We are asked daily to eat good meals that will keep us. We have come to learn that some of the meals we eat outside our homes are filled with chemicals, unhealthy fats, and other products that can affect our immune system. But then, even though we will love to eat healthy meals, we may not be able to shop and prepare them because we barely have time for ourselves. So, we end up eating greasy sweetened foods, which are filled with chemicals that can harm us.
Fortunately for every busy person, some companies are coming up in an attempt to bridge the gap created by our busy schedules. They have started preparing healthy foods and selling them to people, especially those, whose careers could not give them the chance to prepare good meals. These companies make sure we don’t lack good food even if we don’t cook them.
One of the companies doing this amazing thing is CookUnity. We discovered it while trying to find a way to help people with busy schedules stay healthy. As a result, we want to use this CookUnity review to give you an insight into what this company can offer and whether it will provide you with access to healthy meals. So, stay with us until the end of this review.
What Is CookUnity?
CookUnity is an American online marketplace that connects chefs with people that need their services. The company was launched in 2015 with its HQ in Brooklyn, New York. It was born because its founder, Mateo Marietti, discovered that many busy people don’t have access to good and healthy meals because their busy schedules may not allow them to cook.
So, with CookUnity, he was able to answer the health needs of some individuals. This also means that you can rest assured that CookUnity will give you meals prepared with ingredients from a garden.
But despite being a registered company, people still ask whether CookUnity is a legitimate company. Well, this CookUnity review will provide information that will answer that question and any other inquiries you have about the online marketplace. Hopefully, that will clear the air around CookUnity so you can determine whether to order your next dinner from the company or not.
How Does CookUnity Work?
CookUnity is a digital marketplace that brings sellers and shoppers together. However, this time, the marketplace allows only chefs and those that need their services to come together, interact, and carry out some transactions. So, if you’re heading on to open an account with CookUnity, you are only going there to shop for healthy meals.
As an online marketplace, CookUnity makes sure that only those with user accounts can order meals through its platform. That is, if you don’t subscribe to any of the CookUnity meal plans, you’re not going to get the tasty meals you find on its menu. In other words, CookUnity has no room for guest shoppers. It’s either you’re totally in or not. There’s no in-between on the site.
Another thing about CookUnity is that it delivers meals to its subscribers. When you place an order and pay for it, the meals will be sent to the shipping address you provided in your account. But then, you will only be able to receive one parcel per week. If you need more meals, you’ll have to go for the subscription plan that contains more offers.
Finally, there is no provision for returns at the time of writing this CookUnity review. If you receive a meal and discover you don’t like it, you shouldn’t order it again. But you can pause an order as well as change your subscription plan (and meals) when you want to. However, if you can prove that the food has an issue or that it’s not what you ordered, CookUnity will pay you a refund.
You are going to find out more about this marketplace and what it has to offer as we continue with this CookUnity review.
CookUnity Subscription Plans
CookUnity has 5 different subscription plans you can choose from. The plan you opt for will determine the amount you will pay for a meal as well as how much it will cost you to receive meals for a week. We are going to use this section of the CookUnity review to give you an insight into the meal plans the marketplace offers and the amount you will pay for each.
But before we go into the different plans CookUnity offers, we want you to discover how these meal plans work. So, here are things you should know about CookUnity and how it offers its plans.
- When you select a plan, you will select the number of meals that tallies with its offer. For instance, if the plan offers 4 meals, you can select 4 plates of 4 different meals or 4 plates of the same meal, depending on your choice and nutritional needs.
- You will have to pay weekly for your meal plan. Even though you will find the amount a meal costs under your plan, you can’t pay per meal.
- You can change your plan every week. That is, if you decide to go for the plan of 4 meals this week, you can opt for that of 8 meals next week.
- You are free to choose different meals each week. That is, you may decide not to have the meals you had this week when paying for next week’s batch.
- You can pause your subscription when you desire. Remember, you have to pay weekly for your subscription plan. So any week you want to take a break, you don’t have to pay for it. But you should contact CookUnity customer service and let them know about it.
- A plate of a meal at CookUnity is meant for one person and also for one serving. So, if you want to order meals for several people, you may have to go for a plan with more meals.
- At the time of writing this CookUnity review, there is a promo going on. This promo will offer you a 30% discount on your first order immediately after joining the platform. This means that the amount you will pay on your first week will be cheaper by 30%. You will find out more about this discount when we discuss the subscription plans.
- Plans that contain more meals are cheaper.
- Meals are delivered weekly.
Now that you have seen how the subscription plan works, let’s quickly look into the 5 plans the marketplace has to offer.
4 Meals per Week
This is the smallest meal plan you can find in the digital marketplace at the time of writing this CookUnity review. If you are opting for this plan, you are going to pay $13.59 per meal and $70.69 per week. However, if you subscribe to the plan immediately after you join the platform, you may receive a 30% discount, whereby you will buy a meal at $9.51 and pay $54.36 for the first week. After that, you will pay the normal rate in subsequent weeks.
6 Meals per Week
If you go for this plan, your meal will cost $12.29 per plate and $95.86 for the week. However, with the 30% discount on your first order, you are going to pay $8.60 per meal and $73.74 for the week. Remember, this bonus expires after your first week.
8 Meals per Week
With this plan, a plate of food costs $11.69 while the weekly subscription is $121.56. If you receive the 30% promo on your first order, you are going to pay $8.18 per meal and $93.52 on the first week.
12 Meals per Week
This meal plan costs $11.19 per meal and $174.56 per week. But, when you make your first order immediately after joining CookUnity, you will pay the discounted price. This will amount to $7.83 per meal and $93.52 for the week. Remember, you will start paying the regular charges after the promo period elapses.
16 Meals per Week
This is the plan with the highest number of meals in CookUnity. Here, you are going to pay $11.09 per meal and $230.67 per week. However, with the 30% promo, you will pay $7.76 per meal and $177.44 per week on your first order. At the time of writing this CookUnity review, this is the plan you should opt for if you are purchasing meals for many people.
How to Subscribe to CookUnity Meal Plans
As a first-timer at CookUnity, you may find it overwhelming to place an order. However, if you know your way around, you won’t have challenges when you want to subscribe to any plan and have the meals you wanted right there on your table. This is why we want to use this section of the CookUnity review to give you information on how to place your first order when you visit the site.
So, here are things you are expected to do when you want to subscribe to a plan at CookUnity.
Sign Up to CookUnity and Create your User Account
First of all, click the tab labeled “Sign Up”. You can’t do much at CookUnity if you don’t sign up for a plan. But, if you want to leave this option for now, it’s ok. You can jump to the next step.
Provide your Zip Code
This is where CookUnity will expect you to enter an American Zip Code. Well, you will have to provide this information before you can view or select any of the plans. You will find where to insert this information on the website’s homepage or when you click “Sign Up”. But if you don’t want to sign up yet, you should enter this information on the provision made for it on the homepage.
After inserting your Zip Code, you should click “Start Now” or “Continue”, depending on what appeared next to the space you entered your Zip Code.
Select a Meal Plan
After supplying a correct American Zip Code, you will be taken to a page, where you can select your meal plan. Remember to check the current prices of each plan before making a choice.
Sign Up If You Haven’t
As we said earlier, you must have a user account at CookUnity before you can order any of its meals. To create your account, you will only be required to provide your first and last name, a working email address, and a password.
Take a Quiz
This part is optional but if you take it, CookUnity will be able to recommend the best meals for you. At the time of writing this CookUnity review, the questions they will ask you here include your best source of protein and the food you avoid. As you can see, the quiz is quite necessary if you want to enjoy CookUnity.
Select Meals for the Week
Remember, at the time of writing this CookUnity review, you are free to select the meals you want to have each week. You will find the listings of the available meals for the week immediately after you complete the quiz.
When you click on a meal, you will be directed to its description page. There, you will find reviews from previous buyers, the description of the meal, the ingredients used in preparing it, its nutritional information, heating instructions and how to eat it, information about the chef, and any other necessary information that can help you decide whether to select the food or not.
Check Out and Pay
After selecting the number of meals your chosen plan allows, you can then check out and pay for the subscription.
Shipping
At the time of writing this CookUnity review, customers can only receive their parcels through the courier service company the marketplace uses at any point. However, it uses national courier services, such as FedEx and UPS.
But then, while compiling this CookUnity review, there are some things about the company’s delivery system that we noticed and believe you should know about. We will list them for you below.
- You can choose to have your parcel left with your doorman, delivered at your door, or left at your door. You will find these options on your CookUnity user account dashboard.
- Your food will be packed in recyclable plates and sealed. Then, it will be delivered with ice packs and liners that can keep them chilled and fresh until the parcel gets to you.
- Your meals are either delivered in an insulated tote or an insulated box. You can keep the bag or return it to the delivery man when next he makes a delivery to you. The box stays with you, though.
- Your meal will be delivered every week.
- You can skip a delivery if you decide to pause the subscription. But you have to make changes through your dashboard before your account is billed for the week.
- CookUnity delivers only to shoppers in the United States.
Payment Methods
At the time of writing this CookUnity review, you can only pay for your meals with credit and debit cards. The cards the marketplace accepts currently are Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Diners Club, and JCB.
But, if you have a gift card to redeem, you can use that to pay for your meals. But then, CookUnity is not specific about the gift cards it accepts and those it rejects. You may have to contact customer service for the information.
Return and Refund Policy
Normally, CookUnity doesn’t pay refunds. However, if you have an issue with the meal you received, you can contact customer service to make a complaint and ask for a refund. But you have to do this at least two days after the parcel was delivered to you. If you miss this 2 days window, CookUnity will not pay your refund.
Another thing you should know here is that you have to prove to customer service that the food truly has an issue. At the time of writing this CookUnity review, the marketplace may require you to send in photo documentation of the meal to be sure the issue you reported is eligible for a refund. On rare occasions, it may ask you to return the meal. But this is rare so you should just take pictures of the meal if you don’t think it’s worth the amount you paid for it
Customer Support
At the time of writing this CookUnity review, you can contact the company’s support team through phone calls, email, or live chat. However, the company has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page that can explain a lot of things to you. You should go through this page before reaching out to the CookUnity customer service team. Maybe you will find all the answers you need there.
Is CookUnity Legit?
As you can see from this CookUnity review, there’s nothing fraudulent about this online marketplace. In the first place, CookUnity is a legit American company that is duly registered as a limited liability company with the United States government. If it is not genuine, the government wouldn’t have approved it. Of course, you should know the government would have known if CookUnity is legit or not before approving it.
Another thing you should know about CookUnity is that it has been operating since 2015. It also offers services to every part of the United States. No fraudulent company can achieve this feat. If CookUnity is not legit, it would have been closed down by now because customers would have complained to the government. As you may know, the marketplace is currently regulated by the US government.
So, there’s no way CookUnity isn’t legit if both the government and the US citizens monitor its activities and products. This is one of the major things that should tell everyone that CookUnity is not a scam.
What Do People Say about CookUnity?
The CookUnity reviews we saw while writing this shows that customers have mixed reactions to the marketplace. While some expressed satisfaction with the experiences they had with the company, others showed disappointment. But the commonest complaints we saw while writing this CookUnity review borders on the shipping method and mistakes of delivery drivers. For example, there are complaints that drivers delivered parcels to wrong addresses and gave people the wrong parcel. However, more customers feel that CookUnity is great. So, the company may not be perfect but it’s not bad too.
Also read: Maelys Cosmetics Review
Wrapping It Up
Hopefully, this CookUnity review has given you a lot of information about the things you can gain when you subscribe to the marketplace. The company will allow you to select the type of meals you want to have every week and all the meals you will find there are prepared with ingredients from the garden. CookUnity is legit and flexible, meaning you have nothing to worry about. So, if you need your dinner prepared for you by a good chef, you should create your CookUnity user account today.