The MassTLC Tech Top 50 celebrates tech companies and leaders across the region who have made a significant impact in the community during the past 12 month. This year, we are excited to recognize winners across 8 categories: Best Pivot to Meet the New World, Business Accomplishment, Company Culture, Inclusivity Impact, Leadership, New Company of the Year, Tech for Good: Social Responsibility, and Tech to Watch.
Forty-nine honorees were chosen across these categories, with the final recognition, the Mosaic Award, given to Chevalier “Chevy” Cleaves, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer of MIT Lincoln Laboratory, for his work creating access and opportunity for future leaders. View the full list of winners, here.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing more about each of the recipients to spotlight their accomplishments and their impact on customers, partners, employees, and the broader community.
Today, meet ezCater, one of this year’s honorees for Best Pivot to Meet the New World.
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Describe the pivot/transformation that led to the Tech Top 50 recognition.
The week of March 9, ezCater and much of the tech community sent their teams to work from home. All of a sudden, ezCater’s core business – feeding people at work – was basically illegal! Gathering in large groups and sharing trays of food were no longer allowed. Offices were suddenly empty, residential food delivery was booming. ezCater was faced with a difficult challenge, yet we stayed true to our DNA and remained focused on what we do best: feeding people at work
In June of 2020, we launched Relish by ezCater to give companies a new, safe and reliable way to feed their teams. Relish delivers individually packaged meals from a rotating list of local favorite restaurants to workplaces at a designated place and time. Offices can be up and running with Relish in weeks, anywhere in the country. And with no setup fees and just a $25 delivery fee per restaurant, it’s a much more affordable option than a cafeteria or food court.
What impact did the pivot/transformation have?
Today, companies everywhere are trying to figure out what a hybrid post-COVID work environment looks like and how to best motivate employees to come into the office for collaborative, productive work. Food plays a powerful role. 81% of leaders agree that offering free meals and snacks to employees is the best way to incentivize attendance. And it works – 93% of leaders say that more employees show up to the office on days when free food is provided.
But with many companies adopting hybrid models, conventional cafeterias and food courts are struggling to efficiently adapt to fluctuating headcounts that come with it. Relish is the solution.
Relish easily scales up or down to accommodate any number of employees, and companies can create meal plans that fit hybrid schedules and evolving budgets. Companies can set and adjust meal subsidies by day, by week, or by employee. And employees order themselves via the website or app before each day’s cutoff time, so no food or money is wasted on fluctuating headcounts.
What does it mean to be recognized with the other Tech Top 50 honorees?
ezCater is so proud to be part of the Boston tech community. Congrats to all Tech Top 50 honorees!
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Learn more about Tech Top 50 and meet all the winners, here.
