What Rescuing Leftover Cuisine does

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2013 by Robert Lee, headquartered at 25 Broadway, 12th Floor, New York, NY. RLC operates a food rescue service that redistributes surplus food from restaurants, bakeries, corporate cafeterias, hotels, and other food businesses to nonprofit recipients serving food-insecure communities including shelters, soup kitchens, food pantries, NYCHA housing locations, community fridges, and senior centers. The organization maintains nine active branches across 16 U.S. cities (New York City, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, and Los Angeles) and reports cumulative impact of more than 24 million pounds of food rescued and over 20 million meals provided since inception.

The underlying technology consists of a web-based scheduling and logistics platform that coordinates volunteer food rescue shifts, donor registration, and recipient onboarding. Core products include the Food Donor Portal (online sign-up with branch and business-type selection), the Food Recipient Partner Sign-up form (501(c)(3) eligibility and capacity assessment), the Volunteer Calendar and Scheduling system (shift browse and sign-up by neighborhood), and a Paid Food Rescuer Program that pays $10 per pickup. Supporting offerings include Corporate Volunteer Opportunities for institutional groups and the annual Taste of RLC fundraiser. RLC cites 100+ food donor partners, including enterprise foodservice operators Panera Bread, Chipotle, Compass Group, Sodexo, Marriott, Dunkin', and Pret A Manger alongside SMB donors such as Levain Bakery, Long Island Bagel Cafe, Proper Food, and 3 Guys From Brooklyn.

RLC's business model is donation-based under 501(c)(3) status. Revenue streams consist of monetary donations from individuals and corporations, food donations (tax-deductible under federal rules), fee-for-service arrangements with food donor partners, and grants (e.g., Blue Ridge Foundation, 2015). The organization operates a community-led go-to-market model: volunteers sign up through the web platform, pick up surplus food from donor locations, and deliver directly to nonprofit recipients. Geographic expansion is branch-based, with publicly available "Start a New Branch" infrastructure signaling continued city-by-city replication. As a private nonprofit, RLC does not have outside institutional equity ownership and is led by founder and CEO Robert Lee.

Name

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine

Legal name

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine

Website

https://rescuingleftovercuisine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that redistributes surplus food from restaurants and corporate cafeterias to shelters and food-insecure communities across nine branches and sixteen U.S. cities, coordinating volunteer-led pickups through a web-based scheduling platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Rescue Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food rescue services
• Food waste reduction
• Surplus food donation
• Volunteer logistics coordination
• Nonprofit food redistribution

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Food Donor Contributions: Restaurants, bakeries, and food businesses contribute surplus food that would otherwise go to waste, enabling tax-deductible donations under 501(c)(3) status.
2. Monetary Donations: Individual and corporate donors provide financial support to fund operations, volunteer training, and expansion efforts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RLC coordinates the pickup and redistribution of surplus food from restaurants, cafes, bakeries, corporate cafeterias, hotels, and other food businesses to nonprofit organizations serving food-insecure populations. The service connects food donors with recipient organizations through a volunteer-based logistics network, including a Paid Food Rescuer Program that pays volunteers $10 per pickup. RLC operates across 16 U.S. cities via 9 branches, supported by a web-based scheduling platform.

Product overview

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine (RLC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food rescue organization that redistributes excess food from restaurants, cafes, bakeries, corporate cafeterias, grocery stores, and other food businesses to nonprofit organizations serving food-insecure populations. The organization operates a service-based model consisting of a Food Donor Portal for businesses to register donations, a Food Recipient Partner Sign-up system for nonprofits, a Volunteer Calendar and Scheduling platform for coordinating food pickups and deliveries, and a Paid Food Rescuer Program offering compensation for food rescue routes. RLC operates multiple geographic branches across the United States (including New York City, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and others) and tracks impact metrics including pounds of food rescued, meals provided, and emissions prevented.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• No Plate Left Behind: A fundraising campaign/program of Rescuing Leftover Cuisine.

Products and services

• Food Rescue Coordination Service RLC's flagship service that coordinates the pickup and redistribution of surplus food from restaurants, cafes, bakeries, corporate cafeterias, hotels, and other food businesses to nonprofit organizations serving food-insecure populations. The service connects food donors with recipient organizations through a volunteer-based logistics network operating across 16 U.S. cities.
• Food Donor Portal An online portal where food businesses can sign up to donate excess food. The portal includes a branch selection system, business type categorization (Restaurant, Office, School, Church), and a multi-step donation request process for businesses to register as RLC food donors.
• Food Recipient Partner Sign-up An online application system for registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to apply to receive donated food. The system includes location selection, organization details collection, and capacity assessment for receiving rescued food.
• Volunteer Calendar and Scheduling An online calendar system where volunteers browse and sign up for food rescue events. The system displays available time slots, event locations across multiple neighborhoods, and volunteer capacity for each event, enabling 365-day-a-year volunteer engagement.
• Paid Food Rescuer Program
• Corporate Volunteer Opportunities
• Taste of RLC

Quantifiable outcome

• 24+ million pounds of food rescued
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cooks Who FeedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCooks Who Feed is an apron seller that partners with RLC. For every apron sold, 100 people receive a meal through RLC's food rescue operations.
• 1Million1sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly donation initiative partnership where 1Million1s contributes monthly to support RLC's food rescue operations.
• Between the BreadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatering partner that provides food for RLC events and supports the organization's fundraising efforts through their catering services.
• Repeat RosesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlower donation partner that works with RLC to rescue flowers from events and redistribute them to communities in need, extending the zero-waste mission.
• Common Ground CompostminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZero waste event partner that collaborates with RLC on events to ensure complete waste diversion including composting of any remaining organic matter.
• Work+SHELTERminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO in India that produces aprons for RLC volunteers, providing fair-wage employment opportunities while supporting the organization's operations.
• Action HungerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVending machine partnership that provides another avenue for food distribution and supports RLC's mission of fighting food insecurity.
• Panera BreadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor food donor partner with multiple locations participating in RLC's food rescue program, regularly donating surplus bread and baked goods.
• ChipotlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood donor partner contributing surplus food from restaurant locations to RLC's rescue operations.
• Compass GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLarge food service management company that donates surplus food from corporate cafeterias and events through RLC's network.
• SodexocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood service partner donating surplus food from various client locations including corporate campuses and healthcare facilities.
• MarriottcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHotel and hospitality partner donating surplus food from events, restaurants, and banquet operations.
• Dunkin'minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee and bakery chain donor partner contributing surplus donuts and baked goods to local food rescue operations.
• Pret A MangerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandwich and salad chain donating surplus prepared foods to RLC's food rescue network.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• City Harvest: NYC-based food rescue organization that collects surplus food from restaurants, grocers, and corporate donors and redistributes it to soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters — the most direct local comparable to RLC's NYC operations.
• Food Rescue US: National nonprofit using a volunteer-driven, app-based platform to connect donors with recipient agencies for direct, quick-turnaround food rescue — closely mirrors RLC's volunteer scheduling and donor-recipient matching model across multiple U.S. cities.
• Rethink Food: NYC-based nonprofit that rescues surplus food from restaurants and corporate kitchens and prepares/distributes meals to communities in need — overlapping donor base, geography, and mission with RLC.
• FoodForward: Southern California-based food rescue organization that recovers surplus produce and prepared food from farmers, wholesalers, retailers, and restaurants and distributes it to communities — a regional peer comparable to RLC's LA operations.
• DC Central Kitchen: Washington DC-based nonprofit that recovers unused food and prepares meals for vulnerable populations, combining food rescue with culinary job training — a comparable multi-program food rescue model to RLC.
• Second Helpings: Indianapolis-based nonprofit that rescues perishable food and prepares meals for distribution to social service agencies — a regional peer operating a similar food rescue + redistribution model to RLC.

Broad incumbents

• Food Bank For New York City: The largest hunger-relief organization in NYC, distributing food to hundreds of pantries and soup kitchens. A larger incumbent in the same space that competes for the same donor and recipient network as RLC.
• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ food banks; a dominant incumbent in food rescue and redistribution that sets the competitive context for RLC's expansion across multiple U.S. markets.

Emerging players

• FoodCloud: Ireland-based social enterprise connecting food businesses with surplus food to local charities via a tech platform — a comparable tech-enabled, volunteer/coordinator-driven food rescue model with similar operational mechanics to RLC's scheduling platform.

Others

• Food Donation Connection: For-profit logistics facilitator that connects food service operators with hunger relief agencies, often through paid programs — a market-structure comparable that RLC competes against for the same enterprise food donor relationships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rescuingcuisine
• Facebookfacebook.com/RescuingLeftoverCuisine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rescuing-leftover-cuisine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rescuing Leftover Cuisine