The Growth Of Gobble, Ooshma Garg’s Meal-Delivery ‘Family Feeding’ Powerhouse

One of the more striking and sustained successes in the crowded meal-delivery subscription landscape, Gobble was founded in 2010 by newly minted Stanford engineering grad Ooshma Garg as a way to leverage both her engineering mindset and her personal desire to bringing families together over home-cooked food.  

Since then, Gobble has grown from four initial employees in the Bay Area to over 200 employees who span the US and Canada and become known for providing a variety of gourmet food options that work for nearly everyone’s unique palate, from low-calorie to comfort food to kid-friendly and beyond, in kits that require 15 minutes or less to prepare due to the extensive prep work Garg’s talented team of sous chefs take on: simmering sauces, marinating meats, chopping vegetables, and on and on.

Micah Solomon, Senior Contributor, Forbes: You created Gobble soon upon graduation from Stanford. What was it about your educational background or personal experience that led you in this direction? 

Ooshma Garg, Founder and CEO, Gobble: I have always been a tinkerer and grew up curious, constantly experimenting. Pursuing [biomechanical] engineering in college and building something felt inevitable for me.  

 Solomon: And why Gobble in particular?

Garg: I grew up with a tradition that I could depend on every night of eating home-cooked food with my family. This gave me a sense of both physical and mental health, creating a secure feeling of love and belonging in my life. After exploring various startup ideas early on, the concept that became Gobble was the one that best leveraged my engineering mindset, passion for technology, and the fulfillment I saw in bringing families together over home-cooked food. 

Solomon: Did the Covid landscape lead customers to embrace Gobble more than before?

Garg: With so many people home during the day and striving to avoid unnecessary trips outside the house–and with the option to dine out temporarily gone–Gobble has seen an increase in overall frequency of orders. Not only have mealtime deliveries have increased, but the basket size of non-dinner menu items has grown over 200 percent.

 Solomon: What do you see happening coming out of the pandemic for their relationship with Gobble? 

Garg: Our data suggests that the new daily habits (more than 78 percent of Gobble’s customers have reported that the pandemic has changed the way they shop for and prepare their meals) created by the pandemic are here to stay. People’s new daily habits in the home will remain, even as the world shifts back to a new normalcy.

Solomon: I know you as someone who’s always tinkering, to use your word, to improve your model. What’s your latest innovation in the Gobble model? 

Garg: In February, we launched a new feature, Personalize It!, to offer members even more customization and an actual hand in designing their Gobble dinner kits. The Personalize It! feature allows members to design a dinner with their desired protein, such as seafood, beef, or tofu, for example. In addition, members can opt to “double-up” their proteins, which is perfect for members who are bulking up or focused on a protein-centric diet.