Vmeals Puts Restaurants and Caterers on the Web; Online Food Ordering Service Provides New Sales Channel and New Customers for Delivered Meals

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 21, 2006--Restaurants and catering companies are turning to the internet for new customer growth, and the online meal ordering system pioneered by Vmeals is quickly capturing the attention of growth-minded operators in the restaurant industry.

The web-based Vmeals system handles all aspects of the delivered meal transaction - marketing, customer acquisition, menu presentation, pricing, order processing, payment, and customer service - except the actual preparation and presentation of the food.

Vmeals, LLC is an online food service provider for people who order meals for business meetings and events. The service features menus and delivered meals from a wide variety of over 700 local restaurants and caterers in more than 35 U.S. cities. Vmeals is on a fast growth track, and plans to cover most of the nation's major markets by the end of 2008.

Vmeals customers include professional services firms (investment banks, law, accounting, technology, consulting, training), pharmaceutical sales reps, colleges, non-profits, and medical centers.

"We know exactly what our professional customers are looking for when they order meals online," says W. Carter Hoerr, chief executive of Vmeals. "We process thousands of complicated meal order transactions every month in local markets around the country. Our customer ordering data gives us unique and valuable insight into the habits of corporate food buyers."

"We use that information to help our supplier partners - our local restaurants and caterers - enhance their menu and service offerings for maximum online sales."

Hoerr lists five key factors that corporate customers use to evaluate their food ordering: food quality, variety (selection of restaurants and caterers), convenience, price, and customer service. Vmeals has best in class offerings in each area. Hoerr cites an average order size of approximately $225, and estimates that Vmeals will process orders for over 750,000 individual meals this year.

"It's terribly costly for local restaurants and caterers to develop an effective presence on the internet," continues Hoerr. "The national chains are starting to offer web-based ordering for delivery and takeout, but they are limited in their ability to offer the variety that is so critical to our corporate buyers. Vmeals provides a cost-effective online sales channel for local and national restaurant operations."