Meet Zach Owen | Innovator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zach Owen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zach, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The entire idea behind our business, AppyMeal, is to help local restaurants save money on delivery/takeout solutions while also helping them gain exposure through the marketplace. There is a clear problem in the food industry with delivery apps taking too much of the metaphorical pie right now. We aim to fix that.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My story is one of attempt after attempt slowly learning what I truly enjoy. Through my 20’s I have been in 3 different professional careers, attended 3 different universities, started three different startups, and had the occasional life changing moments along the way. I am not one to sit still and wait. I want to try, I want to live, and I want to experience. That is exactly what I have done to get to this point. What sets me apart from most individuals would be my appetite for risk. It is quite high, and at times I have to step back and evaluate if I am willing to face the consequences if my risky bet fails. Usually the answer is yes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Honestly, its not so much about places or things to see but hospitality that makes somewhere feel like home. If I was planning a weekend get away with a friend to show them what Georgia has to offer, I would take them to some of the restaurants I work with. Those owners are like family. There’s no doubt they would have a memorable experience. Afterward, I would take them to our back porch to watch the sunset and enjoy the wonderful Georgia weather. There’s nothing like personal quality time with those you love. Nothing is better than that.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
What helped us launch AppyMeal was relationships with local restaurants we built over the years by simply being customers. Over the years we got to know several local owners and realized a trend. They all hated the delivery apps. All of those initial owners have been incredibly encouraging, patient, and understanding with the entire process from soft launch to version 2.0 of our app. They provided us with invaluable feedback daily and continue to be the reason we are pushing forward everyday. Other than the amazing owners, we have several users that have continued to use the app providing us with testing, bugs, and more helping us through growing pains.

Website: https://appymeal.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/appymeal/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AppyMealApp

Image Credits
These are all our images. You are welcome to include the owners/restaurant if you would like. Sam Bazid (Sam’s On Main), Fed Don (Fed’s Bubble), and Moody (Grayson Cafe) in order of uploads. The owners are fine with being shown on posts, and we have rights to use their branding in any marketing materials.