Grill Grub - We do the prep. You get the praise.
Year 1 (2025-26)
by Jake Lauzon
A Michigan born, local delivery grilling box built for Families and social gatherings
About This Idea
Grill Grub is a Michigan born, local delivery, seasonal grilling service designed for people who host. Our customers will receive fully seasoned, marinated, ready to grill proteins that eliminate food prep. We remove the uncertainty and stressful decision making that makes hosting a burden. Without Grill Grub, people will fall back on the same safe and predictable options, such as basic proteins, simple sauces, and repetitive flavors. This puts a limit on the value you bring to your guests, which never leaves a lasting impression.
At Grill Grub, the problem we solve is that other food delivery services are designed for individual cooking, not social gatherings. Our competitors leave the experimentation up to the customer, which leaves them with room for error. However, hosting is a very different ball game. Cooking for friends or family involves a higher risk. You would want food that scales, works every time, and leaves a good impression on the host. without Grill Grub, failure is costly. Not just financially, but socially.
Grill Grub is built around outcomes, not ingredients. Every box is designed for group gatherings, holiday parties, and seasonal grilling. Our proteins arrive fully prepped with bold, proven marinades/seasonings modeled after award winning grill masters, giving our customers access to flavors they wouldn't normally attempt, but we guarantee they will consistently love.
From a business perspective, Grill Grub's year around recipes will bring repeat purchases and predictable demand that can be replicated regionally state by state. We constantly adapt our product to align with how people grill throughout the year. Our products are sourced through local sources and co-packers that handle secondary processing under the Grill Grub brand. Once the product is handed off to us, we deliver through our territory-based network system which brings low delivery costs and times.
Grill Grub does all the deliveries to maintain the cold chain process.
Where Did This Idea Spark at WMU?
The idea for Grill Grub sparked at Western Michigan University through my love of hosting friends during game days, holidays, and other social gatherings. I always seemed to end up behind the grill, and the stress of preparing food before guests arrived often took the joy out of hosting. Almost every time, I debated just ordering pizza because it felt like the safest and easiest option.
Living on my own at WMU made me realize we live in a “right now” world, where time consuming tasks quickly build stress and take away from things we actually enjoy. That realization pushed me to think about how hosting could be easier without sacrificing quality or the experience for guests, which ultimately led to the idea for Grill Grub.
Impact in Kalamazoo
Grill Grub’s success in Kalamazoo would benefit both the local economy and community while positioning the city as a proof point for future growth. Locally sourcing and processing our proteins will strengthen agriculture, job creation, and reinvestments into southwest Michigan. At the same time, residents gain convenient access to high-quality, locally delivered grilling options that make social gatherings easier and encourage shared experiences that strengthen community culture. Kalamazoo will become a model delivery zone demonstrating how a local food business can scale without sacrificing quality, providing a repeatable blueprint for expansion.
How Investment Helps
This investment allows Grill Grub to launch as a fully built, intentional regional operation
rather than a lightly tested concept. Funding supports cold-chain infrastructure, initial inventory, and customer acquisition strategy while protecting product integrity. The first milestone enabled by funding is a fully operational delivery region with strong retention and referral driven growth.
What I'll Do With the Money
Foundational cold-chain equipment $15,000
Purchase commercial freezers required to safely launch and operate without taking on debt.
Customer acquisition investment $20,000
Offset the $229 Summer Series price with a $30 early customer discount, distributing customer acquisition cost into a stronger first delivery experience.
Initial raw protein inventory (first 100 boxes) $13,000
Fund the first production run of proteins to immediately generate revenue at launch.
USDA processing & packaging $4,000
Cover co-packer seasoning, vacuum sealing, freezing, and regulatory compliance.
Marinades & seasonings $2,000
Purchase rubs and marinades for consistent launch quality.
Branded delivery packaging $1,000
Fund insulated, branded delivery boxes to reinforce first impressions.
Local marketing & community awareness $20,000
Highly targeted local advertising and neighborhood outreach to amplify referral momentum without relying on broad, inefficient ad spend.
About the Founder
I’m Jake Lauzon, a junior studying Aviation Management and Operations, originally from Commerce Township, Michigan. I’ve always had a passion entrepreneurship, something my dad likes to say I inherited from him. My main goal is to build something new rather than simply duplicating existing ones.
Grill Grubs team should get chosen as one of the winners because we aim to build a scalable and innovative company that delivers real value to communities while we continue to grow as leaders.