A new venture launched in Melbourne this month is aiming to give foodservice operators a new market of customers by targeting time-poor corporate professionals.

Young entrepreneurs John Cao and Ken Tran are behind the company E-Lunch which will allow CBD customers to order and pay for lunch and dinner online from a variety of participating restaurants and take-away venues signed up to the service.

For lunch the orders will be ready for pickup from a specially marked queue at the foodservice operation when the customer arrives, eliminating the waiting period during the peak hour lunch rush. Dinner orders will be placed in the same way but will be delivered to offices. The pair expects the dinner offer will be of interest to companies that regularly have company-expensed overtime dinners.

The website for the operation officially launched this month, www.e-lunch.com, and Tran said that if successful they would look at taking the concept national and then international.

Cao and Tran came across the concept in action while holidaying in New York and believed it could translate to the Australian metro market.

So far they have confirmed a series of food outlets in the new QV Urban food market in Melbourne’s CBD and are in discussions with other restaurants and food outlets in other parts of the city centre.

Tran brings experience in food service to the venture—he and his father run Pho Tam in Melbourne’s western suburbs. Cao has an IT background and specialises in programming and software development.