Shef

Visibility48

Vibe94

AI Visibility & Sentiment

Shef

Shef is a homemade food delivery marketplace that connects busy families with vetted local chefs who prepare fresh, authentic meals from their home kitchens. The platform empowers culinary entrepreneurs while delivering restaurant-quality homemade food at affordable prices, trusted by over 180,000 households.

Active Monitoring

shef.com

Food & Beverage Startups

AI Visibility Score

48/100

Moderate

Sentiment Score

94/100

AI Perception

Summary

Shef has achieved a dominant position as the premier choice for authenticity-seeking urban professionals, frequently securing the #1 spot across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for category evaluations. However, the brand faces a critical 'visibility cliff' in Google’s AI Overviews where it holds a mere 8% mention rate, allowing competitors like Factor and CookUnity to capture the majority of high-intent search traffic.

Value Proposition

Personal chef-quality homemade meals from vetted local cooks delivered fresh to your door for less than takeout, with the flexibility to mix and match from multiple cuisines and skip anytime

Overview

Mission

Building a global community devoted to economic empowerment and cultural inclusivity that enables anyone to feed their neighbor

Products & Services

Weekly meal delivery subscription serviceOne-time meal ordersMulti-cuisine homemade meal marketplaceChef platform for culinary entrepreneursGift cards

Agent Breakdown

AI Platforms

How often do different AI platforms reference Shef?

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Conversation Analysis

Topics

What conversations is Shef included in — or excluded from?

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Buyer Personas

Personas

Who does each AI platform recommend Shef to, and when?

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Programmatic Testing

Sample Conversations

We programmatically analyze questions that real customers are asking to AI agents and chatbots, extract brand mentions and sentiment, analyze every response, and synthesize the data into an action plan to increase AI visibility.

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

AI Overviews

Authentic Meal Solutions For Busy Families(2 queries)

“i'm tired of doordash and cooking every night, what are some healthy meal delivery services that actually taste like homemade food?”

0/4 platforms mentioned

ChatGPT

1.Factor

2.Fresh n’ Lean

3.Trifecta Nutrition

4.CookUnity

5.Territory Foods

+8 more

Claude

1.Factor

2.Freshly

3.EveryPlate

4.Green Chef

5.Gobble

+1 more

Gemini

1.HelloFresh

2.Blue Apron

3.CookUnity

4.Territory Foods

5.Factor

+4 more

AI Overviews

1.CookUnity

2.Sunbasket

3.Marley Spoon

4.Martha Stewart

5.Factor

+4 more

“help me plan a week of dinners for a family of 4 that isn't just another meal kit where i have to do all the prep, what should i buy?”

2/4 platforms mentioned

ChatGPT

1.Whole Foods

2.Costco

3.Seeds of Change

4.Vital Choice

5.Wild Fork Foods

13.Shef

+8 more

Claude

1.DoorDash

2.Blue Apron

3.Factor

4.Freshly

5.BrainFuel

+1 more

Gemini

1.Whole Foods

2.Draeger’s Market

3.Shef

4.CookUnity

5.Kevin’s Natural Foods

+12 more

AI Overviews

No brands listed

Culinary Entrepreneurship & Local Support(1 query)

“how can i start a small food business from my home kitchen legally and where should i list my meals?”

2/4 platforms mentioned

ChatGPT

1.ServSafe

2.Hiscox

3.Next Insurance

4.IRS

5.Kitchen United

8.Shef

+19 more

Claude

1.Shopify

2.Goldbelly

3.LocalDirt

4.Farm Direct Coop

Gemini

1.ServSafe

2.Northwest Registered Agent

3.ZenBusiness

4.FLIP

5.Next Insurance

6.Shef

+5 more

AI Overviews

No brands listed

Category Evaluation & Quality Comparison(1 query)

“what are the best-reviewed meal delivery services that aren't just frozen food or big national chains?”

0/4 platforms mentioned

ChatGPT

1.Territory Foods

2.RealEats

3.CookUnity

4.Sakara Life

5.Splendid Spoon

+3 more

Claude

1.Factor

2.Freshly

3.Gobble

4.Sunbasket

5.Green Chef

+1 more

Gemini

1.HelloFresh

2.Factor

3.CookUnity

4.Sakara Life

5.Territory Foods

+4 more

AI Overviews

1.HelloFresh

2.Business Insider

3.WIRED

4.CookUnity

5.MightyMeals

+8 more

Convenient Gifting & One Time Orders(1 query)

“i want to give a gift to a friend who just had a baby, what are some good food delivery gift cards that aren't just the usual big delivery apps?”

0/4 platforms mentioned

ChatGPT

1.Instacart

2.Shipt

3.FreshDirect

4.Imperfect Foods

5.Misfits Market

+19 more

Claude

1.DoorDash

2.Uber Eats

3.Goldbelly

4.Grubhub

5.Factor

+9 more

Gemini

1.DoorDash

2.UberEats

3.CookUnity

4.Factor

5.Factor75

+10 more

AI Overviews

1.Happiest Baby

2.Navigating Parenthood

3.Motherhood Meals

4.Restorative Roots

5.Mama Meals

+12 more

Analysis

Key Insights

What AI visibility analysis reveals about this brand

Strength

Absolute dominance in 'Category Evaluation & Quality Comparison' queries, ranking #1 across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Strength

Powerful resonance with the 'Authenticity-Seeking Urban Professional' persona, achieving a 75% mention rate and an elite 1.3 average position.

Strength

High trust on the Gemini platform (75% visibility), where the brand is consistently framed as the top alternative to traditional meal kits.

Gap

Severe underperformance in AI Overviews (8% mention rate), which is the primary touchpoint for mainstream consumer discovery.

Gap

Near-total absence in the 'Convenient Gifting' and 'New Parent' categories, missing a lucrative high-intent conversion funnel that Gemini only briefly touches.

Gap

Weak positioning for the 'Silicon Valley Engineer' persona, with a lagging average position of 6.2 and mixed sentiment compared to incumbents like DoorDash.

Opportunity

Leverage the brand's unique 'Culinary Entrepreneurship' angle to differentiate from industrial competitors like Factor and CookUnity in lifestyle-based AI queries.

Opportunity

Aggressively target the 'postpartum' and 'gift for new parents' semantic space to capture the gifting market where visibility is currently dormant.

Opportunity

Improve technical signals for Google's SGE/AI Overviews to mirror the success seen on ChatGPT and Gemini.

Technical Health

Site Health for AI Visibility

How well Shef's website is optimized for AI agent discovery and comprehension.

88/100

15 passed 4 warnings 1 issues

Audited 2/28/2026

Crawlability100

Can AI bots find your pages?

Technical96

SSL, mobile, doctype basics

On-Page SEO78

Titles, descriptions, headings

Content Quality73

Word count, depth, freshness

Schema Markup85

Structured data for AI comprehension

Social & OG82

Open Graph, Twitter cards

AI Readability60

How well AI can parse your content

Critical Issues

Page has no meta description

Add a <meta name="description"> tag summarizing the page (150-160 characters).

Warnings

1 render-blocking resource(s) detected

Consider deferring or async-loading non-critical scripts and stylesheets.

Title is too short (24 characters)

Expand the title to 50-60 characters with descriptive keywords.

Few headings on page

Add more H2 and H3 headings to organize content into sections.

Content may be too short

Expand your content to at least 500 words with valuable information.

Missing Open Graph tags for social sharing

Add og:title, og:description, and og:image meta tags.

Want a full technical audit with AI-specific recommendations?

Run a free visibility scan

Brand Identity

Brand Voice & Style

How AI perceives Shef's communication style and personality

Shef communicates with a warm, inviting tone that feels like a friendly neighbor sharing their kitchen secrets. The brand balances approachability with culinary expertise, using casual language that makes premium homemade food feel accessible. There's an underlying sense of community and cultural celebration, emphasizing the human connection between local chefs and families. The voice is reassuring and supportive, addressing busy lifestyles while championing the talented cooks behind every meal.

Core Tone Traits

Warm & Inviting

Uses welcoming language that evokes the comfort of home cooking and family meals

Approachable & Casual

Conversational style that makes premium food delivery feel accessible and friendly

Community-Focused

Emphasizes local connections, chef stories, and cultural diversity

Reassuring & Supportive

Addresses busy lifestyle pain points with confidence and flexibility messaging

Competitive Landscape

Related Ecosystem

Related products and services that AI mentions in conversations alongside or instead of Shef

Factor24 mentions

CookUnity23 mentions

Shef20 mentions

Goldbelly16 mentions

Territory Foods15 mentions

DoorDash15 mentions

Sunbasket14 mentions

HelloFresh10 mentions

Freshly10 mentions

Green Chef8 mentions

Blue Apron8 mentions

Source Intelligence

Citations

Sources that AI assistants cite. Getting featured here improves visibility.

11 Best Meal Delivery Services of 2026, Tested and Reviewed

https://www.nbcnews.com/select/shopping/best-meal-delivery-services-rcna224305

Referenced in 2 queries

Review

I've tried nearly every meal service. Here are the reviews from ...

https://www.reddit.com/r/mealkits/comments/1i4qklc/ive_tried_nearly_every_meal_service_here_are_the/

Referenced in 1 query

Join Discussion

5 Best Healthy Meal Kit Delivery Services 2026 Reviewed

https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/shopping/product-reviews/best-healthy-meal-delivery-services

Referenced in 1 query

Review

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services of 2026 to Support Your ...

https://www.cnet.com/health/nutrition/best-healthy-meal-delivery-service/

Referenced in 1 query

Get Featured

The 10 Best Meal Kits and Prepared Meal Services Out of 31 We ...

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/best-meal-kit-delivery-services-173200945.html

Referenced in 1 query

Review

The 4 Best Meal Delivery Services of 2026, Tested & Reviewed

https://www.seriouseats.com/best-meal-delivery-services-8734261

Referenced in 1 query

Review

10 Best Organic Food And Meal Delivery Services (2026)

https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/healthy-organic-food-delivery-services/

Referenced in 2 queries

Review

The 4 best prepared meal delivery services for 2026, tested and ...

https://health.yahoo.com/wellness/nutrition/meal-kits/article/best-prepared-meal-delivery-service-183520548.html

Referenced in 1 query

Review

Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services for Feel-Good Food (2026)

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/best-healthy-meal-delivery-services?srsltid=AfmBOop9HY7gHsj6mRa1VPxBfGQFTV9xXwJkr_zonMyXmoK_ibRGqe17

Referenced in 1 query

Review

The Best Meal Delivery Services and Meal Kits of 2026 - WIRED

https://www.wired.com/gallery/best-meal-kit-services-1/

Referenced in 2 queries

Pitch Story

SBA

http://sba.gov/

Referenced in 1 query

Review

ServSafe

http://servsafe.com/

Referenced in 1 query

Review

Content Engineering

Goals & Content Ideas

Ideas to help AI agents better understand the business and be more likely to use Shef's resources to help users.

Dominate AI Overviews for Meal Delivery Searches

Address the critical 8% visibility rate in AI Overviews by optimizing technical SEO and structured data for 'best meal delivery' and 'authentic home cooking' keywords. This sprint will ensure Shef appears prominently when AI assistants answer meal delivery queries, leveraging our existing brand recognition from Gemini and ChatGPT through enhanced schema markup, FAQ content, and keyword-rich landing pages that AI systems can easily parse and recommend.

What Makes Homemade Meal Delivery Different From Traditional Takeout

The Complete Guide to Finding Authentic Home-Cooked Meals in Your City

Why Busy Families Are Switching From Meal Kits to Local Chef Delivery

How to Choose the Best Meal Delivery Service for Your Family's Dietary Needs

5 Questions to Ask Before Ordering From Any Meal Delivery Platform

Own the New Parent Gifting Conversation

Capture the untapped 'New Parent Gifting' and 'Postpartum Meal Support' market where Shef currently has zero visibility across AI models. Create dedicated content positioning Shef as the thoughtful, practical gift for new parents—emphasizing fresh, nourishing meals delivered during the overwhelming postpartum period. This niche offers market share without competing directly against standard meal kits.

The Most Meaningful Gift You Can Give New Parents Isn't What You Think

How a Meal Train From Local Chefs Helped One Mom Through Her Fourth Trimester

10 Nourishing Postpartum Meals That Support Recovery and Energy

Why Homemade Food Delivery Is Replacing Traditional Baby Shower Gifts

A New Dad's Guide to Supporting Your Partner With Stress-Free Dinners

Reposition Shef as the Efficient Choice for Tech Professionals

Improve our average position of 6.2 among Silicon Valley Engineer personas by reframing the brand narrative to emphasize time-saving efficiency alongside quality. Combat the perception that Shef is 'too high-effort' compared to DoorDash by highlighting seamless ordering, flexible scheduling, and zero meal prep—positioning homemade quality as the smart, efficient choice for busy professionals.

How Engineers Are Optimizing Dinner With Zero Cooking and Maximum Quality

The ROI of Homemade Meals: Time Saved vs. Takeout Hassle

Skip the Decision Fatigue: Why Meal Subscriptions Beat Nightly Ordering

From Code to Kitchen Table in Under 2 Minutes: A Busy Professional's Dinner Hack

Why the Smartest Thing You Can Do After Work Is Not Cook

Build AI-Discoverable Cultural Cuisine Authority

Strengthen Shef's presence in AI recommendation engines by creating rich, searchable content around authentic cultural cuisines—a key differentiator that AI systems can reference when users seek specific ethnic foods. This content strategy builds topical authority that LLMs use to recommend Shef for queries about authentic Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, and other cuisines unavailable through mainstream delivery apps.

How to Find Authentic Regional Indian Food Without a Plane Ticket

The Difference Between Restaurant Mexican and Abuela's Kitchen Mexican

Why Your City's Best Ethiopian Food Comes From Someone's Home Kitchen

A Food Lover's Guide to Discovering Cuisines You Can't Find on DoorDash

Meet the Home Chefs Keeping Their Family Recipes Alive One Delivery at a Time

Content Engineering

Recommended Actions

Execute an AI Overviews (SGE) optimization sprint focusing on 'best meal delivery' and 'authentic home cooking' keywords.

An 8% visibility rate in AI Overviews is a major vulnerability when Gemini and ChatGPT already recognize the brand's quality; the bottleneck is likely technical or structured data-related.

Impact: High

Develop and seed content specifically targeting the 'New Parent Gifting' and 'Postpartum Meal Support' use cases.

Shef was entirely absent from gifting queries across most models; capturing this niche offers a clear path to market share without direct competition from standard meal kits.

Impact: Medium

Refine the brand narrative for the 'Silicon Valley Engineer' persona to emphasize efficiency alongside quality.

With an average position of 6.2 and mixed sentiment for this group, Shef is being viewed as 'too high-effort' or 'niche' compared to the 3.1 position held by DoorDash.

Impact: Medium

Establish a defensive content strategy for the 'Culinary Entrepreneurship' category to maintain current leads in Gemini and ChatGPT.

Shef owns the 'home kitchen business' query space (ranking #1 on ChatGPT); maintaining this moat ensures long-term dominance in the creator-economy side of the food industry.

Impact: Low

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