Delivery Only Takeaway -- Thoughts?
Discussion
Lurker - time to pop up with a post!
I THINK this has been discussed before but I couldn't see it. Thoughts appriciated:
Delivery only Takeaway/Restrauant. Industrial Unit near a City Centre, doing a wide range of Takeaway food delivered. Strong brand, smart packaging, decent app/website. Own delivery drivers in branded vehicles, uniforms etc. Wide range of foods, so an order could include a Chinese Meal, an Indian etc
Call it something like 'The Kitchen', spend a boat load on Marketing, Social Media etc. And employ decent chefs, quality food, high level of hygene etc. Charge a slight premium.
Main challenges as I can see it is people being concerned about ordering from a place they can't see, and costs associaited with own delivery fleet and marketing. Costed it out something like £75K to set up with some contingency.
Love peoples thoughts on A; it as a business idea and B; would you order from something like this.
I THINK this has been discussed before but I couldn't see it. Thoughts appriciated:
Delivery only Takeaway/Restrauant. Industrial Unit near a City Centre, doing a wide range of Takeaway food delivered. Strong brand, smart packaging, decent app/website. Own delivery drivers in branded vehicles, uniforms etc. Wide range of foods, so an order could include a Chinese Meal, an Indian etc
Call it something like 'The Kitchen', spend a boat load on Marketing, Social Media etc. And employ decent chefs, quality food, high level of hygene etc. Charge a slight premium.
Main challenges as I can see it is people being concerned about ordering from a place they can't see, and costs associaited with own delivery fleet and marketing. Costed it out something like £75K to set up with some contingency.
Love peoples thoughts on A; it as a business idea and B; would you order from something like this.
To be honest,
Everytime I order a takeaway, I always get it delivered. So if it's from a highstreet business or one based out of an industrial unit, I couldn't care less aslong as the food is good and it does not take an eternity to arrive!
I don't know if it's just me, but i'm sceptical of places that offer multiple cusines. The term 'jack of all trades, master on none' always rings true.
Everytime I order a takeaway, I always get it delivered. So if it's from a highstreet business or one based out of an industrial unit, I couldn't care less aslong as the food is good and it does not take an eternity to arrive!
I don't know if it's just me, but i'm sceptical of places that offer multiple cusines. The term 'jack of all trades, master on none' always rings true.
Only rarely eat takeaway but don't most people (almost everybody) only order deliveries from places near them?
That would seriously limit your market and maybe alter your decision on where to site it.
Plus - I don't think the branded/liveried notion adds any much value to the idea. What people really really really really want from delivery is 1) good grub 2) reasonable price 3) reasonably speedy delivery. What the delivery man is wearing or driving isn't really of any interest at all.
Plus - I think people slightly 'distrust' the many varieties of food under one roof' places in the sense of believing the better quality comes from the places focussed on one niche. Not many are drawn to order fish n chips from a Chinese, or something pasta from a kebab shop.
OTOH if you could establish a takeaway which WAS a centre of excellence for a variety of different types of food you'd have done something unique and then there'd be a value in the branding, i.e.: "let's get something at Joe's(the brand)" knowing that whatever anyone wanted was going to be guaranteed good because all Joe's stuff is good.
Difficult one to do I'd say given how few of them are much good at anything. Usually it all starts off pretty well, and once a clientele of regulars is established it starts slipping downhill.
That would seriously limit your market and maybe alter your decision on where to site it.
Plus - I don't think the branded/liveried notion adds any much value to the idea. What people really really really really want from delivery is 1) good grub 2) reasonable price 3) reasonably speedy delivery. What the delivery man is wearing or driving isn't really of any interest at all.
Plus - I think people slightly 'distrust' the many varieties of food under one roof' places in the sense of believing the better quality comes from the places focussed on one niche. Not many are drawn to order fish n chips from a Chinese, or something pasta from a kebab shop.
OTOH if you could establish a takeaway which WAS a centre of excellence for a variety of different types of food you'd have done something unique and then there'd be a value in the branding, i.e.: "let's get something at Joe's(the brand)" knowing that whatever anyone wanted was going to be guaranteed good because all Joe's stuff is good.
Difficult one to do I'd say given how few of them are much good at anything. Usually it all starts off pretty well, and once a clientele of regulars is established it starts slipping downhill.
https://goo.gl/maps/LShoNCBV9yj
An extremely busy takeaway. Collect or delivery. The hole in the wall is the whole 'front of house' experience, and you look right into the kitchen. The town has dozens of takeaway and traditional sit-in restaurants, but this is about the best.
I'm biased because I used to deliver for them, covering the whole town and surrounding villages.
An extremely busy takeaway. Collect or delivery. The hole in the wall is the whole 'front of house' experience, and you look right into the kitchen. The town has dozens of takeaway and traditional sit-in restaurants, but this is about the best.
I'm biased because I used to deliver for them, covering the whole town and surrounding villages.
Thanks for all of the comments thus far. Wouldn't neccessarily disagree with any of it.
I think the Deliveroo point is valid, although I think if you are going for quality you need to control each area of the service and delivery is most important, mainly because of the condition (and temperature) of the delivered product.
The points on multipule food types is interesting. I'd see it as a benefit as a customer but it seems I'm in the minority?
I think the Deliveroo point is valid, although I think if you are going for quality you need to control each area of the service and delivery is most important, mainly because of the condition (and temperature) of the delivered product.
The points on multipule food types is interesting. I'd see it as a benefit as a customer but it seems I'm in the minority?
It would solve a lot of arguments in my household.
I love Indian, other half hates Indian but loves Chinese - I like Chinese, but it has to be good, not the st that most local takeaways deliver.
We end up either having an average Chinese, or a pizza.
Somewhere that could do a Chicken Jalfrezi for Dad, Crispy Duck for Mum, and Pizza for the kids in one fell swoop would I imagine prove very popular... Providing the food was good.
I love Indian, other half hates Indian but loves Chinese - I like Chinese, but it has to be good, not the st that most local takeaways deliver.
We end up either having an average Chinese, or a pizza.
Somewhere that could do a Chicken Jalfrezi for Dad, Crispy Duck for Mum, and Pizza for the kids in one fell swoop would I imagine prove very popular... Providing the food was good.
It works and is already being rolled out by several established players, such as Deliveroo. Just google "dark kitchen".
To reinvent it yourself would be a waste of time and effort. I looked at it a year ago but the market was already being taken by companies investing ten of millions.
To reinvent it yourself would be a waste of time and effort. I looked at it a year ago but the market was already being taken by companies investing ten of millions.
OP, IIRC the model that you are referring to ran in London for a few years called Deliverance.
It no longer exists.
Perhaps learning about it and why it no longer exists would be a helpful exercise and also highlight pitfalls that you would need to overcome. Also, IIRC it was one of the first of its type and had London to itself before Just Eat, HungryHouse etc arrived.
It no longer exists.
Perhaps learning about it and why it no longer exists would be a helpful exercise and also highlight pitfalls that you would need to overcome. Also, IIRC it was one of the first of its type and had London to itself before Just Eat, HungryHouse etc arrived.
I don't want my food delivered by people in smart new branded vans. I want it delivered cheaply by an illegal immigrant in a Toyota Corolla with a dodgy MOT. Or a student on a moped. As long as its cheap and quick, I don't care.
I definitely don't want to order from somewhere that does indian, chinese, italian etc. That just screams slops, generic food made by someone who doesn't know much/anything about it. I want Indian food made by actual Indians. Chinese food made by Chinese... I suspect the vast majority are in the same boat. Its going to be absolutely impossible to do each cuisine well (without effectively running multiple kitchens).
I definitely don't want to order from somewhere that does indian, chinese, italian etc. That just screams slops, generic food made by someone who doesn't know much/anything about it. I want Indian food made by actual Indians. Chinese food made by Chinese... I suspect the vast majority are in the same boat. Its going to be absolutely impossible to do each cuisine well (without effectively running multiple kitchens).
Algarve said:
I don't want my food delivered by people in smart new branded vans. I want it delivered cheaply by an illegal immigrant in a Toyota Corolla with a dodgy MOT. Or a student on a moped. As long as its cheap and quick, I don't care.
I definitely don't want to order from somewhere that does indian, chinese, italian etc.
Agree.I definitely don't want to order from somewhere that does indian, chinese, italian etc.
The only places I can think of that do that are the world buffet outfits and they're ste. A wee Indian that's been round the corner for years is always going to be perceived as better than an Indian section of some factory kitchen churning out every cuisine you can think of.
Although I don't do delivery at all. I only use one kebab shop where I go and watch it being cooked so know it's fresh and hot, and the sides are right. The Chinese I can't actually see making it, and the Scottish woman on the counter is a right old boot but again habit means I go and get it at it's hottest, not on the third drop off for the driver.
There was a place round here, worked out an industrial unit did thai, indian, chinese, burgers and pizza. It was called the Kitchen or kitchens.
Used it a couple of times and it was ok. Not seen a leaflet for some time and the only ad I can see online is not the one I thought so they may have gone under.
Used it a couple of times and it was ok. Not seen a leaflet for some time and the only ad I can see online is not the one I thought so they may have gone under.
Theres a place like this near me, although not city-centre, bearing in min its probable a 5 mile radius the main complaints seem to be delivery times and quality of the food.
I think it works well as a concept but I would be tempted to change it slightly.
Why not have an industrial unit with the one kitchen, but operate it as different eateries and welcome joint orders? People wouldn't be put off by the different cuisines and it would be a god send for the dad who wants a curry.
I don't think the money would be in an app / website at first, I would look more at starting with one/two cuisines and getting the name about with the likes of just eat, then maybe expand and offer another cuisine to the customers you have - not through JE?
A lot of people are onto the game with middle men type companies, most will go direct if possible, use JE as an entry platform, then after a month or 3 (depending on JE contract) pop leaflets into all the deliveries offering a discount or free desert if you go direct (good website/app with payment will be needed here)
problem with basing your business on this method is your app/website needs to be good and working, or it falls apart, and you have no idea on return until you try it. use JE to get running and if people like the food then go down your own path
I think it works well as a concept but I would be tempted to change it slightly.
Why not have an industrial unit with the one kitchen, but operate it as different eateries and welcome joint orders? People wouldn't be put off by the different cuisines and it would be a god send for the dad who wants a curry.
I don't think the money would be in an app / website at first, I would look more at starting with one/two cuisines and getting the name about with the likes of just eat, then maybe expand and offer another cuisine to the customers you have - not through JE?
A lot of people are onto the game with middle men type companies, most will go direct if possible, use JE as an entry platform, then after a month or 3 (depending on JE contract) pop leaflets into all the deliveries offering a discount or free desert if you go direct (good website/app with payment will be needed here)
problem with basing your business on this method is your app/website needs to be good and working, or it falls apart, and you have no idea on return until you try it. use JE to get running and if people like the food then go down your own path
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