What’s worse than ordering food for delivery and it showing up cold and soggy? For ClusterTruck it’s a problem they set out to solve as America’s first vertically integrated, delivery-only kitchen.  

On this Better Product Launch, Brian Howenstein, VP of product at ClusterTruck, shares how they’ve revolutionized food delivery by removing the middleman of third-party delivery apps. 

While ClusterTruck is a restaurant, it’s also a software company enabling its competitive advantage. Brian shares how they’ve handled product growth based on geographical location while highlighting what the future for their tech looks like. 

Takeaways: 

• Setting boundaries to stay true to your core principles
• Competition is more than just other offerings in your category 
• The importance of keeping your brand voice intentional 
• Keep things as simple as possible for the user 

Things to Listen For:

• [01:22] Why it’s important to be vertically integrated 
• [02:47] What problem ClusterTruck set out to solve
• [06:05] How 2020 has impacted food delivery  
• [07:11] What constitutes competition 
• [08:20] How to handle product growth for a product tied to a geographic location
• [13:29] The intentionality behind the brand voice and its connection to the product
• [17:14] The biggest lesson Brian’s learned while growing the company 
• [19:55] What the data told Brian about their competition
• [21:36] Things to consider when deciding where to expand 
• [25:13] How to build a viable business while keeping a holistic approach to people and operations  
• [26:50] The breakdown with Christian and Anna