Dayton startup Picnk triples sales, secures new kitchen

January 29, 2019

Dayton prepped-meal startup Picnk is moving into its own 900+ square foot kitchen space this week at Five Seasons Sports Club Powered by LOGIK Fitness at 4242 Clyo Road, Dayton.

The family sports club features a gym, tennis court, and swimming pool; spinning, barre, hot yoga, and fitness bootcamp classes; and now healthy, prepped meals. Recently renovated, the club owners are holding a grand reopening in the next month or so — this celebration will also serve as the grand opening for Picnk in its new space, founder Will Foster said.

When Will and Picnk head chef Ben Kalis pitched at Dayton Tech Guide’s August 2018 Early Risers, the chef still had a full-time day job and ran the business out of a commercial kitchen space rented one day a week.

The duo landed a key investor, and Ben quit his day job in October to become the full-time Picnk head chef. This week, Will announced the company had tripled sales in less than one year.

This move into their own kitchen is the next step in Picnk’s ambitious expansion plans, Will said.

In the new location, Picnk will serve club members — the goal is that individuals can arrive, place their order, do their workout, then pick up their food for the day or week.

Will is also currently working with several potential pickup locations as Picnk continues its mission to serve the greater Dayton region, he said.

Two weeks ago, Picnk held a hugely successful mac & cheese pop up dinner at Toxic Brewery. Will hopes to build on that success by holding a monthly pop-up at various local breweries, he said.

Currently, the prepped-meal company offers pick up and delivery one day per week, but with the move into the new kitchen, Will hopes to scale up to offering pick up and delivery multiple times a week within the next few months.

Ultimately, the goal is to operate a 6- or 7-day operation with an online ordering capability where the customer can choose when and where they want their food delivered, he said.

“It feels incredible, and we absolutely appreciate the support of our customers and the Dayton community,” Will said. “We’re excited to be part of the growth in Dayton.”

Want some prepped meals? Meet the duo here. Check out the Picnk menu here.