DwellSocial Is Bringing Chicago's Best Food To The Suburbs

This Patch article is sponsored by DwellSocial.

Local businesses are the heart of our communities. Patch had a chance to talk with Allen Shulman, Co-Founder and CEO of DwellSocial. Additionally, DwellSocial would love to offer readers of the Patch a code to use on their first order–Use code SPOTLIGHT2023 to save 10% before 4/30/23. Visit DwellSocial.com today!

Patch: Tell us a bit about your business.
Allen Shulman: DwellSocial brings amazing food from Chicago’s best restaurants to the Chicago suburbs.

Patch: How long have you been doing business in town?
Shulman: Since 2020.

Patch: What attracted you to the line of work you’re in, and how did you get started?
Shulman: I love building things. For fifteen years I was a custom builder on Chicago’s Northshore. When the “Great Recession” hit in 2008-2010, I built a company called BrightNest to help people take better care of their homes. We were acquired by Angie’s List in 2013 and I worked there for awhile but started to get bored. I launched DwellSocial in 2017 and once again focused on homeowners. Then Covid hit which is when we pivoted our business to help Chicago restaurants that were in crisis. We had no idea that three years later, we’d be working with so many amazing restaurants and have so many customers from all over the Chicago suburbs!

Patch: If you had to sum up your business mission to a stranger in a few words, what would those words be?
Shulman: Making people happy through food.

Patch: What’s the biggest challenge or most difficult moment you’ve faced in your job?
Shulman: Covid was huge and figuring out how to overcome the challenges of a world that was completely shut down was incredibly difficult. Sometimes, however, life’s biggest challenges lead to incredible opportunities!

Patch: What’s the most satisfying part of your job?
Shulman: Great food makes people happy and DwellSocial brings some of Chicago’s best fresh food to people who are too far away for “regular” delivery. That’s why we hear from so many happy customers every day. Honestly, nothing is better than when customers tell us how great their meal was, how kind our driver was, and how they can’t wait until they can order again.

Patch: How would you say your business or organization distinguishes itself from the others?
Shulman: DwellSocial isn’t like other delivery services. We’re not on demand (you have to order ahead of time). All our food is designed to be finish-cooked or re-heated at home so it’s never lukewarm and soggy. Our restaurant partners are amazing. Our customer service is incredible. Our food comes right from the restaurant to your home (there are no stops at a ghost kitchen along the way). Try it, and I promise you’ll love it.

Patch: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given when it comes to success?
Shulman: Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Seriously.

Patch: Are there any new projects or endeavors you’re working on that you’re extra excited about?
Shulman: We love helping community organizations like PTAs and PTOs, churches, synagogues, mosques, woman’s clubs, etc., raise money. In March, we partnered with Do-Rite Donuts and ran a friendly March Madness competition for school organizations where, in addition to donating $5/order, the top three schools with the most orders received an additional donation! This type of program was so much fun that we’re looking to do something similar in April and May. And this Summer, we’re looking to do something bigger with food pantries and/or other organizations that help people put food on the table. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you know of any amazing groups who we should contact!

Patch: Do you have any events coming up in your community?
Shulman: Yes! Our entire business is event based. In addition to all our regular events where we bring great restaurants to your community, we love running special events like March Madness donuts, Mother’s Day brunches, Ravinia meals in the summer, and hopefully a few in-person events where we can finally meet some of our customers face-to-face.

DwellSocial would love to offer readers of the Patch a code to use on their first order–Use code SPOTLIGHT2023 to save 10% before 4/30/23. Visit DwellSocial.com today!

Make sure to follow DwellSocial on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, too!