The Quantum of Salsa Burger with Corn-Pepper Salsa & Onion Rings
For a limited time, too, Blue Apron will sell an exclusive "Bob’s Burgers" apron through its website, created in collaboration with Hedley & Bennet, the Los Angeles brand known for its handcrafted aprons and other kitchen wear. The item will sell exclusively through Blue Apron’s website in August, and a portion of its proceeds will go to Feeding America as part of the "Bob’s Burgers" National Cheeseburger celebration on Sept. 18.
“'Bob’s Burgers' has built a highly engaged and loyal fan base over the past eight years,” said Christine Fu, head of partnerships at New York-based Blue Apron. “In collaboration with the incredibly talented Chef Alvin Cailan, we look forward to bringing the creative and whimsical recipes that are featured on 'Bob’s Burgers' to life through the Blue Apron meal experience.”
Subscription-based, mail-order meal-kit services have been struggling lately amid a boom in brick-and-mortar kits, which give shoppers more choice in what, when and where they buy while also eliminating the rigid nature of a subscription. As a result, some services are partnering to develop kits specifically for physical stores, while others are being acquired outright.
Already, Blue Apron has been working with grocers such as Costco to sell exclusive kits in physical stores, as well as introducing or reintroducing its brand to consumers through such experiences as pop-up shops and movie nights in major cities across the nation. By releasing these new "Bob’s Burgers"-themed meal kits, Blue Apron has found a way to breathe some new life into a floundering business model. These new kits could not only make subscriptions a bit less undesirable, but also offer a unique, “must-have” product and experience that can appeal across several customer bases, including:
- Current meal-kit subscribers and users
- Former meal-kit subscribers who became fatigued by the subscriptions (or meal kits altogether)
- Consumers who've never tried meal kits and have been waiting for a reason to do so
While it's had its share of setbacks in the past year, Blue Apron appears finally to be finding its place: a company focused not on products so much as experiences – and ones that meet time-starved and hungry Americans where they are.