Tara Tai

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On December 1, 2015, Tara Tai commented on Panera: Winners in Fast Casual :

Really neat, Adam – thanks for posting! I was wondering – do you know how Panera has been faring against potential competition from Pret A Manger and similar chains that value similar things (good, ethically produced food and a good but fast eating experience), especially in recent years?

On December 1, 2015, Tara Tai commented on Harvest Power :

Thanks, Sam, for sharing! Really neat business, one that I hadn’t heard of before now. Two quick questions: just to clarify, does Harvest Power essentially replace traditional garbage “landfill haulers” entirely, such that food waste generating businesses should be able to replace their partnership with the typical dumpster/dump truck with Harvest Power entirely? Do you know how the pricing works, if it’s approximately on par? And how do you see this industry evolving to capture the residential market?

On December 1, 2015, Tara Tai commented on Munchery – Delicious, delivered :

This is neat, Kathy! Thanks for sharing. I wish they were in Boston. 🙂

I wonder, though – are they profitable yet / what do their profit margins look like? Everything you’ve listed (except for lack of CAPX and leased properties) seems to drive quality (and therefore cost) up, e.g., celebrity chefs, well-paid drivers, a huge product mix (big inventory required). How sustainable do you believe their model to be? I know they’re growing very quickly, but I wonder how much of that is just driven by the fact they’re new.