With two kids under 4 and a baby on the way, Blake Gleaves and his wife don’t have much time to plan meals.
That’s why the Sandy Springs resident launched a business earlier this year to help answer the constant question: “What’s for dinner?”
Gleaves is the founder of meal subscription service TheDinnerClub, which recently expanded into areas including Sandy Springs and Brookhaven. It now serves parts of Fulton and DeKalb counties.
TheDinnerClub partners with local restaurants to offer a curated menu of ready-to-eat meals. Customers pre-select a few meals a week, picking the day and time they will be delivered.
Gleaves described the business as a cross between meal kit service HelloFresh and food delivery app DoorDash.
“Our goal is to, in essence, have people take back their evening,” he said. “Our lives are so busy that you’ve got competing priorities at night.”
Due to its delivery model, TheDinnerClub says it can save people up to 30% compared to standard food delivery apps.
Some of its restaurant partners include Gusto, Old Brick Pit, Hattie B’s, Osteria 832, Verde Taqueria, Karv Family Kitchen, and Sukoshi.
Gleaves is an Atlanta native who attended Georgia Tech. He previously served in business management roles, but a year ago, he got a “crazy idea” for the start-up and jumped in. His partner is Ashby Baum, an Inman Park resident.
Now, the company is trying to raise $400,000 to fuel its growth. Gleaves hopes soon to expand into more areas, including Smyrna and Vinings. He’s also considering moving into the Columbus, Ohio market.
“We were very intentional about having our home base in Atlanta,” Gleaves said. “Atlanta is awesome for tech start-ups right now. There is a lot of capital being pumped into this city, so we want to grow in Atlanta first. This is our proof of concept.”
