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MAGAZINE
In Italy there are currently no
fully integrated companies, i.e.
companies with their own internal
kitchen. Therefore, operators have
to make do with taking food by the
various traditional restaurants. As a
consequence, traditional restaurants
have the chance to reach their
customers at home by simply paying a
commission to the App, generally 10-
15% for “order only” and up to 30% for
“order and delivery”. Such commission
is generally paid by the customer on
the bill or by the restaurant if they
decide to cover the commission cost.
CAREFUL ABOUT TIMES
One of
the new challenges for restaurants
that decide to play the home
delivery game is the timing. In the
States, some people have decided
to invest in a separate kitchen
entirely dedicated to takeaway meals
and to deliveries if necessary. It is
certainly not a competition within
everyone’s reach. “The selection
of restaurants for Deliveroo – says
Matto Sarzana, general manager of
the British company – focuses on
the upper middle level because they
share our position on the market.
Having said this, the only real
feature that a restaurant must have
is preparing really good food. We
think about optimizing the menu for
home delivery and about planning
preparation times not to disappoint
the promise that we make in terms
of delivery times”. Exactly. Delivery
times. How do you make sure the
meal arrives hot and on time straight
to the customer’s door? “We give
the restaurant the type of food
package that we believe to be most
suitable – explains Sarzana -, then it
is the restaurant itself to choose the
most appropriate package for the
food it cooks. All Deliveroo riders
have thermic bags and backpacks
designed specifically to carry food
and to offer customers the same
taste and flavour he would have
experienced at the restaurant”.
FROM PIZZA TO STARRED FOOD
There is room for everyone. Takeaways
in the past were mostly pizza, sushi
and Chinese food, but today there’s
much more than that. “Our restaurants
vary from ethnic to classic Italian,
from the new food trends to pizza
and hambrgers – conferms Sarzana.
There is a non-written rule for Italians
though: they tend to order the most
what they can cook the least. But we
have noticed over the years that orders
for pasta have greatly increased. Once
consumers realize they can trust the
quality, they start ordering things that
were unthinkable at the beginning”.
“I believe that after the traditional
fast-food phase, the entry of gourmet
restaurants will encourage the
demand” – says Ester Gazzano, Uber
marketing lead.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS: A SIMPLE
MENU
Restaurants can follow a few
tips to be successful in the home
delivery business. A short menu with
the right dishes, changed according
to the season. They must be careful
about the most requested items
and about the packaging. “There
is a need for more attention to the
list of ingredients in the dish, for
specific diets, food intolerances or
allergies. They must also guarantee
fast delivery times, to meet the
consumer’s needs”, says Samuele
Fraternali, senior researcher at
Osservatorio eCommerce B2c of
Politecnico Milano.
Above all, food delivery must
not be considered as a second
best of one’s job. “It’s like
having a table straight in
the customer’s living
room”, as Sarzana likes
to put it.
So, Internet is really