Desire to get the taste of a city as soon as one de-boards a plane might be a bit too unreasonable. But a food delivery startup from the city promises to cater to this irreverence too, and at reasonable prices.
Foody’s, the business venture by Naeem Khan, aims to bridge the gap between Hyderabad’s patent delicacies and the palates of its visitors, without the latter having to alter their packed itinerary. Claimed to be India’s first B2B2C (Business to Business to Customer) food delivery vertical, Foody’s has recently launched its delivery kiosks at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here, to deliver the city’s signature cuisines, including its famed biryani.
By booking in advance through Foody’s, the customers may pick up their orders from the airport, upon arrival or at departure, from either of the two kiosks set up at the airport.
While an app is in the offing, the startup has already tied up with online travel booking agencies such as MakeMyTrip and GoIbibo, so that the customers may choose the delicacies while booking the tickets. Once the app is launched, they may book standalone orders too, six hours in advance, to receive the delivery at airport, Mr. Khan says.
In addition, customers may choose from Foody’s over-the-counter sales, too, at the airport. This will also help hungry passengers who choose to avoid the supremely expensive food outlets at the airport.
For a variety of cuisines catering to vegetarian and non-vegetarian connoisseurs, Mr. Khan has tied up with six restaurants in city — Shadab, Bawarchi, Rayalaseema Ruchulu, Ohri’s, Terrassen Cafe, and Euphoria. Based on the air passengers’ choice, newer restaurants and menus too will be added to the fare, he says.
While Mr. Khan, an advertising and marketing professional as well as food critic, was one among the pioneers in food delivery in Hyderabad, his business was uprooted with the arrival of Zomato and Swiggy which are on market acquisition spree.
“With this startup, we are banking on the logistic costs involved in food delivery. For any of these food aggregator apps, each order requires a delivery executive, whereas we ply trucks between the airport and the city to carry the orders in bulk at once,” Mr. Khan says. Besides, who would say no to a chicken biryani served at ₹250 inside the airport?
Based on the success here, he plans to expand the operations to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru airports too.
