I think the app part is the biggest factor. I’m using Jerboa, and while it’s still good and useful, it definitely has some bugs (crashing when uploading photos has been annoying). I’m still sticking with it, but I can see a more average internet user getting frustrated with that or with the somewhat weird sign-up process and learning how federation-y stuff works.
It’d be sick to have a standard “this is how you sign up” tutorial built into each app!
While maybe not super cost friendly, I second the meal box angle. I wasn’t bad at cooking, but was definitely super slow with knife skills, not comfortable with some stovetop methods of cooking, etc. We used Hello fresh and Plated (before they went out of business), and that really springboarded us into feeling like we could cook. Haven’t ordered any meal boxes in like 5 years now, and make homemade dinners 4+ times a week.