Melia Robinson/Business Insider
Kitava is on a mission to upgrade fast-casual food in San Francisco.
In 2015, Jeff Nobbs set out to make healthy food approachable. He launched Kitava (formerly known as Mealmade) as an on-demand delivery startup that makes every dish to order and substitutes familiar ingredients with low-calorie alternatives. The service specializes in the diet trends that tech workers love, like paleo, gluten-free, and keto.
And in an amusing twist, the company operates out of a shuttered McDonald's.
A rising number of tech workers in Silicon Valley are shunning sugar and processed foods in favor of high-fat, low-carb diets that claim to boost energy, focus, and cognitive performance. What they put into their bodies has a direct effect on their output, according to Nobbs.
On November 2, the newly rebranded Kitava opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in San Francisco. Business Insider had the chance to try the menu before it opened. Take a look.