{"id":10945,"date":"2025-05-26T13:30:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T12:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thestudententrepreneur.org\/?p=10945"},"modified":"2025-05-26T14:27:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T13:27:03","slug":"andrew-glantz-empowering-communities-through-dining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thestudententrepreneur.org\/?p=10945","title":{"rendered":"Andrew Glantz: Empowering Communities Through Dining"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Andrew Glantz is the brainchild of GiftAMeal<\/a>, a social cause app that’s changing the face of giving back. He started the business in 2015 while studying at Washington University in St. Louis. The idea was straightforward yet impactful\u2014just snap a photo of your meal at a participating restaurant and donate a meal to someone in need.<\/p>\n

What started as a senior project<\/a> became a national movement. GiftAMeal is in 44 states with over 1,000 restaurant partners. To date, the app has helped provide over 2.4 million meals for the hungry.<\/p>\n

Where the Idea Came From<\/h3>\n

Andrew Glantz had an early interest in being an entrepreneur. During his childhood, he sold origami and ran lemonade stands. But when he worked as a summer counselor, he really saw the effects of hunger. Many of the children came to camp having gone without a whole meal. He never forgot it.<\/p>\n

Shortly after, while he was working as an intern at a socially oriented venture capital firm, the idea for GiftAMeal began to take shape. He wanted to build a product that would give back but also remain a sustainable business. This combination of head and heart was the foundation on which the app was created.<\/p>\n

Helping Restaurants As It Helps People<\/h3>\n

GiftAMeal isn’t helping the hungry alone\u2014but local restaurants as well. When the customer uses the app, they are more likely to return. Indeed, GiftAMeal customers eat in restaurants 39% more often and spend 20% more per visit.<\/p>\n

That’s not all. They also tip 32% more on average. That is a model that wins both ways in bringing more restaurants into the program. It also enhances the bond between businesses and communities.<\/p>\n

Known and Honored<\/h3>\n

Andrew Glantz has received several honors for his work. He made the St. Louis Business Journal\u2019s 30 Under 30 list and Alpha Kappa Psi\u2019s 40 Under 40. He\u2019s also a mentor to other student entrepreneurs and sits on Washington University\u2019s Alumni Board of Governors.<\/p>\n

Through interviews and speaking appearances, Andrew is still sharing his mission and inspiring others. His career is proof that young people can leave a lasting legacy with the right balance of vision and action.<\/p>\n

The Road Ahead<\/h3>\n

GiftAMeal isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Andrew plans to expand the app to all 50 states and double the amount of meals donated monthly.<\/p>\n

With technology, community, and compassion, Andrew Glantz is showing that one small act\u2014like snapping a photo of food\u2014can make a huge problem smaller.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Andrew Glantz is the brainchild of GiftAMeal, a social cause app that’s changing the face of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":10946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[111,64],"class_list":["post-10945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-sstories","tag-entrepreneur","tag-tech"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t