Cooking Up Something Big: Neighborlybites Marketplace Is Almost Here

Cooking Up Something Big: Neighborlybites Marketplace Is Almost Here

If you've driven through the neighborhood lately, you may have noticed our yard signs — first advertising "Home Cooked Meals," and more recently, "Home Cooks Needed." There's a story behind that shift, and it's one that says a lot about where Neighborlybites Marketplace is headed.

It started with an appetite

When we first put up signs offering home cooked meals, the response exceeded our expectations. Neighbors were hungry for real, home-cooked food from people in their own community, and they signed up for our waitlist in droves. Interestingly, a lot of them didn't just want to order food — they wanted to make it too. Many people who joined the waitlist checked both boxes, registering as a customer and a cook. That dual interest gave us an early boost of talent, but as our customer list grew, it became clear we needed even more cooks to keep up.

Answering the call

Two weeks ago, we changed our approach and put up new signs: "Home Cooks Needed." The response has been steady and encouraging, with new cooks joining the waitlist every single day. Between our original wave of cook signups and this fresh push, we're now approaching a milestone: we have enough cooks ready to begin pre-boarding them onto the Marketplace platform.

That matters because our goal has never been to open with an empty shelf. We want Neighborlybites Marketplace to launch with a store customers can browse and buy from immediately — real menus, from real cooks, ready to go on day one.

What's next for our waitlisted cooks

Soon, everyone on our cook waitlist will receive a pre-boarding email invitation. As a thank-you for signing up early, waitlist members will receive their first month of Marketplace membership completely free. Then, once a cook registers and adds items to their menu, their membership is free for the rest of the year.

It's our way of rewarding the cooks who believed in this idea before it was fully built — and making it easy for them to get started once it is.

Know a great home cook?

This offer is open to anyone who joins the waitlist now. If you know someone in your life who loves to cook and might want to turn that passion into a little extra income — a neighbor, a friend, a family member — now's the time to point them our way. The sooner they join the waitlist, the sooner they lock in a free month, plus free membership through the rest of the year once they set up their menu.

We're getting closer to opening our doors, and we couldn't do it without the cooks and customers who've supported Neighborlybites Marketplace from the very beginning. Thank you for helping us grow this community, one home-cooked meal at a time.

To see how to setup your Menu read the Neighborlybites User Guide