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For food enthusiasts who hold a deep appreciation for top-tier dining but despise some of the inconveniences that come along with getting ahold of such quality meals, a new food delivery system, Caviar, has come to the Westside — and it may alleviate many a foodie’s grievances.
Caviar, which celebrated its Los Angeles launch yesterday, has ventured to Southern California after successfully servicing a plethora of other major U.S. cities as a premier food delivery service. Caviar is set to remold the concept of stereotypical, often mediocre food delivery with its high standards of quality. In order to avoid the hassle of transportation, wait times, and uncomfortable crowds, Caviar’s mission is to act as a liaison between L.A.’s leading restaurants and their customers.
The concept of Caviar occurred to founder Jason Wang in 2012 in his office in San Francisco. Like the majority of those in the corporate world, lunch breaks were usually spent in or near the office — and it occurred to Wang that he and his co-workers had been consuming almost the same meal every day.
“It got me thinking: why can’t we get food delivered to our office?” Wang said.
In metropolitan areas there is a high possibility that an abundance of hindrances lies between a popular, upscale restaurant and a customer. Factors like sitting in traffic and waiting in line may be enough to discourage customers from purchasing a meal. There are also plenty of instances in which relaxed dining at home simply sounds like the more appealing option.
“In San Francisco, there wasn’t a single good restaurant that delivered at the time,” Wang said. “A lot of restaurants think that delivery is a logistical nightmare, an operational challenge.”
This is where Caviar steps in. The food delivery system allows restaurants to continue their work as usual, and instead sends couriers over to the dining establishment to pick up and deliver food for the customer. Couriers undergo full background checks and hold a genuine regard for food.
“[When we hire couriers] we look for local people who are familiar with and understand the restaurant scene,” Wang said.
Though there are a handful of food delivery services running through the greater Los Angeles area already, what sets Caviar apart is the caliber of restaurants that the company hand-picks and partners with.
“In general, most of our restaurants are rated four stars on Yelp with at least a thousand reviews,” Wang said. “The Caviar team is also out and about, taste-testing all the time.”
Currently on the list of Westside restaurants that Caviar delivers from includes Phorage (locally sourced modern Vietnamese food), which is located in Palms. Caviar also caters cakes from Charm City Cakes West in Santa Monica. Set to open later are Ditmas Kitchen and Cocktails (a kosher New American steakhouse), Paiche (Peruvian food), Hamasaku (modern Japanese food), Fig, Simplethings, and fundamental LA.
Caviar will be adding one to two restaurants every week to its variety of prime establishments.
Caviar’s broad coverage area encompasses the entirety of the Westside, including Brentwood, Westwood, Santa Monica, Venice, Culver City, Marina del Rey, and Beverly Hills. However, Caviar also services to most of Los Angeles — Downtown, Central L.A., and the Eastside — as well as the versatility of restaurants in these respective areas.
“If you live anywhere between Santa Monica and downtown L.A., we can deliver to you,” Wang said.
More detailed maps can be found on Caviar’s official website.
Caviar’s delivery hours are from 9 am to 11 pm. Customers have the option of selecting a desired one-hour delivery window, which would be an implausible situation at a bustling restaurant. Customers can also place their orders up to six days in advance and order as a group by sharing a shopping cart.
Caviar has a constant delivery fee of $9.99, plus gratuity, but does not mandate a minimum expense, provides real-time GPS tracking, and offers free first deliveries. In lieu of its L.A. launch, Caviar will be offering free delivery for a limited time only as a local promotion.
For more information, visit trycaviar.com.
