Mar 16, 2020
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5 min read
Why You Should Put Your Restaurant On A Delivery App Now
In 2020, the online food delivery market is set to generate £4,215m for the UK economy. The market is so strong, that the UK is the 4th biggest nation in the world for the amount we spend ordering food online, with 22 million of us logging onto food delivery apps and websites. A figure that is growing rapidly year on year.
Update for March 2020
With the situation around COVID-19 becoming more serious, restaurants are facing major dropdowns in business and ultimately cash flow. People are more and more withdrawing from going out for dinner. However, there are ways to keep your restaurant up and running. Offering your food on delivery apps is a good way to combat it.
Back in the day, you’d have to physically go to a restaurant or takeaway to get food to eat at home, or find the number in the Yellow Pages. You could even pop into Blockbuster to hire a video to watch with your takeaway while you waited for it to be cooked. How things have changed! Now, a chicken korma or meat feast pizza can arrive at your door within a couple of taps.
If your restaurant is yet to get to appear on a delivery app, you could be missing out on vital business. In fact, Deliveroo partners have seen an average of 30% increase in business since signing up, and that’s just one app! While it might seem complicated, the process is actually relatively straightforward. Given the huge boost in trade it could bring to your restaurant, it’s definitely worth considering.
Here’s everything you need to know when it comes to getting your restaurant on a delivery app, and why it’s worth doing so.
What Are The Most Popular Delivery Apps In The UK?
According to Red Bytes, the following delivery apps are the most popular within the UK.
1. Just Eat
2. Food Hub
3. Deliveroo
4. Hungry House
5. Uber Eats
6. Domino’s Pizza
7. Zomato
8. Talabat
9. Eat Clean Me
10. Spoonfed
Each of these apps has its own quirks from catchy tv jingles to GPS showing you where your food is on its journey. What they each have in common is the ease of use they provide for hungry customers. Menus are usually clear and simple, with mouthwatering pictures depicting exactly what you can order.
This kind of technology is brilliant for restaurants, namely because these apps have already been built, removing the associated cost and risk for individual businesses. If a customer is hungry, all open restaurants will be displayed within a certain radius. All people have to do is select what they want. The order and money will then go directly to the restaurant, minus any fees the app will take as commission. Compared with physically visiting you or calling up, this is a lot less hassle for customers, not least because most restaurants allow for pre-orders too.
How To Get Your Restaurant On A Delivery App
As you might expect, every restaurant delivery app is a separate company, and so has its own unique process when it comes to signing up. For example, Uber Eats has a screening process in which restaurants must pass unspecified criteria. Just Eat requires you to register your business with the Food Standards Agency as well as with your local council, and you must have a minimum 3-star rating.
With so many delivery apps available (including up and coming ones), it goes without saying you must do your research before you agree to partner with anyone. As well as having a great user experience, you also need to weigh up the costs to your business as some will charge more than others. Remember, that although the delivery app is just a partner, the service the app gives to your customers will be a reflection on your business as a whole.
Top Tips For Success
If your restaurant is new to the takeaway scene, you need to understand what you are getting into. The food that is available for takeaway needs to survive its journey and arrive in good condition. The materials you’ll need also need to be factored in, and in the age of ‘the war on plastic’, this is a tricky subject. It is of course, worth figuring out especially as nailing the takeaway market has the potential to greatly increase your business reach and overall profits.
Already have an established takeaway model? Then, it’s a good idea to figure out how a delivery app could benefit your business, as well as ensuring continuity if you plan on retaining your existing delivery model too. If you do receive a boost in trade, then you’ll need to be able to handle it which could require hiring more staff to cook the food and deliver it. As you are able to set your own hours, it’s a good idea to start off with a trial run to see if you have everything in hand. Slow waits or a poorly cooked food could lead to bad reviews if not.
Conclusion
The delivery app scene is booming, and if your restaurant isn’t yet using one, you could be missing out on vital trade for your business. Given the industry is rising year on year, it’s definitely worth taking the leap of faith if you’ve been unsure up to now. After all, the business model works and has been created by someone else who has done all the hard work for you. Although there will be a small cost involved, the boost in trade could also see your physical restaurant become more popular by advertising your food to a wider audience.
When you first partner with a delivery app, spreading the word is key. While you are sure to pick up new trade, your existing customers will be equally interested to know they can now order your delicious food to the comfort of their own homes too.
Stampede can help you with your marketing campaigns informing your customers of all your latest news and promotions. Including telling them you are now available on your chosen delivery app. Whether you prefer email, SMS or even social media – spreading the word can help maximise your campaign to deliver the right results.