Meal kit service Blue Apron has announced that three new specialty burger recipes will be featured in its kits this summer, thanks to its recent partnership with Fox Network’s hit animated series Bob’s Burgers.
The creative mind behind the recipes is Eggslut chef Alvin Cailan, who has brought to life some of the cartoon’s most popular burgers, including “The Gouda Wife,” “The Quantum of Salsa Burger,” and “The Absentee Shallot Burger.” Cailan first debuted the burgers in pop-up stores in L.A. and New York. These burgers feature creative food combinations, such as onion rings, chipotle mayo and corn and pepper salsa to top the burger.
Blue Apron is also collaborating with L.A.-based Hedley & Bennett to sell limited edition Bob's Burgers aprons, which will be available on the Blue Apron website beginning in August.
Bob’s Burgers just completed its eighth season, featuring the Belcher family, the owners of a burger joint in a northeastern seaside town. They try to compete with a popular pizza restaurant by coming up with new recipes for the burger of the day, getting more outlandish with both ingredients and names for the burgers. A Bob’s Burger movie is slated for release in 2020.
Blue Apron has grown its meal kits in interesting ways. While many competitors are looking to expand distribution through selling at grocery stores and workplaces, Blue Apron is also looking at pop culture and strategic partnerships to attract new customers. The company partnered with model and social media influencer Chrissy Teigen earlier this year to launch six new meal kits that are part of her new recipe book.
Blue Apron has been struggling over the past year since its highly anticipated debut in the stock market fell short of expectations. Amazon announced shortly before the company’s IPO that it would be partnering with Whole Foods and offering its own meal kits, which disrupted the industry and caused analysts to question the expected growth of competitors. Amazon’s online distribution network far exceeded any meal kit competitor’s reach, but many in the industry (including Blue Apron) responded by increasing their reach outside of online sales, like offering their kits in grocery stores.
Blue Apron is still struggling compared to main competitor Hello Fresh, which has seen revenue growth and stock growth since its IPO. Blue Apron curbed its marketing expenses in response to the falling stock price, which caused sales to drop earlier this year, but it seems they are reinvesting in some strategic new partnerships, including with Bob’s Burgers and Chrissy Teigen.
The meal kits will be available between July 23rd and August 20th, but customers must place their orders by July 17th.
