Did you know that dosas are the most commonly ordered food item in Chennai? Or that this is a city of breakfast-lovers with the maximum number of eateries opening before 8 am. It is probably not a surprise that the fastest growing segment here is biryani with lots of joints offering this delectable meat-and-rice dish. But interestingly enough, home baking is getting super popular with over 50 bakers here pushing wares out of their homes or cloud kitchens.
“We hired a third party resource agency to understand the trends in the city,” says Bhavik Rathod, head of UberEATS, which was launched in the city on October 12.
This helped them choose their restaurant partners, he adds. “We realised that people order a lot of dosas online and so we have partnered exclusively with the A2B (Adyar Ananda Bhavan) chain of restaurants,” he laughs.
Technology, logistics and over 200 odd restaurants in Nungambakkam, T Nagar, Adyar, Besant Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur, Mylapore, Alwarpet and Royapettah come together to deliver warm, fresh food straight to your doorstep. “We first launched this app in Toronto in December 2015,” says Rathod, adding that today the app is available in 29 countries and 130 cities around the globe. In India, UberEATS was first launched in Mumbai in May 2017 before entering Delhi, Gurugram and Bengaluru.
So what makes it so different from all the other food delivery applications already in existence?
“Technology,” says Rathod, pointing out that the ease with which one can track an order is unparalleled. Other advantages: a great filtering system, the ability to complete an order without network and most importantly, the level of personalisation the app offers. “The application learns your behaviour and throws up options based on that,” he explains.
For instance, if I have eaten a dosa for breakfast two mornings in a row, the app will record this and will automatically offer me a plethora of restaurants offering dosas the next time I try to order breakfast.
“Even if I am standing next to you, the restaurant recommendations I get will be very different from yours,” says Rathod.
And guess what? The delivery charge is ₹1 per order irrespective of the number of items you order.
Taste of UberEATS
I manage to download the app, which was launched at noon, at 12.30 pm. The sleek fork against a grey background looks remarkably tempting. I flip through it, spotting some old familiars — The CupCake Company, Chai Kings, Fruit Shop and Cream Stone — besides newer entrants such as Holy Grill, Anglo Aunty’s Takeaway and Mr Kulfi.
I settle for two flasks of chai and samosas . A green line edges across my screen, indicating that my order has been acknowledged. Time 1 pm.
“I think this is likely to be a game changer in this industry,” says Jahabar Sadique, founder Chai Kings, who is on the platform. Sadique, who has his own delivery system and is on Swiggy, says that the brand is, “superior in terms of logistics.” Though the cost of listing his restaurants on UberEATS is higher than it is on other platforms, he believes it is worth it. ‘The traction that Uber will create will give our brand visibility,” he says.
The estimated time of arrival for my tea is supposed to be 1.45 pm. At 1.46 pm, I get a call from the UberEATS delivery executive who promises to reach me in 10 minutes. The projected time on the app changes to 1.51 pm.
A quick look at the UberEATS Twitter account offers positive feedback. “Timely delivery. Awesome chocolate shake. Thanks #uberEatsIndia . You Rock,” tweets AGinotra . “We are loving these delish macaroons from Le 15! Thank you UberEats!” tweets Munchymumbai.
I’m still waiting for my tea, however. It is 1.54 pm but it has still not yet arrived. I try to track it, according to the map, it is one minute away. The ETA changes to 1.56 pm while a message flashes on my screen, “Arriving now. Time to eat!” And that’s when I get another call. Apparently, I have keyed in the wrong address, “You ordered tea for the Nugumbakkam Police Station,” he tells me. I assure him I am not a law enforcement officer and give him the right address. Fifteen minutes later, I get another call. Haridoss, the delivery executive has arrived, wearing a white shirt, a veshti and a somewhat disgruntled expression. I apologise for my mistake and collect my flask of still-warm chai. Time 2.20 pm.
