A Startup with Easier Hours, Autonomy, and Bigger Paychecks for Chefs?
That’s the claim behind the Arlington, Va.-based Hungry that’s poised for expansion
It’s an attention-getter when Jay-Z and Usher invest in a startup, though who would have thought they’d put their money into something with as staid a reputation as catering?
That’s the basis behind the Arlington, Virginia-based Hungry, a catering and food-delivery company that’s been feeding office workers with dishes like curry chicken or jerk salmon from a Jamaican chef, and roast chicken with or tuna tartare from a “Next Food Network Star” finalist.
Hungry got started when Shy Pahlevani and his brother Eman came up with the idea three years ago as they were working on their first startup, LiveSafe, in Washington, D.C. In feeding their team lunch on Fridays, the entrepreneurs found themselves always ordering the same things from the same two places — Chipotle and Panera. While the free food was a perk for their employees, it all was so predictable.
The Pahlevani brothers wanted to do something about it. With their parents having immigrated to the Washington, D.C. area from Iran, they grew up on their mother’s home-cooked Persian food; they wanted to offer more home cooking, more international cuisines, and in…
