What does your company do?
Lunchbox co-founder and CEO Nabeel Alamgir: Lunchbox enables restaurants of all sizes to deliver the best digital ordering experiences to their customers by simplifying the solution. By creating powerful omnichannel systems, restaurants are able to take back their digital real estate.

Why did you found your company in NYC?
NA: My co-founder Andrew Boryk and I grew up here in NYC — specifically Queens — and love the community and inspiration that this city supplies. It also helps being in the restaurant-tech space in the city that has the best collection of them in the world. There’s amazing food on every corner here!

What brought you to New York?
NA: My family immigrated from Kuwait when I was younger and we have lived and worked here in Queens, NYC since!

Help Main Street, a tool for connecting local businesses to cash support through COVID-19, came online at a pretty impressive speed at the outset of the pandemic. Why did you decide to build a tool like that, and how have you seen it grow over the last few months?
NA: It was definitely a weekend sprint. The idea for Help Main Street came into being when I had a discussion with Nihal Mehta of Eniac Ventures at the beginning of the outbreak when restaurants were mandated to close. From there we pulled together a team Saturday night and by the following Tuesday we had our first MVP live hosting over 100 businesses across New York City. Today we have over 125,000 locations live on the platform and have raised over $500k for local businesses.  

What types of businesses are showing the most activity through the tool?
NA: On Lunchbox we service restaurants from all sectors of the industry. Fast Casual, Quick Service, and Full-Service/Sitdown have all been performing well across our platform! Our client Bareburger has actually been able to reclaim 54% of their digital ordering away from third-party sites since they’ve switched over to Lunchbox.

What plans do you have for the tool post-pandemic?
NA: In the early days of the pandemic, we launched Curbside Pickup for our clients to ensure they are empowered with the tools to help them succeed. Alongside that, we launched the ability to add contactless delivery for restaurants as well. As restaurants begin to reopen we are also exploring forms of Pocket Kiosk where guests will be able to use their phones to order when dining in!

When restaurants and bars are able to fully reopen, what will be the most dramatic change you think patrons should expect?
NA: I believe while guests will be eager to get back to restaurants they will look for how they can do it safely and feel comfortable. With NYC opening up outdoor dining recently I think we’ll get a really good picture on exactly what guests will expect from restaurants moving forward.

Are there any projects Lunchbox put on hold when the outbreak began? What are you most looking forward to devoting more time to when the pandemic ends?
NA: Originally we had an in-store kiosk in development but put that time into working on the Pocket Kiosk solution, helping to give guests a contactless way to order while dining in.

Where do you get your favorite bagel? 
NA: New York Bagel and Coffee House here in Queens.

What is the best New York waterfront?
NA: Long Island City, Gentry Park, and Astoria Park.

What’s your favorite remote work office hack?
NA: Just got a standing desk a bit ago, amazing!

What’s one new thing your team is doing to stay connected while everyone works from afar?
NA: We have an “always” open chat room where everybody can join throughout the day to chat and hangout. The digital watercooler.

All illustrations by Elly Rodgers

New York, New York, USA skyline: by Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com