×

In case you missed it: Indie Plate shuts down; Raising Cane’s expands; library gets a café

Indie Plate shuts down, cites high costs for meal service startups

Indie Plate, the Baton Rouge-based meal subscription startup that launched in 2013, has shut down, the company announced in an email to customers.

As of Wednesday, Feb. 7, the company ceased operations “indefinitely,” the email says, citing the tough financial picture for meal kit startups that have proliferated in recent years.

“The way the numbers worked out ultimately indicated a grim future for Indie Plate,” the email says, adding the company’s business model required large investments in kitchens, warehouses and other expenses. “In the end, we simply were unable to raise the amount needed to sustain our business.”

Read the full story from Daily Report.


Raising Cane’s expanding to Hawaii and Alaska

Panda Restaurant Group plans to open Raising Cane’s locations in Hawaii and Alaska before year’s end, with the goal of having half a dozen locations open in two years, The Daily Reveille reports.

Panda Restaurant Group CEO and co-founder Andrew Cherng stopped in Baton Rouge this week for a three-day conference Raising Cane’s held for more than 800 restaurant operators. While here, Cherng stopped by LSU to inspect his restaurant’s on-campus location and meet his staff.

Cherng says a desire to diversify himself and his business practices spurred Panda Restaurant Group to ink a deal with the Baton Rouge-based chicken finger chain.

Read the full story from Daily Report.


BREC selects caterer for Goodwood Library cafe

BREC has signed a lease with local catering company Socially Yours Inc. to become the tenant of the cafe at the Main Library at Goodwood, the final stage of the organization’s revamp of the courtyard area at the library.

BREC spokeswoman Cheryl Michelet says the organization chose Socially Yours because it’s already a BREC-approved caterer and has been one of the agency’s best partners. Socially Yours will offer salads, sandwiches and other food at the cafe, which is adjacent to the Teaching Garden at the library.

Read the full story from Daily Report.