Takeaways have been the way many of us have made it through lockdown, with the weekly order (or more often, if we’re honest) a real highlight to look forward to.
While Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat can provide some much-needed inspiration for what to order, many restaurants and food traders are choosing to do the delivering themselves.
When lockdown was first introduced in March last year, Ozzie, co-owner of Ancoats chippy Hip Hop Chip Shop, jumped on his bike and started delivering takeaway orders.
They started off taking orders on WhatsApp, and Ozzie would cycle around with his bike trailer off Ebay for £20. ‘Obsessed’ with the food arriving really hot, Ozzie would plan the routes so he could do three drop offs at a time within 5 minutes of each other.
As they started doing more orders, Hip Hop Chip Shop wanted to be able to continue control the quality of the food and the delivery times. They now take orders through their own website, as well as through Deliveroo and Uber Eats, but even with orders through the apps, they do the deliveries themselves. They keep the delivery radius small to ensure the food doesn’t stay in the box for too long.
Ozzie said: “When [the delivery platforms] were doing the riding for us, you’d get riders that would accept an order and then arrive at the shop and then find something else or leave. We literally had riders outside and then we’d look and they’d be gone. It was just the not knowing when people would come. It’s a complete blind spot for your business.
“We’ve ended up getting people in who have done deliveries for Uber Eats and Deliveroo, and the fact that they are going back and forth to one venue, getting paid an hourly rate rather than by delivery, they’re actually getting paid more for doing that.
“Since we’ve brought our deliveries in house, our deliveries on the platform have been up and up because we’re in control of the quality and we know it’s getting there proper quick. Before, we just didn’t know what was happening, we didn’t know how quick they were going. There was no incentive for them to get there quickly, they were just getting paid for the delivery.”
Delivery apps like Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat can provide exposure for small businesses and straightforward means of delivering their dishes, but this service does come at a premium.
For each order that is delivered, delivery platforms will take around 30-35% of the revenue. If restaurants get orders through the apps but deliver themselves, the cut is around 15%. For orders through their own website, they only have to pay a monthly upkeep fee and a cut of the card payments of around 2%.
On top of this, Ozzie says that they are constantly being encouraged to put offers on their food. Something that he says, if they don’t do, affects their rankings on the platform.
“I’ve always said, it’s a necessary evil. They are offering you a service of orders and delivery, it’s a good model, but they’ll just take a lot of money.
“I definitely see the value in it, for sure, but if you are in a position to be able do it yourselves, I would definitely do it. For us, it’s been so much better for us to be able to control it.”
Restaurants/food and drink traders delivering themselves
Fish and chips delivered by bike from Thursday to Sunday within 1.3km of the Ancoats restaurant. Order via their website here: thehiphopchipshop.com.
Handmade pasta, spatzle and dumplings available as takeaway or ‘finish at home’. Deliveries £5 from Tuesday to Sunday to postcodes M1-M9, M11-M18, M32, M40, M50 . Order via their website: thesparrows.me.
Weekly seasonal supper menus. Deliveries on Saturday, £3 for postcodes M21, M16, M20, M32. Nationwide deliveries £10. Also available to collect from their Chorlton restaurant.
Pizza deliveries Thursday to Sunday 5-10pm. Roast deliveries on Sundays 2-7pm. Minimum order £12 via cibuspizza.com.
Malaysian ready meals. Order on WhatsApp – 07551 925129.
Chocolate chip cookies, delivered Thursday to Sunday. Delivery costs – within 2.5 miles (£2.50), 2.5-8 miles (£3.50) and 3 miles from Bolton/Bury (£3.75). Order here.
Doughnut deliveries. £3 per order. Wednesday to Friday, various locations. Order here siopshop.co.
Handmade pasties and pies. Local Manchester deliveries £2, delivered on Saturdays and Sundays. Collection also available. Order here hmpasties.com.
Street food meal kits and ready meals, drinks and desserts from various Manchester traders. Saturday deliveries available within 6 miles of GRUB. Full information here.
Wine, food and provisions delivered each Friday. Minimum orders is £15 with free delivery in M19, £3 in M1, M4, M12-M21, SK4-SK6. Order via their webshop: iscawines.com.
Italian dishes delivered, ready to eat or reheat. Menu is on their Instagram page here. Orders via DM.
Tapas, charcuterie and meal kits. Local deliveries available, full list of areas they deliver to and dishes available on their website here: baratxuri.co.uk.
Nell’s Pizza are on the delivery platforms but Deliveroo just can’t handle their 22 inch pizzas. So, to order those email massivedeliverieschorlton@nellspizza.co.uk, they can also be collected from The Beagle.
Double-stacked beef burgers, fries, wings and nuggets, delivered to M41 (£2.95), and M31 and M32 (£3.95). Also available for collection. Order here: getchucked.co.uk.
Vegetarian Sunday roasts delivered – £9.95 each. Call 0161 312 5030 or 07455322805 to order.
Brunch, lunch, cakes and more delivered nationwide. Delivery every fortnight. Order via their website here.
Independent Chinese restaurant delivering Thursday to Sunday. Call 0161 207 8788 to order.
Wines and spirits delivered. Free delivery in Greater Manchester for orders over £30. Order here: reservewines.co.uk.
Bread and pastries with delivery options available from Wednesday to Friday and Sundays with various locations on each of the days. Minimums orders £10 and deliveries cost £4. Order here.
