Zerocater
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food service, Corporate catering |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Arram Sabeti |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Ali Sabeti (CEO) |
| Products | Corporate catering, office snack delivery, alcohol delivery |
| Website | zerocater |
ZeroCater is a food service enterprise based in San Francisco, California, specializing in delivering catered meals to businesses by partnering with local eateries, caterers, and food trucks. Established in 2009 by Arram Sabeti, the company focuses on providing corporate catering services throughout the United States.
In 2017, ZeroCater broadened its offerings by introducing ZeroCater Snacks and Kitchens, a customizable office snack delivery service. This expansion continued with the launch of Zerocater Pours in 2018, which offers alcohol delivery. The following year, ZeroCater unveiled Enterprise Catering, targeting organizations with more than 500 employees to better accommodate larger-scale corporate clients.
Among ZeroCater’s clientele are notable firms such as Slack, PagerDuty, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Salesforce, JUUL, Datadog, and Cisco Meraki. By late 2017, the company had established operations in key U.S. metropolitan areas including the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, Los Angeles, Austin, Washington, D.C., and Chicago. Ali Sabeti currently serves as CEO, steering the company’s strategic direction and growth through innovative foodservice offerings.
History
Arram Sabeti founded Zerocater in 2009 after his experience at Justin.tv (now Twitch.tv), where he streamlined office lunch ordering by coordinating meals from nearby restaurants. Spotting a market opportunity, he left Justin.tv to focus entirely on building Zerocater. Initially self-funded and managed via spreadsheets for 18 months, Zerocater was accepted into Y Combinator’s Winter 2011 cohort and secured first place on Demo Day.
In 2011, the company raised $1.5 million in seed capital from investors such as Paul Buchheit, SV Angel, and Vaizra. Subsequent funding rounds included $4.1 million in Series A during 2016 and $12 million in Series B in 2018, led by Cleveland Avenue—founded by a former McDonald's CEO—with contributions from Justin Kan, Romulus Capital, and Struck Capital.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compelled Zerocater to reduce its workforce significantly. As hybrid work models became prevalent, Zerocater pivoted its approach to focus on two primary services: "Cloud Cafe," which allows employees to pre-order boxed meals from daily menus, and "Managed Cafe," offering buffet-style catering with predetermined guest counts. Additionally, the company provides hybrid solutions and event-specific catering services—all crafted and managed by Zerocater staff.
In 2023, Zerocater secured $15 million through a Series C funding round led once again by Cleveland Avenue with participation from Romulus Capital, underscoring increasing demand for adaptable office foodservice solutions.
Media coverage
Zerocater has been highlighted in prominent business and technology outlets including Fast Company, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Forbes, and CNNMoney, emphasizing its pioneering business model and significant role within the corporate catering industry.
See also
External links
- Y Combinator companies
- Online food retailers in the United States
- Food and beverage in the San Francisco Bay Area
- American firms founded in 2009
- Retail businesses founded in 2009
- Internet platforms launched in 2009
- Companies located in San Francisco
- Food and beverage enterprises based in California
- American companies established in 2009
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment