Local startup defies pandemic challenge with BBQ delivery service
Contactless delivery of prepared food and the so-called “cloud kitchen” — commercial kitchen without a restaurant location — are concepts that local company Let’s Meat has been practicing since before the pandemic.
Since 2018, the Puerto Rican startup has been catering to BBQ lovers, delivering a selection that includes pork ribs, country style chops, pulled pork and brisket, all smoked low-and-slow with hardwoods and natural lump coal.
“Let’s Meat was born from a crisis, Hurricane María. Like many Puerto Ricans, we had to reinvent ourselves after the storm, so we turned our hobby into a business,” said Osvaldo Pérez, co-creator of Let’s Meat.
“The acceptance has been phenomenal and our delivery model, without having a restaurant, has been a great convenience for customers, especially in this current crisis that calls for social distancing and contactless services,” he said.
For his part, Finees Almenas, also co-creator of the startup, commented, “The restaurant and food industries are increasingly embracing technology to transform their business model. In our case, being a 100% digital concept in which everything is done online, the only analog thing we do is the most important one, making great smoke BBQ using classic methods: hardwood, fire and quality meat.”
The concept behind Let’s Meat predates the current modalities of contactless delivery and social distancing for the sake of community health and safety. The meats are cooked of up to 12 hours in specialized smokers using a variety of hardwoods and natural lump charcoal
Once made, the meats are vacuum sealed in special packaging and refrigerated. The client receives their order, removes the BBQ from the packaging and reheats it in the oven, microwave or a BBQ.
Orders are made online or the company’s social networks @LetsMeatPR. Orders should be placed in advance due to the artisanal cooking process, and that deliveries are generally made from Thursday to Sunday.
