wholesome.”
Pack My Lunch can be considered a veteran of sorts in the lunch delivery service field. Samikshya Rai and Deepika Shrestha have running the business for nearly four years now. Even though there were similar services back when they started, unlike the rest, Rai shares that they have consciously decided to be more organized and systematic about the way they run their business and serve their clients. 

“Our priority is to maintain the quality of food we deliver. What sets us apart is the fact that we don’t provide khaja, we provide khana. You get proper home style cooked rice, dal, and curry set each time,” says Rai. 

However, going back to their system, there are some rules that need to be followed. They don’t entertain single orders or orders that are given in the morning for an afternoon lunch. Pack My Lunch has become particularly popular among the IT companies and NGOs because they often serve full on corporate lunches. Many offices have subscribed to their services for all of their staff members or even sign one-year contracts.

“In this way, we know exactly how many people we are serving to and we can make sure that our produce are fresh and that the meals are cooked on the day,” explains Rai.
These strict guidelines come from their years of experience in the field. They vouch it has helped them maintain their standards. From Monday to Friday, they offer hearty lunches and even add meat to their menu for four of those five days. All of this comes at a price of Rs 200 per plate. They have even managed to expand their services to host in house canteens as well as run catering services for both small and big gatherings. What’s more, they are also planning to open their own outlet.

 
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