“The streaming of food is inevitable”

What if the number of traditional restaurants declined, making way for culinary streaming platforms operating from supermarkets or service stations? That’s exactly the vision behind Danish startup Noahs, which aspires to become the “Spotify of Food.” Its CEO paints a picture of an ongoing revolution at the crossroads of foodtech and convenience – one that could fundamentally reshape how we eat, on a global scale.

During the pandemic, Daniel Baven and his partners had a revelation: a smaller menu made was a game changer. Smaller teams, lower-cost facilities – the “smart kitchen” became a unique value proposition... © Noahs.

Here comes the “Spotify of food.” No more need for a restaurant on every street corner – major food brands are now streaming their products through networks, unlocking unprecedented growth potential.

This futuristic vision isn’t just a thought experiment – it’s the business model embraced by Danish company Noahs, now known in Belgium for its smart kitchens aimed at transforming Q8 service stations into culinary destinations. It’s the “iPhone moment” for gas stations, as Daniel Baven, co-founder and CEO of Noahs, likes to call it.

From a compact 12-square-meter kitchen, the team that once served standard “gas station food” now delivers multiple food brands – tacos, burgers, salads, bowls, pizzas – fully integrated into the convenience store. Minimal capital expenditure, no extra staff, just a smart use of technology, available space, and existing infrastructure.

“The reality is that food is following the same path as every other industry,” says Daniel Baven. “Music went digital with Spotify, films with Netflix, hotels with Booking.com, and real estate with Airbnb. Each shift was met with resistance, yet each became inevitable. There is no doubt that food is next.”

A shift toward “foodvenience”

His culinary calling and degree from the Copenhagen Restaurant School led the chef-turned-entrepreneur down a path full of opportunities and encounters – from launching a sandwich chain at age 25 on the tropical island of Phuket, to founding his “ark” with Noahs, the foodtech solution meant to “save good food” from the digital tidal wave.

An all-in-one platform that first and foremost allows retailers to connect and grow multiple quality food brands from a single kitchen, using a single system. According to Daniel Baven, the brands of the future will design simple, “streaming-ready” menus – enabling retailers to power their shift toward foodvenience, the intersection of food and convenience.

Designed for the modern omnichannel world, this solution enhances retailers’ food category performance by delivering stronger brand value, greater variety, and higher quality. In return, the food brands gain unmatched exposure, clear data, and royalty-based revenue – without the heavy upfront investment or the risks that come with running a traditional restaurant.

“We can see a lot of incredible momentum around retailers pivoting into food on a global scale,” says the CEO of Noahs. “There are 4 million retail locations in the world across supermarkets, service stations and convenience stores. It's a trillion dollar emerging market. People won't cook at home by 2030. Drones and robotaxis are almost here.”

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3 questions about the “Spotification” of food

Gondola Foodservice : With Noahs moving food into a digital, platform-based model, how do you see the role of chefs and culinary creators evolving without the traditional restaurant stage?

Daniel Baven : Chefs evolve from operators into creators. They won’t need to run restaurants, juggle payroll, or sign leases. Their ideas, recipes, and brand identity can be distributed at global scale through platforms like ours. From celebrity chefs to Thai street food mamas – the marketplace will be merit-based, where talent and product win over capital muscle.

As food brands become more distributed through platforms like yours, what are the keys to maintaining authenticity and strong customer connection without a physical presence?

Authenticity is about protecting the DNA of a brand, not about owning four walls. In a digital food marketplace, connection comes from strong storytelling, product design, and consistency of experience. The value shifts from managing legacy systems – finance, real estate, IT – to delivering identity and customer experience. More time driving the brand. Less time running the business. 

The ‘Spotify of Food’ concept really resonates. What do you think the food industry can learn from the transformation the music industry went through, especially in terms of brand reach and creator empowerment?

The parallel is less about praising streaming and more about inevitability. Distribution is digitizing, and when it does, creators are unshackled from old systems. Food brands won’t have to think about operations, finances, or logistics – they’ll plug into an ecosystem that streams their IP, monetizes it through willing operators, and scales globally. It’s a logical evolution, and it sparks the beginning of a new creative food revolution.