CleanBowlClub NYC
Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why “Fresh”

  While dog food products are required in the USA to have a sufficient amount of nutrients, most of them achieve this by mixing highly-processed “food” with a multivitamin. In fact, when the multivitamin is removed, most dog food products on the market including fresh alternatives are deficient in many key areas. Our food doesn’t require any multivitamin powder, and all of the nutrients your dog needs to thrive come from its many delicious, natural ingredients. We believe good nutrition is much more than just getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals (where they come from matters!). We believe in food and not feed.   We’ve seen through our own pups and customers how fresh food improves dog’s health, well-being and happiness.

• How are your meals made?

  Our tailored and well-balanced meals are prepared in our premium restaurant kitchen in West Village by restaurant skilled chefs. Our cooking process mimics that of the best restaurants you’ll visit in the city. Chefs in our Manhattan-based kitchen prep, cook, and mix fresh vegetables, meat, and other ingredients following all New York restaurant protocols. It’s no different than eating out with your family!

• How are your recipes formulated? Do they meet AAFCO’s standards?

  Our recipes were formulated by veterinarians who were tasked with creating the healthiest fresh dog food possible. Every ingredient and its proportion in the recipe was carefully thought through to create an optimal product that is completely balanced in accordance with AAFCO’s standards for adult dogs.

• What makes your food different from other fresh dog food subscription services?

  Our food is different from other fresh food in two key ways. First, our food is prepared locally, delivered promptly and never frozen. Second, the ingredients in our food were carefully selected so that they contain all the vitamins and minerals a dog needs to thrive without the need for multivitamin powder, which is found in most other dog foods including fresh dog food. We believe getting vitamins from real fresh food is healthier than getting it from a powder, and our product is for you and your best friend if you agree.

• Do I need to refrigerate the meals?

  Yes, because our food is fresh and contains no preservatives, it needs to be refrigerated immediately upon delivery. Our personal delivery team will ensure that the food is kept refrigerated in the couple of hours between the food’s creation and its delivery to your doorstep. Each meal can be stored for 3-5 days in the refrigerator and up to 6-months in the freezer.

• Do I need to cook the food?

  No, the food is completely prepared and portioned upon delivery. All you need to do is put it into your dog’s bowl.

• Should I consult my vet before joining Clean Bowl Club?

  As with any important health-related decision for your dog, it’s a good idea to speak with your veterinarian and see how switching to fresh food would impact your dog specifically especially if your dog has specific health issues. Most veterinarians agree that fresh, balanced dog food is a good choice that can help remedy ailments caused by poor nutrition. Many dogs with specific health issues have thrived on our meals even though our meals are not specifically designed to address a specific health issue.

• What if I’m not home, or stuck in traffic?

  Our membership portal allows you to easily pause your order. While you’re away, you won’t be charged for any missed deliveries. You can also email our customer support concierge and order enough food for your dog to last the duration of your trip — just store the food in a cooler and take it with you! Those meals will be delivered frozen, with dry ice to ensure freshness. Upon your return, your normal subscription and delivery dates will resume.

• Why can’t I just cook?

  While this is certainly an option, Clean Bowl Club NYC aims to make this arduous process easier. Furthermore, home-cooked meals often have vitamin and mineral deficiencies (95% of dog food recipes online were found to be deficient) if the food isn’t mixed with a multivitamin powder or high-processed kibble, and these deficiencies can cause a lot of harm.

• Why is frozen cheaper than fresh?

  While our recipes are exactly the same for both our fresh and frozen services, our delivery costs are significantly less for our frozen service given the less frequent delivery schedule, and therefore, we pass along these savings to you and offer our frozen service at a discount to our fresh service.

• Why should I subscribe to CBC NYC instead of another fresh dog food subscription service?

  Our Food is different from other fresh dog food subscription services in two key ways. First, our food is prepared locally in small batches and delivered within a few hours of its being made. Our competitors often have one or two massive facilities where they prepare all of their food, so by the time, it arrives on your doorstep it’s likely traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles and was made days ago. Second, the ingredients in our food were carefully selected, so that they contain all the nutrients a dog needs to thrive without the need for a multivitamin powder.

  Most of our fresh dog food competitors’ recipes are deficient in many key areas when their multivitamin is excluded. We’d rather get vitamin D from Cod Liver Oil than from a powder made in a Lab.

• How much does Clean Bowl Club NYC cost?

  The cost varies depending on multiple factors related to your dog that we formulate through our survey. Depending on your dog’s weight, activity, etc. we determine the right meal plan and its cost. An active 10-pound dog costs about $30 per week.

• How do you know how much food my dog will need?

  Our survey incorporates the latest nutritional science to determine the optimal amount of food for your dog based on their activity level, body type, breed, age and more. If our survey and formula yield an amount that doesn’t seem appropriate, you can easily change the amount to whatever you like before check out. This also allows you to choose half the recommended amount in case you’d like to mix our food with another product as a tasty topper. Additionally, after you subscribe, you can easily change your subscription to a different amount.

• How do I sign up?

  Simply fill out our survey (link)! We’ll create a meal plan that you can modify before checkout.

  Edit your meal plan at any time after joining, too. For instance, if your dog is underweight, our algorithm will present a plan that will help your dog plump up. You can adjust the plan after that happens to ensure your dog maintains its ideal weight.

• How do deliveries work? Do you ship nationwide?

  We deliver exclusively to the Upper East Side and Upper West Side to ensure quality, efficiency, and freshness. The food will arrive in sustainable packaging: fresh, on time, and straight to your doorstep. To ensure that your fresh food’s arrival is predictable, we always deliver between 4pm and 6pm two times per week (Mon & Thurs). If something comes up, please email our customer support concierge. We’ll do our best to accommodate a one-time delivery window that is more convenient.

  Fresh Option (Premium):
  Meals are delivered two times per week (Mon & Thurs)
  Food is prepared the day of delivery
  Orders arrive at your home between 4pm and 6pm
  Please store each meal in your refrigerator

  Frozen Option:
  Meals are delivered every other Monday
  Enjoy your individually packaged meals for a week

  Orders arrive at your home between 4pm and 6pm

  Please store each meal in your freezer and thaw before use

• What if I’m traveling or won’t be home when my meals arrive?

  Our membership portal allows you to easily pause your order. While you’re away, you won’t be charged for any missed deliveries. You can also email our customer support concierge and order enough food for your dog to last the duration of your trip — just store the food in a cooler and take it with you! Those meals will be delivered frozen, with dry ice to ensure freshness. Upon your return, your normal subscription and delivery dates will resume. If you anticipate not being able to receive the deliveries on a regular basis, please sign up for our frozen option. We pack our frozen deliveries with dry ice so they can stay fresh for up to 12 hours.

• How flexible are deliveries?

  While you can pause your subscription, we cannot consistently accommodate changes to your delivery date, location, or time. Please email our customer support concierge on an occasion where you need to alter the delivery, and we will do our best to accommodate it.

• How environmentally friendly are your deliveries and packaging?

  Because of our local footprint, our deliveries are much more environmentally friendly than our nationwide competitors. Our meals are delivered by bicycle or foot, which greatly reduces their carbon footprint. The majority of the materials in our packaging is from post-consumer recycled sources.

• How can I reset my password to log into my account?

  Simply visit the login page and click “Forgot Password?” You’ll then be promoted to enter the email address on your account. You will then be sent a new password.

• What if my dog doesn’t like the food and is a picky eater?

  Every dog has different culinary preferences, and so some dogs might prefer their current food to ours. This has happened on occasion but has been very rare in our experience. We encourage you to order a free sample to see how your dog likes it. We bet they’ll love it!

• How will I be billed?

  Regardless of which day of the week you sign up, your first delivery will arrive on the upcoming Monday (we don’t start new subscriptions in the middle of a week). Your subscription will renew at the end of the subscription period (one week for fresh and two weeks for frozen) such that you won’t be charged for any of the days between your sign up date and first delivery.

• Can I cancel my account? How do I manage my subscription?

  Absolutely. This can be done within the member portal or by emailing our customer support concierge. When you reactivate your subscription, it won’t be reactivated until the next Monday after the date you choose to reactivate it. For instance, if you choose to reactivate your subscription on a Wednesday, your subscription will restart on the following Monday and you won’t receive food until then. If you subscribe to our fresh plan, your weekly subscription will then renew every Monday going forward until you cancel or pause your subscription. If you subscribe to our frozen plan, your bi-weekly subscription will renew every other Monday until you cancel or pause your subscription.