A Movable Feast
By Nina Elder
What’s Happening
• Problem: In New York, consumers often grab lunch from a street cart, then have to figure out how to eat the meal sans table and chairs. Solution: the Hydrantable and the Lunch Ledge.
• The two inventions, created by grad student Ali Pulver, maximize the city’s urban environment. The Hydrantable is a small round tabletop that fits snugly atop a fire hydrant. Want a smaller solution? Try the Lunch Ledge, a piece of lightweight metal with heavy-duty magnets attached. Find a metal post to create an instant lunchroom.
• Both gadgets are part of Pulver’s graduate thesis and are still in the prototype stage (and very well might be illegal in New York). Consumers can follow the progress of the inventions on Pulver’s blog, PopUpLunch.
What This Means to Business
• Urban living can seem overwhelming and impersonal. Handy gadgets that help make the city more livable appeal to consumers.
• Many consumers are working longer hours these days. Lunch is often the only break they get all day, so maximizing that time out (and making it easier and more comfortable) is key.
• For urban foodies all over the country, food carts are the cuisine du jour. Fun gadgets that go along with the cart culture have a built-in, enthusiastic audience and the potential to catch on quickly.


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