The Weekly Dish: Crypto Dining, Live Commerce, and a 'Severence' S2 Finale Rant
Foodtech, Whatnot & What the Helly?!
Issue #4
Foodtech is exploding faster than banana bread recipes during the pandemic. Gone are the days when a simple menu QR code was the height of innovation (thanks, COVID). Now, companies are chasing that next, next thing that’s going to change the way we dine, from concierge services to blockchain-based loyalty points, ultra-social restaurant diaries, or private chefs in your living room.
Below are three foodtech companies stirring the pot that you need to know about to stay ahead of the curve:
Blackbird Labs: A Crypto-Seasoned Loyalty Program
Value Prop
Blackbird is angling to give your dining routine a jolt of futuristic glamour, weaving blockchain concepts into a sleek restaurant loyalty program.
You can rack up $FLY (their in-platform currency) as a form of payment, skip waiting for the bill and pay directly using the app and unlock perks that feel like you’re part of a secret club - minus the weird hazing rituals. But let’s address the elephant in the room: is it actually using blockchain in the decentralized spirit it was intended for?
Potential Gimmick or Next Big Thing?
If you look under the hood, Blackbird’s approach doesn’t fully harness the “democratize the internet” side of blockchain - the real stuff where users own their data, engage in decentralized finance, and help govern platforms via DAOs. Instead, it seems to be a more conventional loyalty model simply dressed up in crypto terms, which begs the question of how much decentralization is actually in play.
Given that the predominant use case for blockchain technology remains cryptocurrency, it might be premature for mainstream diners to embrace a token that doesn’t genuinely shift power to the community. Sure, it’s an interesting experiment, but it feels like a stepping stone rather than a leap into the genuine “power to the people” ethos real blockchain solutions can offer.
Funding & Users
Still, they’ve bagged $24 million in Series A funding and claim around 50,000 active users test-driving these digital tokens. People like new toys, after all—even if the toy is still figuring out its true purpose.
Founding Team
Leading the charge is Ben Leventhal, the co-founder of Resy (and Eater) who helped revolutionize how we make restaurant reservations. He’s joined by a squad of hospitality vets from American Express and tech-savvy minds from DoorDash.
What I Love
As a die-hard foodie, I’m a fan of their Substack newsletter, the Supersonic, which somehow manages to build a real community vibe without sounding like a pushy ad. Blackbird’s app UI is gorgeously minimal, and their guerilla marketing campaign last year kept everyone guessing when (and how) they’d officially launch. It was like a cryptic invite to a secret supper club. Whether you think that’s cool or cringe depends on your taste in marketing.
Why It’s Tasty (and Maybe Too Soon)
• $FLY currency is fun to collect, but let’s see if it goes beyond novelty.
• It’s questionable whether this is authentic blockchain or just blockchain-flavored marketing.
• They nailed the vibe with their Substack and brand aesthetic, so at least the interface won’t scare away casual diners.
• It might be early days for mass adoption, but if Blackbird cracks the code on real perks (beyond the hype), they could become a serious contender in dining loyalty land.
They haven’t launched in LA yet so my experience has been limited to exploring the app, but I’ll be up in San Francisco next month and plan to check out the entire experience at an establishment there since they have a more extensive list of merchants they’ve partnered with. Watch this space for a follow up report.
Beli: Your Social-First Restaurant Diary
Value Prop
Beli is basically a journal for your meals, minus the spiral notebook or random smartphone notes. Gone are the days when you scroll back through months of texts to find that “awesome sushi spot” (guilty as charged 🙋🏻♀️). With Beli, you can rank, remember, and review all your favorite places (or not so favorite ones). The best part? It’s social. You can follow your friends to see where they’re eating, their lists and compare who’s found the spiciest tacos in town. It’s currently invite-only which I also love because I trust that the people on it are true foodies whose reviews I can count on to be more accurate than the average Yelp/Google review…. your girl does not mess about when it comes to food.
Founding Team
Co-founded by Eliot Frost (Pomona College) and his partner Judith Thelen, Beli has a certain hometown appeal for me, given I’m a Claremont McKenna alum and spent a lot of time on the Pomona campus. They combined their backgrounds in product development and marketing to tackle the “Where should we eat?” conundrum.
Funding & Users
They’ve pulled in $5 million in a Series A round in 2023 and they’re flirting with around 100,000 registered users.
Why It’s Tasty
After using it religiously for nearly a year (and currently boasting a 31 week streak 🤠), I find it really helpful to track all the restaurants I’ve visited and the ones I’m yet to try. I’m that girl who includes the names of the dishes I’ve ordered and ironically now, my husband, relies on my Beli expertise for the bulk of our dining decisions.
The monthly “Plated” recap is a fun, personalized data recap that I actually want to share on my socials - plus, I don’t have to wait until the end of the year to do it like Spotify’s “Wrapped.”
It’s international! Drop me a note if you want an invite, no matter where in the world you are.
Resident Hospitality: Chefs in Your Living Room
Value Prop
Resident is a NYC-based “tech-enabled experiential platform” that reimagines how we experience fine dining by connecting top-tier chefs with exclusive, often jaw-dropping venues. Rather than booking a table at a traditional restaurant, you can savor multi-course meals in penthouses, lofts, or even your own living room. It’s all about high-end cuisine without the usual hustle and bustle of the dining scene.
If, like me, you’re South Asian/Asian living in the US, it’s probably cheaper (and better for your emotional health) to fly your mum down from Asia to serve you that Michelin star meal. But… I digress.
Founding Team
Launched in 2021 by a mix of hospitality gurus, real chefs, and event planners. They saw that people (especially in the post-lockdown era) were craving intimate yet upscale dining without going out or dealing with the hassle of reservations.
Funding & User Base
They’ve secured $8.8 million in total funding and seem to have impressed around 10,000 luxury diners.
Why It’s Tasty
Exclusive Venues: Expect luxury penthouses, chic lofts, or even a historic property, all curated to create that “wow” factor.
Private Dinners at Home: If you’d rather stay in your slippers, Resident arranges in-home experiences so you can sip wine on your couch and still enjoy a multi-course feast.
Michelin-Caliber Menus: Many of their partnered chefs boast backgrounds in Michelin-starred establishments, ensuring a refined, boundary-pushing menu.
Community Vibe: Even with the exclusivity, these events are big on conversation—both with the chef and fellow diners—making the night feel like a classy dinner party among friends.
Closing Bytes
This trifecta of tech-forward food players each takes a different angle:
Blackbird Labs: Marrying blockchain with loyalty rewards for a futuristic—and slightly mysterious—experience.
Beli: A user-friendly way to track, rank, and share every morsel you’ve ever devoured, complete with social bragging rights.
Resident: Bringing luxurious, exclusive gourmet cooking to private venues.
🛍️ Gen Z’s Preferred New Retail Therapy: Live Commerce
As a millennial, I’m basically required by law to complain about information overload. I believe in digital detoxes, quiet reading corners, and hitting “mute” on group chats. My retail therapy usually entails peaceful scrolling online or walking around a mall with iced coffee while my husband does his own scrolling in tow.
But it seems that Gen Z has decided that standard online shopping is too... quiet. Welcome to Whatnot, the “live commerce platform” where sellers hawk everything from vintage tees to Pokémon cards in real time, addressing buyers on their live shows constantly as “chat, chat, chat.” According to the Whatnot State of Livestream Selling Report (2024), there’s no denying the wild popularity of this new shopping format among Gen Z. Nearly 45% of Gen Z respondents said they prefer interactive live sessions over traditional e-commerce because they get to hang out with like-minded buyers. Plus, limited-time auctions and constant chatter build a community vibe you can’t get from just scrolling a product page.
If you’re not familiar, livestream selling has been huge in Asia for a while, especially in China, where platforms like Taobao Live move serious volume. Now, North America is catching up, and Whatnot is at the forefront of that wave. Buyers and sellers have to be glued to the stream - one minute you’re bidding on a rare comic book, the next you’re lost in a deluge of emojis and frantic host commentary.
I’ve been lurking on Whatnot for a while to get the scoop so you don’t have to and let me just say… you’re welcome for the extra peace of mind I’ve afforded you. Picture incessant push notifications that scream “Going live now!” with countless emoji and a host in a warehouse racing through products who won’t stop calling out user names mid-sentence. It’s an adrenaline-pumping experience that can leave more reserved shoppers feeling overwhelmed. Still, the blend of crazy low real-time deals and communal excitement is quite engaging.
Deep dive on live commerce coming soon!
😠 A Very Frustrating Severence Season 2 Finale
(Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t finished the season, turn back now or forever hold yourself accountable)
Someone give me an award for managing to get through an entire month’s worth of newsletters without complaining about the slow-burn tragedy that was Severence this season.
Sure, the show’s cinematography is jaw-dropping, but the pacing? The season yo-yo’d between breakneck revelations (finally answers to those burning questions about Mark’s past & Ms. Cobel) and episodes where it felt like I was watching paint dry. And then the finale came and Ben Stiller said, “Oh, you want closure? Here’s everything… all at once.”
Nearly a week later, I’m still annoyed that Mark’s innie stayed inside, leaving Gemma out in the cold (literally). Did we expect any different from a self-serving lead character with an identity crisis? Also, was that Helen or Helly R in the final scene?! So. Many. Questions. We now have to wait eons for answers in Season 3. What’s most frustrating is that despite my complaints, I’ll undoubtedly be back for more because the cinematography and plotline is too hard to resist for a sci-fi nerd like me.
Last weekend, I met a TV show agent at brunch in Venice Beach (this is the most LA thing I’ve ever written) who confirmed that yes, Severence, did in fact, cost $20 million per episode to product. Can’t wait to see how they top this next season with even more bizarre sets and cryptic plot twists.
Anyhoo, at least this clip of Dylan screaming for Gretchen will live rent free in my head until S3. This is also how my husband and I now bellow at each other when we’re waiting for the other to make the coffee.
Coming Up Next on Culture Curve…
⌚💍 Oura vs Apple Watch: An in-depth look at the Oura Ring’s features, performance, and how it stacks up against Apple’s wearable.
💰 The Music Collab Economy: A breakdown of how your favorite artists monetize brand partnerships within their songs.
#️⃣ Social Media & Growth: Exploring how heavily your brand should rely on social channels to expand its reach—and when it’s worth pulling back.
Until next time - stay curious, stay cultured.
— Kasvi
Hi, Kasvi, really love your ability to create a heady mix of extremely interesting and minute information on such a wide range of topics, backed by deft analytics, spontaneous humour and very healthy criticism. Your understanding of the goings-on in different spheres is a fun revelation of current developments in a scenario that’s embracing futuristic trends. Keep it rolling!✨👍🏻
You had me at Foodtech is exploding faster than banana bread recipes during the pandemic. This piece is as informative (the confluence of food and tech is such a big world!) as it is entertaining. Also, it was a relief to see someone else has the same view on this season of Severance! As a writer and reader/viewer of fiction, I lean into the charm of leaving a vital question dangling at the end of a narrative. But the manifold questions left unanswered in Severance S3!
Keep these posts coming. They keep us curious, and perhaps, even cultured.