In light of Hunger Action Month, Food On Demand took a deep dive into GiftAMeal, a company that blends philanthropy with dining, and empowers restaurants to give back to their communities.
Founder and CEO Andrew Glantz said he was inspired by his deep involvement in volunteering and first-hand experience of hearing about food insecurity as a camp counselor for underprivileged children.
“I would hear stories directly about food insecurity from five- and six-year-olds, and that touched me really close to my heart, and was something that I was really passionate about making a difference,” said Glantz.
Drawing from the once popular “buy one, give one” model of Toms Shoes, Glantz developed a concept that leveraged restaurants and social media to provide meals to those in need.
Andrew Glantz, GiftAMeal Founder and CEO.
The approach is simple. Dine at a participating restaurant, scan a QR code, snap a photo of your meal or drink, and share it on social media. For every photo shared, GiftAMeal donates to a local food bank, covering the cost of distributing 1.2 pounds of healthy groceries to a neighborhood pantry.
Restaurants pay a monthly fee to support the meal donations. For an independent restaurant, it’s $79 a month, and for a chain restaurant, it’s between $34 to $55 a month, depending on how many locations participate.
On average, it’s four meals per dollar that’s being donated for each photo taken.
GiftAMeal handles all the rest and restaurants do not have to lift a finger. “It’s a plug and pay situation,” said Glantz. “Our designers create any promo materials and anything for the restaurant and it’s all in their [own] branding.”
Community engagement marketing
And for restaurant partners, they see a boost in business.
“How giving back can drive purchasing behavior is really interesting and I think it’s something that restaurants can really utilize to drive traffic. It doesn’t devalue their offerings, like coupons or discounts, and it is something that can be an additive source of value for the customer,” said Glantz.
“The customer feels like they are an intricate part of the restaurant’s brand,” he added.
For every photo shared, GiftAMeal donates to a local food bank.
Glantz said on average, participating restaurants are seeing customers spend 20 percent more per visit and tip 32 percent more.
He’s on to something. According to a study by Fuse Marketing, 84 percent of Gen Zers would spend more at a business, or purchase more from a brand that supports a social cause. And 82 percent are more likely to recommend that brand to friends or family.
The company has come a long way since it all began in 2015 when Glantz said he had no car and trudged through the snow from restaurant to restaurant seeking early adopters.
Today, GiftAMeal is partnered with almost 1,000 restaurants across the country, including Chick-fil-A, TGI Fridays, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, and more. And works with more than 130 food banks across 38 states.
Hunger Action Month
Now, amid Hunger Action Month in September, GiftAMeal is going a step further.
Every photo shared in September will enter a competition for the most creative photo. The top 10 photos, as selected by the GiftAMeal team, will be voted on by social media followers. The photo with the most votes will trigger an additional donation of 1,000 meals to the local food bank where the photo was taken.
New restaurants joining in September using the promo code HUNGER will contribute an extra 50 meals to their local food bank for each location.
Glantz said he hopes to continue to grow and partner with more restaurants as “over 40 million Americans face daily food insecurity, meaning they don’t know where they’re going to find their next meal,” he said.
“It’s not just somebody that you see unhoused on the street. It goes a lot deeper. It could be a single-parent household where they are down on their luck or have high medical bills to pay,” said Glantz.
To date, GiftAMeal has donated more than 2 million meals.
