A home office-based business in Croydon is taking on global brands Just Eat, Deliveroo and UberEats with its own local delivery service.
Paul Sweeney and Andy Szebeni have today launched Croydon Eats, a food ordering app which is looking to take a large, Croydon-shaped bite from the £11billion takeaway market.
Croydon Eats is setting out to serve diners in the borough better and for less than the established delivery service brands.
With its striking red logo feature an aeroplane propellor – referencing the area’s historic international airport – Croydon Eats already has 31 outlets signed up for their service, as they focus on customers and takeaway outlets in the CR0 and CR2 postcodes, as well as Thornton Heath, New Addington and Purley, though outlets just outside who deliver into those postcode areas will also be included.
From today, diners will be able to order via a dedicated Croydon Eats app or website and either have their food delivered by local Croydon Eats riders, the outlet’s own drivers or be able to save the delivery fee and pick up when the order is ready.
Croydon Eats charges of 50p to app users is a fraction of that charged by the big brands.
Plus, their charges to outlets are much lower, too, so the restaurants and takeaways can afford to make offers and discounts via Croydon Eats that they could not make via the international platforms.
“We are able to undercut the majors because our fixed costs are much lower and we are less greedy,” Sweeney said.
“We don’t have shareholders to keep satisfying, stock market fees, expensive TV ads to fund or a network of overpaid sales people.
Hungry for new business: Paul Sweeney (right) and Andy Szebeni of Croydon Eats
“We are local so can easily fix any issues that might arise with the terminals. Plus we know the market because we live here so can help advise on the best marketing strategies.
“We saw in Lockdown 1 how difficult it was for restaurants and how takeaways were being overcharged by the Big 3, so we saw the opportunity for a disruptor to come into the market.
“The big apps don’t care about the local community and we do: 50 per cent of our profits will go back into marketing locally and we will support local charities and employ local people.
“We just want a business that helps support our families.”
Croydon Eats is waiving its £150 set-up fee for outlets who sign up this month, and they supply a handheld terminal free of charge. Its outlets will be offering discounts of at least 10 per cent and as much as 30 per cent off food orders during the launch month.
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I wish them well, but they’ve got tough competition.
Feast Express never really go off the ground.
https://insidecroydon.com/2014/02/16/airport-house-business-takes-off-with-its-feast-express/