Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Chad Cummings, Founder of Food on the Fly, located in Miami, FL, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Food on the Fly is the first Web3 app-driven mobile food delivery service behind airport security.

How many times have you had that same cheese quesadilla at the crowded airline lounge when catching a flight on Monday afternoon? Or maybe your 40-minute layover precluded even a grab-n-go item from Chili’s?

Now imagine pulling out your smartphone, opening the Food on the Fly app, and selecting from the full menu from one of over 50 different food vendors across all culinary genres without leaving your seat. Even better, you used the app to order ahead by sharing your flight information up to 48 hours prior. One of our food runners meets you at the boarding gate or lounge with your freshly prepared savory filet mignon or delectable kale salad to enjoy on your flight.

Our first customer target is the road warrior, a frequent business traveler whose primary constraint is time and who expects a quality product that many fast food eateries and airline clubs cannot provide—at least not consistently. They are relatively price insensitive and often have access to a per diem or expense account.

By empowering these customers to schedule in advance and choose their drop-off point within the Food on the Fly mobile application, these road warriors will no longer be limited to meal options within earshot of their gate. As a demographic, these travelers enjoy higher levels of discretionary spending, are more likely to dine out, and spend more on a per-ticket basis on such outings. This target demographic values timeliness without the frequently unwanted encumbrance of lengthy human interaction when juggling their busy, stressful schedules. This individual likely already participates in the app-based service economy through services like Uber, a cognitive schema that translates effectively to the Food on the Fly app.

Millennial travelers are a tech-savvy group who travel more frequently for leisure than any other demographic. They drive the majority of the demand for existing non-airport-based food delivery apps (e.g., DoorDash) and are accustomed to paying a premium for that convenience. They have integrated on-demand app-based services into their daily lives and often perceive them to be a commodity instead of a luxury service. As demonstrated in their purchasing habits, they readily spend upwards of a 40% premium on fees and tips for app-based food delivery outside of airports. When they travel, they are more likely to splurge for upsells and other impulse-purchase offerings.

Traveling with children is a notoriously difficult task. These parents constitute one of our secondary target demographics. Finding children something to eat quickly while carrying luggage and other accouterments makes the task even more difficult. The burden is further complicated when each offspring demands food from a different brand, with no guarantee that these disparate restaurants are close to one another. The ability to place an order for the entire family or even multiple orders from multiple restaurants and have them delivered to their gate or other “campsite” without the logistical headache eliminates some of the stress of dealing with a child’s palate while behind security. Traveling families usually constitute a higher socioeconomic echelon than the population average. While their disposable income may be somewhat impacted as a function of the significant costs associated with rearing children, we believe this demographic will view the flexibility of a tool like Food on the Fly as indispensable after their first experience with our brand.

On-site hotel guests are Food on the Fly’s fourth demographic target. Airports are traditionally located away from the multitude of dining options that centrally located hotels enjoy, constraining guests to overpriced room service or a single lackluster restaurant or bar. This presents us with an opportunity to satisfy the hunger of those guests by delivering the breadth of the airport’s restaurants directly to the hotel door.

Tell us about yourself

I have had a somewhat unusual professional path. After college, I started my career in the private equity and venture capital tax compliance and consulting practice at a Big 4 firm before leaving to get Food on the Fly off the ground. Business and financial realities forced me to step back from developing and scaling Food on the Fly as quickly as I would have liked, and the business relationships I developed led me to work full-time for a few years as a financial analyst supporting the real estate and legal divisions at American Airlines.

After growing my professional network there, followed by a brief stint in FP&A at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., I pivoted to pursue law school—all while keeping Food on the Fly alive. Obviously, Covid-19 tossed a pretty serious wrench into our growth trajectory, but with the pandemic (hopefully) behind us, I’ve returned my focus to the rapid expansion of our mobile application and service offering. As far as professional credentials go, I hold undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and taxation and am a licensed CPA. I also recently completed my law degree and am pursuing admission to the state bar.

My primary motivation is to do my small part to make the world an ever-so-slightly more enjoyable and less stressful place. There has been no shortage of well-publicized travel headaches as airlines and airports recover from the pandemic, and I sincerely believe Food on the Fly can play a small role in recovering and reshaping the experience behind airport security.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I started Food on the Fly when I was working a full-time job as a tax accountant during the busy season—which meant putting in 70+ hours a week at my “day job” while still prioritizing the development of my startup. That’s no easy task!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest part of being a small business owner, in my view, is getting everyone as excited about your business as you are. Stakeholders require education to get them on board with the concept—and the job of a business owner is to make that education, not just bearable but irresistible, training them to be your cheerleaders.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Timing is everything. It’s not enough to have a brilliant idea and execute it properly. Plenty of businesses and products have failed because they were too early. Look at the Laserdisc format from the 1970s, for example. Don’t be afraid to put your idea on ice for months (or even years) if the market isn’t ready, all while continuing to cultivate and promote your product so that you’re ready when the time is right.
  2. Start planning for scale early. Long before we had our first customer, we began the arduous process of identifying vendors for HR, payroll, compliance, and other necessary services—that way, when the time was right, we could scale rapidly without playing “catch up.”
  3. Don’t get married to your first idea. While the core concept of Food on the Fly—food delivery to the gate—has remained constant throughout development, the execution has evolved dramatically from my first brainstorming sessions. Had I been unwilling to radically change my focus—several times—I would never have gotten to this point.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Above all else, persistence is the most important trait of an entrepreneur. In business, every “no” is a “maybe” in disguise. I owe my success in life not to my professional credentials or luck but instead to my willingness to keep trying.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://foodonthefly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foodonthefly
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fotfly/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fotfly
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/food-on-the-fly/

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