While it claims to take the guesswork out of meal planning, that’s not quite accurate. When it comes down to it, grocery shopping is really the only aspect of the meal prep process Blue Apron eliminates. You’ll Still Have to Do a Bit of Meal Planning But in execution, people have started wondering, “How much time is this saving me … really?” And there are lots of reasons why Blue Apron might not be the time-saver it claims to be. The idea is there: Individuals save time by not having to run to the grocery store, stand in line, or plan out their meals for the week. They also just launched a new plan called 'WW Freestyle,' which offers low-calorie meals through a partnership with Weight Watchers. The Blue Apron menu contains dishes like pork chops, stir fry dishes, Mediterranean pastas, and Greek food. With new recipes added weekly, Blue Apron hopes to expand your cooking skill set, getting you to try various recipes you otherwise wouldn't.

Recipe cards tell you exactly how to prepare each meal, offering step-by-step instructions from prep to plate. Each box comes insulated with ice packs, helping to keep the ingredients fresh. You select meals from their online menu, then a box of the required ingredients arrives on your doorstep a few days later. On the surface, Blue Apron looks like the busy person’s dream-or at least for those who don’t want to resort to takeout every night of the week. Why Customers Keep Cancelling Their Blue Apron Service To see why customers keep cancelling their meal subscription services, let’s take a closer look at Blue Apron’s offering (and whether they deliver on them). Getting new customers to replace them proved increasingly difficult-and even more costly. Then just when it seemed that grocery stores would soon be ancient history, things took a turn for the worst (for Blue Apron, that is).Īt the end of last year, Blue Apron shares hit an all-time low as more and more customers cancelled their subscriptions.

The industry flew past the billion dollar mark by 2016. Blue Apron was quickly joined by a whole host of other meal kits, including Home Chef, HelloFresh, and Plated. Meal kits hoped to take the stress out of a home cooked meal, giving individuals time back in their week and more variety on their plates.Īt first, it seemed to work.

For the past decade, meal kit delivery services like Blue Apron have tried to make cooking easier on everyone: the busy professionals, the working moms, and the millennials who want to expand their recipe knowledge past scrambled eggs and toast. Don’t think your cooking skills are Top Chef material?

Last week's blue apron recipes