Takeaway just got a high tech makeover, with the Australian launch of Deliveroo, the UK start-up that is changing the way people think about takeaway.
Deliveroo, the on-demand delivery service for high-quality restaurant meals, recently launched in five new cities, Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, marking its first foray outside Europe.
The company also announced an additional A$140 million (US$100 milion) Series D led by DST Global and Greenoaks Capital with participation from existing investors Accel, Hummingbird Ventures and Index Ventures.
The investment will be used to rapidly scale its operations in its five new markets and support further international expansion to establish the company firmly as the number one provider of on-demand high-quality food delivery.
The new cities launch off the back of strong growth and an A$98 million investment (US$70 million) in July of this year. To date, Deliveroo has raised a total of A$280 million (US$200 million).
What exactly does Deliveroo do?
Deliveroo is an end-to-end food delivery service that brings high-quality local restaurant food to homes and offices through a proprietary technology and logistics platform.
Founded in 2013 by William Shu and Greg Orlowski, with the aim of providing the ultimate food delivery experience, the company delivers dishes from leading independents, such as Dishoom and Michelin-starred Trishna, to high-quality chain restaurants including Gaucho, GBK, Soho House Group and Wagamama.
Unlike the majority of food delivery businesses that are purely online marketplaces for takeaway restaurants, Deliveroo uses mobile technology and its own algorithm to build powerful local delivery networks for restaurants that don’t offer a take away option, such as premium and fine dining establishments so that they can offer their diners a convenient and reliable way to enjoy their meals in their home or office, delivered by its extraordinary team of drivers and cyclists, in under 30 minutes.
How is Deliveroo doing so far?
Since the start of 2015, Deliveroo has grown daily orders tenfold and expanded its service to 50 cities across 12 countries. Over 5,000 restaurants are currently delivering through the platform worldwide.
The company’s hyper-local approach is thriving in areas with high population density and quality restaurants, characteristics shared by all its new cities of operation.
Residents of the five new Deliveroo cities will now have the option of ordering from a variety of local independent and chain restaurants through the Deliveroo website, mobile site, and soon to be released mobile app.
Restaurants partnering with Deliveroo can utilise their excess kitchen capacity to generate an increase of 30 per cent or more in revenue without their own fleet of drivers and technology infrastructure.
William, who is the CEO of Deliveroo, said, “We’ve experienced extraordinary demand for our service as consumers want high-quality food delivered quickly and restaurants seek a new significant source of revenue.”
“It’s been phenomenal to see the business quickly expand from London to European capitals and some of the most exciting cities in Asia Pacific and the Middle East.”
Deliveroo hops all over Australia
As part of the Australian launch, Deliveroo has opened offices in both Melbourne and Sydney where it has already invested in over 40 staff and is currently looking to fill a range of further positions across sales, marketing, operations and customer service.
Commenting of its Australian launch, Levi Aron, Deliveroo’s Australian Country Manager said, “We want to change the way Australians think about food, by allowing them to experience premium quality dining in their own home or office.”
“Over the last five years Australia has really become the foodie nation, developing a fascination with food and embracing everything from fine dining, festivals to food trucks.”
“The response to date by restaurants has been fantastic, with Deliveroo’s technology driven approach to premium food delivery resonating with restaurant owners looking to grow their business by offering a new category of high quality and reliable delivery service that enhances their brand and the experience they can bring to customers.”
A number of Melbourne and Sydney’s most loved restaurants are already signed up to Deliveroo including 38 Chairs, Uncle, Huxtaburger, Sugarcane, Spice Room and The Roosevelt.
Deliveroo currently services St. Kilda, Prahran, South Yarra, Toorak, Richmond, Sydney’s CBD, Haymarket, Potts Point, Kings Cross, Woolloomooloo, Darlinghurst, Elizabeth Bay, Rushcutters Bay and Surry Hills, with further expansion planned over the coming weeks across Melbourne and Sydney to extend its footprint across the major metropolitan areas.
